What is the hierarchy - best to worst - for cooking oils?
Don’t remember the exact order off hand but olive and safflower oils are among the best.
In general, animal fats and saturated fats/oils are worse than unsatuated. Check the labels…sat/unsat percentages are usually listed.
Best include things like olive oil, canola oil. I use olive oil for just about everything that requires oil. Steer clear of things like butter, margarine, lard, bacon fat, beef tallow, you get the idea :^)
Don’t laugh. I had a cardiac patient ask me if frying his fish in bacon fat was bad for him.
Philbert
My first choice is extra virgin olive oil. I read that extra virgin is best. Not sure why but if I saw it in print it must be true. I understand that canola oil is good too.
Key: Bold RED= Smoke point of at least 400° F. *ITALIC *= 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?
Type / Taste / Smoke Point / Fat Type / Healthy / Cooking / Stays Fresh
*Avocado - refined Mild 520° F Monounsaturated (70%) +++ ++ *
Canola - refined Mild 400° F Monounsaturated (62%) and Polyunsaturated (32%) plus omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). +++ –
*Coconut Mildy Nutty 350° F Saturated (90%) — + +++ *
Corn - unrefined Buttery 320° F Polyunsaturated (57%) + — —
Corn - refined Mildly Buttery 450° F Polyunsaturated (57%) with omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). + — —
Flaxseed Nutty 225° F Polyunsaturated (75%) with omega-3 fatty acids (very healthy, but not for cooking). +++ — —
*Grapeseed Nutty 485° F Polyunsaturated (71%); good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants. + ++ *
*Olive - unrefined Fruity 350° F Monounsaturated (75%) with oleic acid +++ +++ *
*Palm - unrefined Strong 400° F Saturated (50%) and Monounsaturated (37%) — + +++ *
*Palm Kernel Strong 375° F Saturated (85%) — Peanut - unrefined Nutty 320° F Monounsaturated (48%) and Polyunsaturated (33%) with 22% omega-6 (limits cooking to 212°F before becoming unhealthy) ++ *
*Peanut - refined Mildy Nutty 450° F Monounsaturated (48%) and Polyunsaturated (33%) with 22% omega-6 (limits cooking to 212°F before becoming unhealthy) ++ + *
*Rice Bran Neutral 490° F Monounsaturated (46%); good source of vitamins (E and others) and antioxidants. ++ ++ *
Safflower - unrefined Nutty-corn 320° F Polyunsaturated (76%) with 79% omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). - — —
Safflower - refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Polyunsaturated (76%) with 79% omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). - – —
*Sesame - unrefined Nutty 320° F Polyunsaturated (44%) and Monounsaturated (40%) with omega-6; sesamol antioxidant permits heat up to 320°F + ++ *
Sesame - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (44%) and Monounsaturated (40%) + + ++
Sunflower - refined Bland 450° F Polyunsaturated (68%) with 69% omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). - — —
Sunflower - high-oleic, unrefined Nutty 320° F Polyunsaturated (68%) with omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). — —
Sunflower - high-oleic, refined Mildly Nutty 450° F Polyunsaturated (68%) with omega-6 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). – —
Vegetable (soybean) - refined Mild 450° F Polyunsaturated (60%) - -
Walnut - unrefined Nutty 305° F Polyunsaturated (67%) with some omega-3 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). – — –
Walnut - refined Mildy Nutty 400° F Polyunsaturated (67%) with some omega-3 fatty acids (healthy, but not for cooking). – — –
Considerations: 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. In general, healthy oils tend to break down into unhealthy chemicals when heated. 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 – Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and Saturated Unless heated, the healthiest fat is Monounsaturated fat. It raises the good HDL 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 LDL cholesterol), but it is also the most stable when heated. Refined oils stay fresh longer and can be heated to higher temperatures, but they contain more impurities than unrefined oils. 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. Good Reference: “Tufts University Guide to Total Nutrition” by Stanley Gershoff. 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 oils is about 3-months to 1-year. Exposure to oxygen, heat and light diminish an oil’s shelf life. Dark oils have shorter shelf lives than light-colored or clear oils. Anti-oxidants extend an oil’s shelf life.
oh boy, this is right up my alley! i’m taking a break for studying for a methods of human nutrition assesment lab, so i’ll pull this straight from my notes. first off, the absolute worst is trans fat. consider this poision!! (i’m serious, it’s banned in canada and several euro countries). not onlly does it raise your bad cholesterol (LDL), it also LOWERS your good cholesterol. next up is saturated fat. this raises your bad cholesterol levels. also in the bad category, because of the amount of saturated fat in them are: (listed from bad to not quite so bad) coconut oil, palm kernal oil, butterfat, beef tallow, palm oil, lard, vegetable shortening, poultry fat. in the good for you category (listed from pretty good to EAT ME OFTEN! ) cottonseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, olive oil, veggie oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, rapeseed oil. this info is from the Human nutrition information service by the USDA. they basically rank them based on the percentage of total fat and their make up of polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat (both good for you). hope that’s what you’re looking for.