Here you will be able to find some different information that we hope will be helpful on different cooking oils. Such as types of cooking oils, what oil is best for what, smokeing points and everything in between. If you have any info that we have not included on this page or any of the related pages, please feel free to Contact Us with any information that you would like to add if you have any info you'd like to share. Or if you have any ideas of things you'd like to see information on you may also use the message board
Types Of Cooking Oils:
1. Canola Oil
2. Coconut Oil
3. Corn Oil
4. Flaxseed Oil
5. Grapeseed Oil
6. hazelnut Oil
7. Olive Oil
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO)
9. Peanut Oil
10. Safflower Oil
11. Sesame Oil
12. Sunflower Oil
13. Truffle Oil
14. Walnut Oil
The oil’s smoke point or the cooking oil’s smoke point is something you need to know. Why is it important to know the cooking oil’s smoke point? Because if you do not know your oil’s smoke point, you can end up cooking your food in a very unhealthy oil.
When you pass the oil’s smoke point, the heat basically destroys the oil’s molecular structure, and turns otherwise healthy oil into a poison. Some oils have a higher smoke point than others, but it is important to remember that all oils have a smoke point. For the oil’s smoke point chart, see below.
As you can see, the avocado oil has the highest smoke point; the lowest smoke point goes to the flaxseed oil. Personally, I think it is a bad idea to heat any oil that contains omega 3s, even if I could precisely measure its smoke point, I would not do it.
As a general rule, here is what I do: Since I am lazy and do not want to check the chart for the oil’s smoke point every time I need to cook something, I only use canola, avocado or macadamia nut oils for cooking, and I never use the highest heat setting on my stove. This way, I can be reasonably sure that I do exceed my oil’s smoke point without actually measuring how hot my cooking pan really is.
The bottom line on the cooking oil’s smoke point Just in case I run out of my favorite cooking oils and need to use some other oil for cooking, I always keep the chart handy. In addition, and I do not know how this myth got started, but I have heard numerous times that the coconut oil is the best cooking oil because it has a high smoke point. As you can see from the chart, it is not the case. [source: Taste for Life.
Based on the above, the following may be recommended with regard to the best cooking oil:
For deep frying foods: The best oils are those with a high smoke point such as canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil. The smoke point of unrefined oil is lower than the values mentioned in the above table.
For stir-frying and salad dressing: any oil low in saturated fat like canola oil, corn oil, or flax seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and walnut oil.
Oils to avoid: coconut oil, palm oil, butter, hard margarine.
There are conflicting reports about the health benefits or risks of coconut oil.
There are conflicting views about the use of coconut oil. The American Heart Association recommends avoiding the use of coconut oil for cooking as coconut oil contains 85 to 90 per cent saturated fat, which is generally regarded as the bad when it comes to heart disease. However, recent research suggests that fat in coconut oil is different and therefore it may be beneficial.
Olive Oil
Types of Olive Oil
There are generally three types of olive oil, but each having the same number of calories as in other oils.
1. Extra Virgin: This type of olive oil is the strongest in flavor and aroma. This oil is made from olives immediately after harvest and processed at room temperature. These oils are called cold pressed as they are produced by mechanically squeezing the oil under pressure.
The flavour of extra virgin olive oil varies depending on the place where it has been grown and the type of olives.
2. Extra Light: This type of olive oil is a refined oil that is light in colour, odour and taste.
3. Olive Oil: This type of olive oil is mild in flavor and is a blend of refined oil and some virgin oil. This oil is mostly used around the world.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
The olive oil may be beneficial in preventing conditions related to coronary disease, stroke and certain types of cancers.
Storing of Virgin Olive Oil
A study by researcher Antonella Baiano of the University of Foggia in Italy and published in the Journal of Food Science, (March 2009) has revealed that after 3 months of storage, the antioxidant activity in the oil remained unchanged, but antioxidants decreased by about 40% after six months.
The study recommends consumers to store extra virgin olive oil in small glass bottles (one liter maximum because the oxygen contained in the headspace determines its oxidation), in a dark location, at a temperature lower than 20-250C (68-770F).
Misinformation on Canola Oil
Some of the information on the Internet states on canola oil is that it causes many diseases like joint pain, gum disease, constipation, heart disease, hearing loss, etc. Whereas the truth is that canola oil contains essential fatty acids that our body cannot make on its own. The long chain unsaturated fat in canola oil has been proven beneficial to our health.
Canola oil is Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) oil which contains less than 1 percent erucic acid. It was developed in Canada during the late 1960s - 1970s using hybrid propagation techniques involving black mustard, leaf mustard, and turnip rapeseed plants.
