I have been on a quest to know what are the best oils to use in cooking and baking, and it is often a confusing journey. What is all this about mono unsaturated, saturated, poly-what? Is canola a good oil? I honestly haven’t figured it all out, but in my pursuit of simplicity and desire to eat nutritionally, here are some of the best options to the best of my knowledge.
Olive Oil
“Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.” (Deut. 8:6-9)
Olive oil has rich Biblical tradition. Historically it has been most frequently used in Mediterranean countries, where the oil consumption is 40%, but there are far lower incidences of heart disease and less cancer than in the United States. What is it’s secret? Monounsaturated fat! This agent lowers blood cholesterol and yet at the same time does not harm the good HDL blood cholestrol component. Other research shows many more benefits: it may regulate blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure, assist in prevention of breast cancer and act as an antioxidant.
Which to buy?
Extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed, is considered the best as it is the least processed, comprising from the first pressing of the olives. Extra virgin also contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols. Virgin olive oil is from the second processing. Pure olive oil undergoes processing, such as filtering and refining. Extra light olive oil undergoes considerable processing and only obtains a very light olive flavor. Do not subject to high heat, otherwise much of the nutrient components will be destroyed. I purchase mine from Costco when available, but also have greatly enjoy Bragg’s brand in the past (they are also a Christian company), purchased through Azure Standard.
How to store?
Keep in a cool, dark place. Resist the temptation to place your beautiful bottle of olive oil on the windowsill. Light and heat are the #1 enemy of oil. Keep olive oil in a cool and dark place, tightly sealed. Oxygen promotes rancidity. Olive oil is like other oils and can easily go rancid when exposed to air, light or high temperatures.
How to use?
Olive oil should primarily be used in non-heated forms (dressings, etc), due to heat damaging the nutritional contents. If you choice to use oil olive in frying, keep at a moderately low heat. Read more about this here.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a highly saturated tropical oil derived from coconuts of the coconut palm tree. Traditionally it has provided many health benefits to the peoples who live in areas of the tropics and subtropics where coconut palms grow. Many newly discovered health benefits are now being unearthed through careful research and use in clinical practices. We have been lead to believe that saturated fats are the dietary contributor to heart disease.
According to Sue Gregg, “There is a double reason not to fear coconut oil. First, it is highly debatable that saturated fats cause heart disease. Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD in The Cholesterol Myths (www.NewTrends Publishing.com) presents the facts of exhaustive research over the decades to disprove this theory. Secondly, the saturated fat of coconut oil is different than the long chain fatty acids of meats and also of polyunsaturated fats.” Read the full article here.
Coconut oil has been called the “healthiest dietary oil on earth.”
Health benefits include:
- Promotes weight loss
- Provides an immediate source of energy
- Supplies fewer calories than other fats
- Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health
- Is highly resistant to spoilage (long shelf life)
- Is heat resistant (the healthiest oil for cooking)
According to Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife:
- Protects against heart disease, cancer & diabetes
- Acts as an antioxidant in its resistance to attack by free radicals,
protecting against degenerative diseases, in general.
- Protects from a range of infectious diseases. Fife lists 28 infectious
and degenerative disease conditions that coconut oil can help to relieve,
reduce or prevent.
And the list goes on…
Where to buy?
I highly recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for the high quality and cheapest price! They are also somewhat local for me (in Eugene, OR), but they ship anywhere. I purchase the 1 gallon unrefined, cold pressed organic coconut oil. For local friends, I purchase in quantities together with friends to save on shipping, if you care to join us! In the past I have enjoyed Wilderness Family Natural coconut oil as well.
How to store?
The stability of coconut oil for storage and safe use in cooking and baking is precisely due to its high saturated content. It may be stored for reasonable lengths of time at room temperature without going rancid.
How to use?
Use coconut oil when frying or sautéing, as high heat does not affect the quality or nutritional value. Coconut oil is the oil of choice for cooking because it is nearly a completely saturated fat, which means it is much less susceptible to damage when it is heated. Coconut oil works great in replacement of oil and butter in baking, and for greasing using wax paper in replacement of Crisco or Pam. I often use it half and half with olive oil and/or butter and get great results!
Canola Oil
Canola oil is “widely recognized as the healthiest salad and cooking oil available to consumers”, according to the food industry. But did you know that it was developed through genetically modifying rape seed? It is one of the top genetically modified ingredient (GMO’s) that is in most processed food items on the market. (What are GMO’s? Read more here.) It is not produced naturally in creation, but rather engineered as a cheaper alternative to olive oil.
Learn more about the history of the production of Canola Oil in Sally Fallon & Mary Enig’s article: The Great Con-ola.
Weston Price also recommends avoiding the following oils due to the fact that they can cause cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems and osteoporosis:
- All hydrogenated oils
- Soy, corn and safflower oils
- Cottonseed oil
- All fats heated to very high temperatures in processing and frying
Keep it Simple & in Moderation
To simplify my kitchen and cooking, I have chosen to stick with extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil for all my cooking and baking needs! I use these in the majority and occasionally small quantities of quality butter. There are a few other quality oils out there including sesame, palm, and flax oils, according to Weston Price Foundation. So have fun exploring! I just enjoy simplifying!
I believe oils are good for you in appropriate moderation. Keep all things in moderation. Do not go overboard with incorporating them into your diet, but do choice the best oils to provide a good balance in your diet!
More on Butter
Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet has recently done an excellent post on butter! Learn more about this good fat and the best choices available here.
