Have you ever noticed the wide variety of cooking oils available at the grocery store and wondered how you would use them? Most of us have grown comfortable with a basic vegetable oil and perhaps olive oil, but beyond that we seldom experiment with the other oils. We’d like to tell you more about some of these delicious cooking oils and how you can introduce new and delightful flavors into your cooking.
The Fat of the Matter
What is Oil?
Oil is the fat from a plant or animal or can be produced synthetically. From avocado oil to pumpkin seed oil to ghee, there are a surprising number of fats to choose from and each with their own unique benefits! However, there some details about oils that you should know and the first is the “smoke point.”
A “smoke point” refers to the temperature at which oils begin to smoke and this is something to avoid since this is where the oils begin to interact with oxygen, generating toxic fumes and creating free radicals. What determines the smoke point is the level of polyunsaturated fats in the oil. While saturated fats and monounsaturated fats are fairly heat resistant, a greater percentage of polyunsaturated fats tends to result in a lower smoke point. But don’t be afraid of good fats like saturated fat as your brain, immune system, nervous system and more depend on these fats for health.
Five Good Starter Oils
And How to Use Them
Although we can’t cover every oil in detail, we’d like to introduce to five oils that you will find simple to incorporate into your cooking.
Coconut Oil – Over 90% of the fatty acids in coconut oil are saturated fats, making it both healthy and highly heat resistant. It’s not only suitable for most high-heat cooking, but it can boost your metabolism and improve your cholesterol among other health benefits! Try with popcorn or hashbrowns!
Butter – Real butter from grass-fed cows is not only flavorful in sautéing vegetables or frying eggs, but also the most nutritional as compared to margarine or butter from grain-fed cows. If you want a pure butter fat less susceptible to burning, you need to remove the sugars and proteins through a process called “clarifying,” resulting in ghee.
Avocado Oil – Similar to olive oil in nutrition and fairly heat stable, this oil is versatile for sautéing chicken, fish, plantains or sweet potatoes as well as in salad dressings.
Palm Oil – Unrefined Red Palm Oil is the best as it is low in polyunsaturated fats and can tolerate high cooking heat. It has a juicy, fruity flavor and is a popular choice when cooking African dishes.
Macadamia Oil – While most nut oils are suitable only for cold uses, this tasty oil can be used for low – medium frying heats or on salads, although it can be expensive!
We hope you enjoy these new oils as you find delicious ways to add new flavor to your cooking and diversity to your health!
Sources
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/health-guide/cooking-oils.html
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/food-guides/cooking-oils
http://authoritynutrition.com/healthy-cooking-oils/
