Oils?!?!?

BettyBeth14

OK so im seriously confused!

I advoid them ususally having coverted to the spray type ones :-0 However there is still times when I need a proper oil!

Which one is the best, sunflower? Olive? Mixed? Extra virgin? its all so confusing!! :-(

All advice welcome....xx

SergeantSunshine_reused

Extra Virgin Olive oil

morganadk2_deleted

I would say olive oil

RAFValentina

They're all fine! Although overheating some oils such as olive oil in frying isn't too good as it can denature the fats in them and turn them in to some of the bad ones... however... you need a little of these fats so if you're not using much or often anyway, it shouldn't matter toooo much!

I like olive oil for taste on some stuff, sometimes I need the oil for the texture of the food or something and tend to use something lighter like sunflower oil!

neanderthin

Natural and unrefined would be the ones the body understands and metabolizes best. The ones to try and steer clear of are refined polyunsaturated fats like sunflower, soy, corn, which are refined to boot. Natural monounsaturated fats like extra virgin olive and avocado are good and with saturated, stick with natural ones like butter, duck fat and virgin coconut oil as eg.

engineman312

olive oil is the way to go!! i'm a spaniard, and we take that stuff very seriously! adds the right amount of flavor. i measure it out, and depending on what and how much i'm cooking, i usually only use 2-4 tablespoons of oil. its delicious in marinades and with meats. extra virgin is great too, but i feel its more for salads and eating in the raw, because of how potent the flavor is.

and the only thing i use canola oil is for when i make french fries... and now you've got me thinking about french fries so i'll probably make some this weekend.

by the way, i have this. http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-Sprayer-Brushed-Aluminum/dp/B00004SPZV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320927546&sr=8-1 10 pumps is like, two teaspoons of oil or something. its great.

rosebarnalice

When I use cooking oil--which is very rarely-- I use a light extra virgin olive oil (light so that it's not strongly flavored) for practically everything from baking to searing, but you do have to be careful because it has a low smoke point.

I also keeps some crazy-expensive first-press gourmet olive oil on hand specifically for drizzling or dipping when the point is to actually TASTE the oil, but that comes out only very very rarely!

eeebee

Rapeseed oil, as I have recently discovered, is one of the best:

http://www.wharfevalleyfarms.co.uk/why-rapeseed-oil/default.aspx

What are the health benefits of Rapeseed Oil?

•Contains the lowest saturated fat content of any oil - less than half that of Olive Oil.
•Has 10 times more Omega 3 than Olive Oil
•Is a good source of Vitamin E.
•High in monounsaturated fats
•Contains no artificial preservatives and is trans-fat and GM free
•Is suitable for a variety of diets – vegetarian, gluten-free, Kosher and Halal

Cold pressed rapeseed oil is especially high in omega 3. In fact rapeseed oil contains ten times more omega 3 than olive oil. Cold pressed rapeseed oil also contains natural vitamin E, this is an antioxidant which works to keep the oil fresh.

neanderthin

Rapeseed oil, as I have recently discovered, is one of the best:

http://www.wharfevalleyfarms.co.uk/why-rapeseed-oil/default.aspx

What are the health benefits of Rapeseed Oil?

•Contains the lowest saturated fat content of any oil - less than half that of Olive Oil.
•Has 10 times more Omega 3 than Olive Oil
•Is a good source of Vitamin E.
•High in monounsaturated fats
•Contains no artificial preservatives and is trans-fat and GM free
•Is suitable for a variety of diets – vegetarian, gluten-free, Kosher and Halal

Cold pressed rapeseed oil is especially high in omega 3. In fact rapeseed oil contains ten times more omega 3 than olive oil. Cold pressed rapeseed oil also contains natural vitamin E, this is an antioxidant which works to keep the oil fresh.

I disagree completely and this isn't a slam on you in any way whatsoever, it's just some of the conventional wisdom regarding fats in general need to be examined more closely by the general populous. First of all pure rapeseed oil without intervention is almost half erucic acid which is dangerous to consume and manufactures refine this product to remove this toxin to less than 2% by volume called rapeseed 00 in Europe and other Countries. Most rapeseed production, around 75% is used for biodiesel fuel, and in NA the rapeseed oil is commonly called Canola oil for food production, with most of that coming from GMO crops and again most refined and not cold pressed. Cold pressed canola and not GMO is very expensive and hard to find, but regardless, it's still not an optimal oil to use for a few reasons.

First of all, your right rapeseed (canola) has 10 times more omega's than olive oil, which contrary to popular belief, is not a good thing when using for cooking. Omega oil are extremely fragile and oxidize easily when they come into contact with light, heat or oxygen and why we consume them either in capsule form or in dark or metal containers and refridgerated for flax oil for example.
Olive oil or any oil that has a low omega content is best for cooking, coconut oil being a good example. Basically we should never use a polyunsaturated fat for cooking, period. You also mention that rapeseed has less than half the saturated fat of olive oil, which again may sound like a good thing, but it isn't for cooking. Saturated fat being what it is and how it's structure on a molecualar level is ideal for cooking because it doesn't have any exposed neutrons that can oxidize from the exposure of heat and is the most stable fat when it comes into contact with heat. Mono fats may have 1 or 2 exposed electrons, but omega's have multiple breaks in the fatty acid chain that are suseptable to oxidation. Again conventional wistom is a *kitten*. lol

Secondly, Canola oil that is popular for cooking in NA is 99% refined and any refined oil goes through a process that is all about heat, light and oxygen which basically causes these oils to be rancid, void of any healthful nutrients (vit E for example) and in the case of canola some transfats (2 to 4% by volume) are developed from the refining process, which promotes free radical activity on a cellular level.

Olive oil is certainly the winner compared to rapeseed, hands down. imo

BeesKnees181

A lot of your choice in oil depends on what temperature you are heating them to, many oils lose their benefits when raised to a certain temperature.

eeebee

Interesting to know this about Rapeseed/Canola oil - thanks for clarifying this neanderthin (good name), I shall look further into it as I dont want to be doing my body more harm than good....!

Misleading articles, information online and in the media in general really can lead to misinformed decisions...this possibly being one of them.

wellbert

Been a big fan of peanut oil lately. It doesn't smoke nearly as bad as virgin olive oil.