Best Cooking Oil : Fat Content of Oils
For better health, choose oils/fats that are low in saturated fat & high in monounsaturated fat. The following table lists various oils in decreasing order of monounsaturated fat content.
Types Of Cooking Oils:
1. Canola Oil
2. Coconut Oil
3. Corn Oil
4. Flaxseed Oil
5. Grapeseed Oil
6. hazelnut Oil
7. Olive Oil
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO)
9. Peanut Oil
10. Safflower Oil
11. Sesame Oil
12. Sunflower Oil
13. Truffle Oil
14. Walnut Oil
The oil’s smoke point or the cooking oil’s smoke point is something you need to know. Why is it important to know the cooking oil’s smoke point? Because if you do not know your oil’s smoke point, you can end up cooking your food in a very unhealthy oil.
When you pass the oil’s smoke point, the heat basically destroys the oil’s molecular structure, and turns otherwise healthy oil into a poison. Some oils have a higher smoke point than others, but it is important to remember that all oils have a smoke point. For the oil’s smoke point chart, see below.
As you can see, the avocado oil has the highest smoke point; the lowest smoke point goes to the flaxseed oil. Personally, I think it is a bad idea to heat any oil that contains omega 3s, even if I could precisely measure its smoke point, I would not do it.
As a general rule, here is what I do: Since I am lazy and do not want to check the chart for the oil’s smoke point every time I need to cook something, I only use canola, avocado or macadamia nut oils for cooking, and I never use the highest heat setting on my stove. This way, I can be reasonably sure that I do exceed my oil’s smoke point without actually measuring how hot my cooking pan really is.
The bottom line on the cooking oil’s smoke point Just in case I run out of my favorite cooking oils and need to use some other oil for cooking, I always keep the chart handy. In addition, and I do not know how this myth got started, but I have heard numerous times that the coconut oil is the best cooking oil because it has a high smoke point. As you can see from the chart, it is not the case. [source: Taste for Life.
Based on the above, the following may be recommended with regard to the best cooking oil:
For deep frying foods: The best oils are those with a high smoke point such as canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil. The smoke point of unrefined oil is lower than the values mentioned in the above table.
For stir-frying and salad dressing: any oil low in saturated fat like canola oil, corn oil, or flax seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil and walnut oil.
Oils to avoid: coconut oil, palm oil, butter, hard margarine.
There are conflicting reports about the health benefits or risks of coconut oil.
There are conflicting views about the use of coconut oil. The American Heart Association recommends avoiding the use of coconut oil for cooking as coconut oil contains 85 to 90 per cent saturated fat, which is generally regarded as the bad when it comes to heart disease. However, recent research suggests that fat in coconut oil is different and therefore it may be beneficial.
Olive Oil
Types of Olive Oil
There are generally three types of olive oil, but each having the same number of calories as in other oils.
1. Extra Virgin: This type of olive oil is the strongest in flavor and aroma. This oil is made from olives immediately after harvest and processed at room temperature. These oils are called cold pressed as they are produced by mechanically squeezing the oil under pressure.
The flavour of extra virgin olive oil varies depending on the place where it has been grown and the type of olives.
2. Extra Light: This type of olive oil is a refined oil that is light in colour, odour and taste.
3. Olive Oil: This type of olive oil is mild in flavor and is a blend of refined oil and some virgin oil. This oil is mostly used around the world.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
The olive oil may be beneficial in preventing conditions related to coronary disease, stroke and certain types of cancers.
Storing of Virgin Olive Oil
A study by researcher Antonella Baiano of the University of Foggia in Italy and published in the Journal of Food Science, (March 2009) has revealed that after 3 months of storage, the antioxidant activity in the oil remained unchanged, but antioxidants decreased by about 40% after six months.
The study recommends consumers to store extra virgin olive oil in small glass bottles (one liter maximum because the oxygen contained in the headspace determines its oxidation), in a dark location, at a temperature lower than 20-250C (68-770F).
Misinformation on Canola Oil
Some of the information on the Internet states on canola oil is that it causes many diseases like joint pain, gum disease, constipation, heart disease, hearing loss, etc. Whereas the truth is that canola oil contains essential fatty acids that our body cannot make on its own. The long chain unsaturated fat in canola oil has been proven beneficial to our health.
Canola oil is Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) oil which contains less than 1 percent erucic acid. It was developed in Canada during the late 1960s - 1970s using hybrid propagation techniques involving black mustard, leaf mustard, and turnip rapeseed plants.
Best Cooking Oil : Fat Content of Oils
For better health, choose oils/fats that are low in saturated fat & high in monounsaturated fat. The following table lists various oils in decreasing order of monounsaturated fat content.