COOKING OILS — WHICH TO USE WHEN
You probably use cooking oils regularly, as you can employ them to prepare all sorts of dishes. And you probably try to stick with the healthier oils. Yet, you also need to consider whether the oil is still healthy to eat after actually heating it during cooking—rather than when you use it as a salad dressing or in a dip. To give us some advice, I found this March 25, 2021 Mayo Clinic article by Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., Which type of oil should I use for cooking with high heat? Here are excerpts:
The healthiest cooking oils are those that are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as vegetable oil and olive oil. These types of fats can help lower your risk of heart disease when used instead of saturated fats.
Actual Cooking
When it comes to cooking, however, not all oils are created equal. Some oils can handle the heat, and some can’t.
An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which it will start to smoke and break down. When cooking oil starts to smoke, it can lose some of its nutritional value and can give food an unpleasant taste.
Oils with high smoke points are good for high-heat frying and stir-frying. These include:
- Peanut
- Sesame
- Soybean
Oils with moderately high smoke points are good for sautéing over medium-high heat. These include:
- Avocado
- Corn
- Canola
- Olive
Oils with low smoke points, such as flaxseed, pumpkin seed and walnut, are best saved for use in salad dressings and dips. Some oils, including avocado, grape seed, olive and sesame, are versatile enough to be used for frying or in salad dressings.
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And some oils such as coconut oil and palm oil, which are higher in saturated fats than other oils, are best to stay away from altogether.