See also :
Special Precautions of Oil
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!
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<img src="logo20050220c.gif" width="136" height="136" border="0" align="left" hspace="12" alt="Healthy Cooking Oils">
<img src="spacer136.gif" width="136" height="136" border="0" align="right" hspace="12" alt="Healthy Cooking Oils">
HEALTHY COOKING OILS
Essentials of Healthy Cooking Oils
<a href="#table">table</a> | <a href="#considerations">considerations</a> | <a href="#links">links</a> | <a href="#news">news</a> | <a href="#contact">contact</a>
<a name="table"></a>
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:
- Bold Red = Smoke point of at least 400° F.
- Highlighted = Consider for healthy cooking.
- +++ = 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?
|
<a name="considerations"></a>
<img src="corner1ul.gif" width="5" height="5" border="0" align="top" alt=""> Considerations
Oil Overview
- 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.
|
<a name="links"></a>
<img src="corner1ul.gif" width="5" height="5" border="0" align="top" alt=""> Links
Internal Links
External Links
|
<a name="news"></a>
<img src="corner1ul.gif" width="5" height="5" border="0" align="top" alt=""> Cooking Oil News
Yahoo! News
<a href="http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-amp-up-your-arsenal-of-healthy-cooking-oil-20120125,0,5870635.story?track=rss" target="_blank">Amp up your arsenal of healthy cooking oil</a>
01/25/2012 10:38 PM
(CBS) You've probably heard several reports about the health benefits of olive oil, but there are a wide variety of other healthy oils on the market as well, each with its own health benefits.
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/frying-olive-sunflower-oil-ok-heart-study-finds-001215929.html" target="_blank">Frying With Olive, Sunflower Oil OK for Heart, Study Finds</a>
01/25/2012 11:48 PM
TUESDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers in Spain have some good news for people who enjoy eating fried food: Cooking in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death.
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/sesame-oil-154756770.html" target="_blank">Sesame oil: What it is and how to use it</a>
01/24/2012 10:47 AM
Maybe it's time to look beyond claims of virginity in the oil aisle.
<a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/restaurants/20120126_Beyond_olive_oil__Sesame_can_impart_a_nutty_flavor.html" target="_blank">Beyond olive oil: Sesame can impart a nutty flavor</a>
01/25/2012 10:08 PM
Maybe it's time to look beyond claims of virginity in the oil aisle. Because you see, our 20-year love affair with olive oil has had fallout. We've forgotten that there's a whole world of oils that don't come from the olive tree. And they can do a heck of a lot more than just saute and make a fine dressing.
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/love-fried-foods-fying-olive-oil-may-spare-131105972.html" target="_blank">Love fried foods? Fying in olive oil may spare your heart</a>
01/25/2012 08:11 AM
Debunking the long-held belief that fried foods spell disaster for your cardiovascular health, a new study finds that as long as you use olive or sunflower oil, fried foods may not be so bad after all.
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-16691754" target="_blank">'Fry food in olive oil' heart tip</a>
01/24/2012 07:07 PM
Eating fried food is not bad for the heart, as long as you use olive or sunflower oil to make it, experts suspect.
<a href="http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/1/25/frying_with_olive_or_sunflower_oil.htm" target="_blank">Frying With Olive or Sunflower Oil Doesn't Affect Heart, Study Says</a>
01/25/2012 05:47 PM
Food fried in olive or sunflower oil was not linked to heart disease or premature death, researchers in Spain found. Professor Pillar Gullah-Castillo of Autonomous University of Madrid surveyed the cooking methods of 40,757 adults ages 29-69 over an 11-year period.
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240753.php" target="_blank">Frying Food in Olive or Sunflower Oil Better For Heart</a>
01/26/2012 10:16 AM
According to a study published on bmj.com, heart disease or premature death is not associated with consuming food fried in sunflower or olive oil. The study was conducted in Spain, a country in the Mediterranean where sunflower or olive oil is used for frying. The researchers stress that their results would probably not be the same in countries which primarily use solid and re-used oils for ...
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