Have you ever stared down several shelves of cooking oil and had no idea what to buy? Wondered what's the best cooking oil to use? Vegetable oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil — which cooking oil is good for me? Which oil is best for baking?
Here to help is a quick breakdown of the various cooking oils generally available on supermarket shelves. The good news is, with a couple of exceptions, that the calorie counts for most cooking oils is pretty much the same, and most have similar levels of saturated versus unsaturated fats. With a couple of exceptions (like coconut oil), you generally can't go wrong in choosing a cooking (or baking) oil, although it doesn't hurt to know the various smoke points of cooking oils (the temperature at which an oil is damaged by heat).
Cooking oils do vary in price and in usefulness, though, so here's how to choose the right cooking oil for the right job. (See also: Healthy, Frugal Eating)
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil is one of the most popular cooking oils in the U.S., as it is both inexpensive and relatively low in saturated fat. More highly refined peanut oils have all the allergens removed, so it's not as risky, but cold-pressed oil can still put you in the hospital if you are allergic to peanuts. Refined peanut oil performs also brilliantly at high temperatures and is a favorite for deep-frying (everything from fried chicken to thanksgiving turkey to potato chips). The slightly nutty flavor is appreciated in many Asian cuisines, so consider it for stir-fry as well.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 450°F (232°C)
Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
Unsaturated fat: 10.5 grams
Cost: Peanut oil can cost anywhere from $11 to $33/gallon. Unlike olive oil, though, peanut oil isn't often cut with cheaper oils (see the olive oil section below), so even lower-end peanut oil should be a safe bet.
Overall grade: B (good price, light flavor, decent health benefits)
Canola Oil (Vegetable Oil, Safflower Oil)
Canola oil (so similar to safflower and vegetable oil that I've lumped them all together here) has one of the lowest saturated fat levels of any commercially available cooking oil. It's also among the cheapest and most readily available, thanks to heavy government subsidies (in both the US and Canada) of the canola production industry (also the case for soy). This isn't to knock canola oil — it's light, flavorless, and generally inoffensive to the taste buds. It is frequently used for baking, making popcorn, and general cooking.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 124
Smoke point: 375-450°F (190-232°C)
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Unsaturated fat: 10.3 grams
Cost: Cheaper brands of canola oil run about $0.06/ounce.
Overall grade: B (good price, no flavor, OK health benefits)
Sesame Oil
Sesame oil has a rich, nutty aroma that gives many Chinese food dishes their distinctive flavor. Sesame oil is also rich in antioxidants. Sesame oil can be used as skin therapy, if you don't mind smelling like a tasty dish. In studies, sesame oil has also been shown to reduce blood pressure in men with hypertension. Because it has such a toasty flavor, sesame oil can overwhelm more delicate dishes, so go easy on it. Adding a teaspoon to your bottle of salad dressing can add flavor and nutrition without overwhelming your palate.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 450°F (232°C)
Saturated Fat: 1.9 grams
Unsaturated Fat: 11 grams
Cost: $0.16/ounce
Overall grade: A (higher price, great taste, good health benefits)
Flaxseed Oil
Is flaxseed oil good for cooking? In a word, no. Think of flaxseed oil as a very healthy garnish. Flaxseed oil contains all kinds of omega-3 and omega-6 goodness, and is best consumed in the raw. It's a delicate oil that should be kept in the refrigerator. Its low smoke point means that it isn't particularly useful for cooking or baking. Flaxseed oil does have a slightly bitter taste, but that flavor can be masked by whatever food it is served with. Try using a couple of tablespoons as a part of your salad dressing, or drizzle over roasted vegetables before serving.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 225°F (107°C)
Saturated fat: 1.3 grams
Unsaturated fat: 11.2 grams
Cost: As low as $0.73/ounce
Overall grade: B (expensive, weird taste, fantastic health benefits, not that useful for cooking)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We've been told for years that extra virgin olive oil is bursting with healthful goodness, and that we should pour it all over everything. It's full of the good kind of fat! It has antioxidants! It reduces heart disease! It has natural anti-inflammatory compounds! The good news is that all of that is true. The bad news? Your brand of olive oil might not be extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is among the most adulterated food products sold on the world market. This has been a dirty little secret of the European industry for a number of years, and is becoming more widely known as the newly published book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.
