Cooking oil. Coconut oil or other healthy alternative?

neely47
neely47 Posts: 30 Member
edited November 25 in Food and Nutrition
Hello, I am eating healthier and exercising nowdays and am looking to switching cooking oils. I currently use olive oil (the Fillipo Berio brand) but want to switch to a healthy alternative. I tried using coconut oil (virgin, unrefined) to make eggs today but I found the taste of coconuts so empowering that I couldn't eat the eggs and had to throw them out. So, does anyone know if there is a scent-free version of coconut oil or is there an alternative cooking oil that I can use that is relatively scent/taste-free?

I believe there is a refined version of coconut oil that is deodorized but I don't think it has the same nutritional benefit as unrefined?

Thanks
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Replies

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I generally use olive oil for sauteeing at a low-to medium temperature and most dressings, grapeseed for anything higher, and canola for baking.If a recipe calls for something specific, I'll use that. (I've got 90% of a bottle of safflower that I haven't used in months, and about 40% of a bottle of toasted sesame that gets used a lot with Asian noodle dishes or tofu marinades.)
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    Olive oil is pretty decent for you. Grapeseed is a good neutral one with a high smoke point. And avocado.
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 402 Member
    There's nothing wrong with other vegetable oils either: I personally use just a tiny bit of oil spray for eggs, but for sautéing vegetables or pan frying I use good old sunflower oil.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    I use butter for eggs, pancakes, etc, coconut oil for quesadillas (tastes good this way, but haven't tried with a lot of other foods due to the flavor), and olive oil for most everything else. We do try to steam our vegetables first, and then add olive oil right at the end of cooking. We don't really do much cooking of meat with oil. More likely to simmer in a sauce or cook in the crock pot.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Nothing wrong with olive oil. It is an unsaturated fat.

    I use a silicon brush to lightly oil my pan.

    I made roasted Bok Choy and onions last night. I put the cut vegetables in a disposable plastic bag, added a couple tablespoons oil, pepper, and soy sauce. Shaking the bag guaranteed even distribution. Oil makes it easier to evenly distribute the oven heat. I then spread out the vegetables on a lined cookie tray and put them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. The vegetables came out sweet with just a touch of caramelization. Perfect.
  • dlcreech
    dlcreech Posts: 2 Member
    I have used Crisco brand coconut oil and do not bring up the temp to high but cook a little longer on low-med heat. I have not detected any flavor change in this way.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2018
    neely47 wrote: »
    Hello, I am eating healthier and exercising nowdays and am looking to switching cooking oils. I currently use olive oil (the Fillipo Berio brand) but want to switch to a healthy alternative. I tried using coconut oil (virgin, unrefined) to make eggs today but I found the taste of coconuts so empowering that I couldn't eat the eggs and had to throw them out. So, does anyone know if there is a scent-free version of coconut oil or is there an alternative cooking oil that I can use that is relatively scent/taste-free?

    I believe there is a refined version of coconut oil that is deodorized but I don't think it has the same nutritional benefit as unrefined?

    Thanks

    Olive oil is a perfectly healthy cooking oil. I select my cooking oils based upon what I'm cooking. I tend to use avocado oil for higher temperatures and olive oil for lower temperatures like a quick sautee. I like the taste of coconut so I like using unrefined coconut oil in Caribbean dishes and Thai dishes...I sometimes use it with eggs, but usually butter.

    Refined coconut oil won't have the taste.

  • whhuynh90
    whhuynh90 Posts: 33 Member
    I like coconut oil, and it doesnt leave a weird taste in any of my foods. I use it in a lot of cooking and as a butter replacement. but everything in moderation. and if not in food it works well as a hair treatment.
  • DJ_Skywalker
    DJ_Skywalker Posts: 420 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    mlinci wrote: »
    There's nothing wrong with other vegetable oils either: I personally use just a tiny bit of oil spray for eggs, but for sautéing vegetables or pan frying I use good old sunflower oil.

    There's everything wrong with vegetable oils...... There's as much calories in a teaspoon of oil as there is in 2lbs of broccoli.

    Use water in place of oils.
    Remember - you wear the fat you eat.

    "You wear the fat you eat"? Did your grandma tell you that? Total myth. Dietary fat ≠ body fat.

    Report back when you make a grilled cheese sandwich with water instead of butter. I'd love to know how great it tastes!

    Fat = flavour. Many great chefs will tell you that. I don't want to live in a world without my butter and oils!


    I am whole food plant based. I do not consume dairy, meat, sugar, processed foods, saturated fats, oils, or caffeine. I have been on this WOE for 3 months and have lost 25lbs and have gained muscle. It’s called the McDougall lifestyle but I’m sure you’ll all quickly scream how dangerous or awful it is.

    What do you eat?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    edited March 2018
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I think we can all agree the right answer is, replace the oils with bacon grease :p .
    .

    My eggs taste better with butter or bacon grease. I like pancakes in coconut oil.

    I just can't stand coconut oil, with the exception of making fried cheese/mozzarella sticks.

    And I have Kodiac pancakes in which I use 2% milk and eggs.
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