Oil

Revision as of 12:41, 7 August 2012 by User1 (Talk | contribs)

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Special Precautions of Oil

The misdirected war on saturated fats has convinced millions of people that unsaturated vegetable oils are a healthy alternative. Not only do many vegetables oils turn rancid quickly, which means they are toxic, but many of them also contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids which, apart from omega-3 fatty acids, can cause severe health problems like heart disease and cancer.Polyunsaturated fats are the absolute worst oils to use when cooking because these omega-6-rich oils are highly susceptible to heat damage.This category includes common vegetable oils such as:

  • Corn
  • Soy
  • Safflower
  • Sunflower
  • Canola

Olive Oil is NOT good for cooking. It should really only be used cold, typically drizzled on salads and other food.Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage. However, during this interview I learned that extra-virgin olive oil has a significant draw-back even when used cold – it’s still extremely perishable!

HEALTHY COOKING OILS


Type
Taste
Smoke Point
Fat Type
Healthy
Cooking
Stays
Fresh
Avocado - refined Mild 520° F Monounsaturated (70%) +++ ++ ++
Canola - refined Mild 400° F Monounsaturated (59%) and Polyunsaturated (30%) plus 9% omega-3 and 20% omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking) +++ -  
Coconut Mildy Nutty 375° F Saturated (86%) --- + +++
Corn - unrefined Buttery 320° F Polyunsaturated (55%) and Monounsaturated (28%) with 54% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) + --- ---
Corn - refined Mildly Buttery 400° F Polyunsaturated (55%) and Monounsaturated (28%) with 54% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking)   -- ---
Flaxseed Nutty 225° F Polyunsaturated (66%) and Monounsaturated (20%) with 53% omega-3 (very healthy, but not for cooking) +++ --- ---
Grapeseed Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (70%) with 70% omega-6; good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants + +  
Olive - unrefined Fruity 350° F Monounsaturated (74%) with 72% omega-9; extremely healthy +++ + +++
Palm - unrefined Strong 350° F Saturated (49%) and Monounsaturated (37%) --- + +++
Palm Kernel Strong 375° F Saturated (82%) ---    
Peanut - unrefined Nutty 320° F Monounsaturated (46%) and Polyunsaturated (32%) with 32% omega-6 ++    
Peanut - refined Mildy Nutty 450° F Monounsaturated (46%) and Polyunsaturated (32%) with 32% omega-6 + +  
Rice Bran Neutral 490° F Monounsaturated (39%) and Polyunsaturated (35%); good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants ++ ++  
Safflower - unrefined Nutty-corn 320° F Polyunsaturated (75%) with 75% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - --- ---
Safflower - refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Polyunsaturated (75%) with 75% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - -- ---
Sesame - unrefined Nutty 320° F Polyunsaturated (42%) and Monounsaturated (40%) with 41% omega-6; sesamol antioxidant permits heat up to 320°F +   ++
Sesame - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (42%) and Monounsaturated (40%) + + ++
Sunflower - refined Bland 450° F Monounsaturated (45%) and Polyunsaturated (40%) with 40% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) -   ---
Sunflower - high-oleic, unrefined Nutty 320° F Monounsaturated (84%)      
Sunflower - high-oleic, refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Monounsaturated (84%) - +  
Vegetable (soybean) - refined Mild 450° F Polyunsaturated (45%) with 40% omega-6 (not healthy for cooking) - -  
Walnut - unrefined Nutty 305° F Polyunsaturated (63%) with 53% omega-6 and 10% omega-3 fatty acids (not healthy for cooking) - --- --
Walnut - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (63%) with 53% omega-6 and 10% omega-3 fatty acids (not healthy for cooking) -- -- --


Key:
  • +++ = Highest rating in the associated category.
  • --- = Lowest rating in the associated category.
  • Healthy (category) = How healthy is the associated oil at room temperature?
  • Cooking (category) = How healthy is the associated oil at higher temperatures?
  • Stays Fresh (category) = How long before the associated oil turns rancid?

Facts

  • The best cooking oil has a high smoke point, does not break down when heated, contains healthy ingredients, lacks unhealthy ingredients and has an appropriate flavor.
  • All oils are fats (NOT all fats are oils).
  • All fat has 9-calories per gram. This is true of all oils, too.
  • There are three basic categories of fat (based on their fatty acid content) -- Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and Saturated.

Health Factors

  • In general, healthy oils tend to break down into unhealthy chemicals when heated.
  • Unless heated, the healthiest fat is Monounsaturated fat. It raises the good <acronym title="High-Density Lipoprotein">HDL</acronym> cholesterol ratio.
  • When heated, Monounsaturated fat tends to break down and become unhealthy.
  • The unhealthiest fat is Saturated fat. It is associated with the bad, artery-clogging <acronym title="Low-Density Lipoprotein">LDL</acronym> cholesterol, but it is also the most stable when heated.
  • Trans fatty acids are twice as unhealthy as saturated fats.
  • Trans fatty acids are in hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils. Avoid them.
  • Linolenic (Omega-3) and Linoleic (Omega-6) are essential fatty acids. They are healthy (especially Omega-3), but they break down and become unhealthy when heated.
  • Western countries typically consume too much Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3. They must be balanced.

Shelf Life

  • Oils have a relatively short shelf life and become rancid rather quickly. Rancid fats have been associated with atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer.
  • Shelf life for cooking oils is about 3-months to 1-year. Exposure to oxygen, heat and light diminish an oil's shelf life.
  • Refined oils stay fresh longer and can be heated to higher temperatures, but they contain more impurities than unrefined oils.
  • Saturated fat has the longest shelf life, but it is the most unhealthy fat.
  • Polyunsaturated fat readily combines with oxygen in the air to become rancid.
  • Dark cooking oils have shorter shelf lives than light-colored or clear oils.
  • Anti-oxidants extend an oil's shelf life.

Last modified on 7 August 2012, at 12:41