Further Reading:
Know Your Fats – Weston Price articles on all oils
Coconut Oil – facts & history
The Great Con-ola – history of Canola Oil
Coconut Oil Benefits- a detailed look by Sue Gregg
I would love to hear if anyone has had experience with other quality oils? What do you use them for? Any significant difference?
Due to multiple inquiries into other good oils, I will be writing a part 2 post covering palm, peanut, grapeseed, and sesame oils. Stay tuned!
I can’t find part 2. Is there one?
How about using the coconut oil in bread??Would like to use it but don’t want to spoil my bread…
Yes, I use coconut oil in bread baking all the time with wonderful results!
fascinating–overwhelming, but great information. thanks so much for compiling this.
Your quote of the Con-ola article is misleading–later in the article, the author calls the claims of detractors regarding mustard gas and mad cow disease “ludicrous.” it certainly still seems like an oil to avoid, but I’d hate to see you damage your credibility by quoting the article this way.
Opps…Thank you for pointing that out. For some reason I had been rather confused when I originally read that article. A second time through clarified her comments. It still remains a genetically modified oil and not something grown naturally in creation. I updated that information above. Thanks!
I’ve been in contact w/ Mountain Rose Herbs as I try to figure out which coconut oil to purchase and their customer serice said that when heated over 160 degrees, the virgin coconut oil loses some of its nutritional value. I wonder if I should just use the refined coconut oil for all my baking/cooking? I realize it wouldn’t have the same nutritional power that the virgin oil does, but if it’s going to lose it in the heating, I certainly don’t want to spend the money on it. Anyone know the answer to this? Or what Sue Gregg or NT would say on this? I’m just trying to do my research before dropping a chunk of money on this… Thanks!!
We are big fans of popcorn as well. We use a hot air popcorn popper and then drizzle it with melted coconut oil and add a bit of salt. You can taste the coconut somewhat but we really like it!
I didn’t realize that EVOO was best used unheated! I’ve been using it as my frying tool all this time…and leaving the coconut oil for my conditioning treatments (I use the oil cleansing method for my face). I’m going to have to start using the coconut oil more for actual cooking now! Thanks!!
Lindsay, great info. I agree with your thoughts on the different oils, and have found the same info in my own research.
I second the first comment about red palm oil! That’s the only other one that I can think of that I’ve tried using, and it was wonderful! It’s difficult to find (my MIL got some for us online) and a bit expensive, but very healthy and I really enjoyed it for eggs, popcorn, and a few other savory dishes.
Great post! Thanks!
I recently found out about canola being genetically modified, and although I never used it a lot, I always bought it instead of veg. oil. I’ve mainly used olive oil the last few years and more recently used butter over oil for most things. Thanks for the great links, I’m checking them out now!
Hi there,
I found your blog through another site. I have found your blog to be very informative and a true blessing. I too am in the pursuit of living simply for my family. Have you heard anything about grapeseed oil? I use it for frying/sauteing which I do alot of for my asian cooking. I know that it has a higher smoke point than olive oil so it’s good for high heat cooking. I think it’s a polyunsaturated oil. I use coconut oil too but mostly on my daughter’s really really dry skin. Thanks for your blog. Blessings!
I had no idea about canola oil being genetically modified. I’ll definitely be sticking with my olive oil, thanks to your info.
Thanks for another excellent post. It seems I have no need for google anymore, now that I’ve found your blog!
What a great overview on oils! I also like to use sesame oil. Do you have any opinion/information on that?
Also, what oil do you use for popping popcorn? (Or do you eat popcorn?)
Thanks!
Michele
http://www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com
Will be covering sesame and other various oils in a second post. As for popcorn, we are definitely big fans over here! We use olive oil to pop it in and then toss with butter and salt. Yum! Making me hungry right now!
Coconut oil makes wwwooonnnddderrful popcorn!
I. Love. Olive oil. We use it in everything! I used it to coat the pan for my omelette this morning…yum! And we love to drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a plate, throw some herbs in there, and use it for bread dipping (can’t take credit for that one–stole it from Macaroni Grill).
I’ve always wanted to try coconut oil, and after reading this, I think I will!
By the way, I almost laughed out loud when I read, “What is all this about mono unsaturated, saturated, poly-what?” Sounds like something I would say!
Have you looked into peanut oil at all? Isn’t that supposed to be rich in antioxidants as well? I am going try to make my own Peanut Butter – I was just assuming that would be the right oil to use but would love it if anyone had any better advice. Thanks!
Hi, I found your website through a friend recently and have enjoyed your posts. I JUST had been wondering about oils for the last couple days so I was delighted that you took the time to post about this. Thanks so much for the valuable information and resources.
I started using olive oil about 3 years ago and have never felt better! Great post!
Have you ever tried organic red palm oil? I read about it through the above rubies website. Not good for sweet dishes or desserts. It’s medicinal properties are phenomenal. I take a teaspoon full myself every morning to keep my heart healthy (in addition to a good diet & exercise). It also helps when losing weight . Please read issue #66; article by Serene Allison (author of rejuvenate your life). I will caution it has a strong flavor but when mixed with a savory dish it lends a beautiful flavor. Enjoy your blog. Your courtship story is so beautiful and encouraging; Thanks for sharing.
Lord Bless,
SuzeQ
hi,
yes i have been to a country in Africa and they use that oil in many of their main dishes. Over there you can either buy it as the oil, or buy the palm nuts and do it yourself, it isn’t complicated but takes a little bit of time. It is very good!!