Like most plant-based oils, olive oil clocks in at about 120 calories per tablespoon with 2 grams of saturated fat. The amount of unsaturated fat in olive oil, however, means that olive oil protects against heart disease and even help control blood sugars in diabetics. An anti-oxidant known as DHPEA-EDA, which can help protect red blood cells and reduce the amount of low density lipoproteins (LDLs — the bad cholesterol) in the human body, is readily found in olive oil. That is...assuming that you actually are consuming extra virgin olive oil.
If you are using real extra virgin olive oil, and not the adulterated grocery store version, then olive oil isn't actually very good for high-heat cooking. Olive oil can be used for sautéing, of course, but to really enjoy the flavor of true extra-virgin olive oil, it's best used as a dressing for salads, soups, cheeses, and pastas. Highly refined olive oil is stable at higher temperatures, but it lacks the flavor of cold pressed EVOO.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 375-450°F (190-232°C)
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Unsaturated fat: 12.7 grams
Cost: On average, olive oil runs at about $0.50 per ounce (often less; quite often great deal more).
Overall grade: A- (expensive for the real stuff, great taste, amazing health benefits)
Walnut Oil
Like olive oil, walnut oil is an important part of the Mediterranean Diet that we always here so much about. In fact, walnut oil rivals olive oil in terms of anti-inflammatory properties. Walnut oil's smoke point means that it is appropriate for cooking at medium heat, but less useful for high-heat sautéing. It can be used for baking as well.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 320°F (160°C)
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Unsaturated fat: 12 grams
Cost: From $0.62 - $1.25/ounce
Overall grade: A- (expensive, great taste, amazing health benefits)
Avocado Oil
With the highest smoke point of commercially available cooking oil, avocado oil should be more prevalent than it actually is in our diet. High in vitamin E, avocado oil is often used in cosmetics like make-up and skincare remedies. The oil doesn't taste like avocado, so if you're not a fan of the fruit, you can rest assured that the oil is closer in taste to olive oil (but without the acrid or pepper notes).
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 120
Smoke point: 520°F (271°C)
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Unsaturated fat: 12 grams
Cost: $0.61/ounce
Overall grade: A- (pricey, mild taste, good for your health)
Coconut Oil
Extracted from the meat of mature coconuts, coconut oil is somewhat of a darling of the natural foods movement. It's excellent for making popcorn (after popping, add some salt and dried coconut flakes to the popcorn and shake, shake, shake). Coconut oil's subtle flavor means that it can be used for many dishes, but its high level of saturated fat makes it less appealing to those who care about such things. Many people swear by coconut oil as a beauty product.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 117
Smoke point: 350°F (177°C)
Saturated fat: 11.8 grams
Unsaturated fat: 1.8 grams
Cost: $0.50 - $0.80 per ounce
Overall grade: B- (good for the skin, pricey)
Butter
Oh, butter makes everything better, we all know that. So many foods couldn't even exist WITHOUT butter. Do you think that a croissant could have ever come into existence via Crisco? I think not. On the butter-versus-margarine front, we all now know that spreadable butter-substitutes are terrible, packed with trans fats, and not worth the money. But is butter a good choice nutritionally? One Swedish study from 2010 showed that butter consumption actually resulted in lower levels of fat in the blood than canola oil or olive oil. This is thought to have to do with the structure of the acid chains in butter, which are shorter than those in vegetable oil, and perhaps preferred by the human digestive system.
Butter certainly has its place in the baker's kitchen. It's also the very flavor that takes popcorn from puffed grain to hot, awesome deliciousness. And butter has even worked its way into our drinks — no one ever asks for a cup of "hot oiled rum," after all.
Serving size: 1 tablespoon (14 grams)
Calories: 102
Smoke point: 250–300°F (121–149°C)
Saturated fat: 7.3 grams
Unsaturated fat: 4.2 grams
Cost: $500 per pound...in Norway
Overall grade: A++++
What's your favorite oil for cooking or baking? Do you use a variety of oils in your kitchen? Do you use oil at all?
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