Choosing a good cooking oil

Choosing a cooking oil depends not only on its ‘healthiness’ but also if it stays healthy after food is cooked in them.

Leave alone frying, there is no consensus even on which oil is ‘healthy’. However, this article intends to give you some choices.

Stability of cooking oils is important too

• If cooking at high temperatures (which in any case is not recommended), oil should remain stable, not oxidize or go rancid easily.
• When oils undergo oxidation, they react with oxygen to form free radicals and other harmful compounds.
• Oil’s resistance to oxidation and getting rancid, both at high and low temperatures depends on the degree of saturation of the fatty acids in it.
• Saturated fats have only single bonds in the fatty acid molecules, monounsaturated fats have one double bond and polyunsaturated fats have two or more.
• It is these double bonds (in polyunsaturated fats) that are chemically reactive and sensitive to heat and should be avoided for cooking.
• In contrast, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats are pretty resistant to heating, and may be used for cooking.

Examples of good cooking oils

• Coconut oil: Good for high heat cooking as 90% is saturated fats, can last for months and years without going rancid, rich in a fatty acid called Lauric Acid which can improve cholesterol levels and kill bacteria and other pathogens. Earlier considered unhealthy, but new studies indicate cooking in coconut oil is harmless.
• Butter: Contains around 68% saturated fats, is nutritious as it contains vitamin A, E, K2, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and butyrate. CLA may lower body fat percentage in humans and butyrate can fight inflammation, improve gut health and has been shown to make rats completely resistant to becoming obese. Use clarified butter (or ghee) as regular butter does contain tiny amounts of sugars and proteins that tends to get burned during high heat cooking like frying. Avoid the processed margarine but not the real butter. Choose butter from grass-fed cows as it contains more Vitamin K2, CLA and other nutrients, compared to butter from grain-fed cows.
• Olive oil: well known for its heart healthy effects and is a key reason for the health benefits of the mediterranean diet, improves biomarkers of health – can raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and lower the amount of oxidized LDL cholesterol, although it contains only 14% of saturated fats olive oil has been found to be good for cooking as it is fairly resistant to the heat, choose quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil as it has much more nutrients and antioxidants than the refined type tastes much better. Keep your olive oil in a cool, dry, dark place, to prevent it from going rancid.
• Peanut oil: Is a better oil to cook at high temperature as it has high smoke point (448 degrees Fahrenheit), oils breakdown at their smoke points and create acreolein, a foul-smelling compound. Vegetable oils like peanut oil have higher smoke points than animal fat and hence preferred for high temperature cooking; on the other hand, vegetable oils containing polyunsaturated fats like soy, canola, sunflower, and corn oil degrade more easily making them unsuitable for high temperature frying.

Taking care of cooking oils:

• The main drivers behind oxidative damage of cooking oils are heat, oxygen and light.
• Therefore, keep them in a cool, dry, dark place and make sure to screw the lid on as soon as you’re done using them.

This is not a complete list – I will urge you to do some research if you are changing the cooking oil that you have been so long using to another one. Avoid using oils that have been hydrogenated (read the label) and if deep-frying use oil that does not smoke before the food is cooked.