Healthy baking: Which cooking fats do you normally use during baking or roasting? It is important to pay attention to a number of things to bake healthier. Do not heat the oil or fat too much or too long and discard the fat if it becomes too dark, viscous or rancid. In addition, the choice of fat is important. Which fats or oils are best to use for healthier baking? You can read all about it in this article.
Solid or liquid fat?
You can use both liquid and solid fat for baking and roasting. Liquid fat (such as oil and liquid baking and frying products) is preferred here. Oil and fat products always consist of a combination of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Liquid fat is high in unsaturated fatty acids that, when replacing saturated fats, lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. A useful fact about oil and fat is: the more unsaturated (healthier) fatty acids it contains, the more liquid the product is often. Products that contain more saturated (unhealthier) fats are usually hard at room temperature, as in the case of solid shortening.
Unsaturated fatty acids in oils naturally respond to the environment fairly quickly. This is positive in the body, but outside the body it ensures that the fats oxidize fairly quickly. This means that the fats become “rancid” on contact with oxygen. This process can produce unwanted and possibly even harmful substances. Antioxidants in cooking fats counteract this oxidation. Oils and products made with oils, such as margarine, often contain Vitamin E as a natural anti-oxidant. Sunflower oil in particular contains a lot of vitamin E.
The Health Council’s advice is to replace saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids, also for hot preparations (baking, roasting, frying). By choosing the right fats, not heating the fats for too long, at too high a temperature or too often, you ensure that the positive effects of the fats outweigh the formation of unwanted substances.
Healthy baking
It is therefore best to use liquid fat for healthy baking. You can think of different types of oils, but also, for example, liquid margarine or a liquid baking and frying product.
Healthy baking: Bake in oil
Different types of oil are available in the supermarket, such as olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil. Extra virgin oil is not suitable for baking, but ordinary oil (refined oil) is. Refining removes unwanted substances from the oils (free fatty acids, colors and flavors) that can burn in the pan. This combustion releases smoke (the smoking point). Due to refining, in other words, “purifying the oils of combustible particles”, it takes a lot longer before the oil starts to smoke. Extra virgin oils and cold pressed oils have a low smoke point (for example extra virgin olive oil 160 ˚C versus regular (purified) olive oil 242 ˚C) and are therefore unsuitable for baking. These are better suited for cold use (for example in dressings).
Healthy baking: Bake in olive oil
Olive oil consists mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, the so-called monounsaturated fats (Omega-9). Ordinary olive oil (refined olive oil) usually has a neutral taste and is very suitable for heating and therefore for baking because of the high smoking point. It is better to use extra virgin olive oil cold.
Bake in sunflower oil
Like olive oil, sunflower oil is also largely made up of unsaturated fatty acids. It has a neutral taste and is a good source of Linoleic Acid (Omega-6). Sunflower oil with a smoke point of 227 ˚C is suitable for baking and roasting, but also for deep-frying and for use in (cold) sauces.
Bake in peanut oil
Peanut oil is often found in wok oil. Peanut or peanut oil is also high in unsaturated fatty acids and can be heated to 210 ° C. It is therefore a healthy choice for baking, stir-frying, roasting and frying. Pay attention if you have a peanut allergy. Although allergens are only found in proteins, and not in oil, the allergen “peanuts” is nevertheless highlighted in the ingredient list. Traces of peanuts may remain in the oil.
Liquid shortening
In addition to vegetable oil, liquid margarine and liquid baking and frying fat (from a squeeze bottle) are also a healthy choice. These products are made on the basis of vegetable oil and therefore have the same positive properties. Liquid margarine and liquid cooking and frying fat are suitable for (stir) baking meat, fish, vegetables or eggs. Liquid margarine is also a good replacement for hard margarine or butter (from a wrapper), for example to bake a cake or prepare sauce.
Is baking in coconut oil unhealthy?
Coconut oil or coconut fat is hard at room temperature and consists of more than 80% of saturated (unhealthy) fatty acids. Coconut oil is often thought to be healthier than other products high in saturated fatty acids, but these health benefits have not been scientifically proven. Although lauric acid, the main type of saturated fat in coconut oil, slightly increases the good HDL cholesterol, the frequent use of coconut oil also strongly increases the bad LDL cholesterol. Due to the high percentage of saturated fatty acids in coconut oil and the absence of vitamins, the Nutrition Center recommends limiting their use. Instead, it is better to choose, for example, olive or sunflower oil or a liquid baking and roasting product. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of coconut oil in our article Coconut fat and coconut oil: hype or healthy?
Healthy baking: So what is the best thing to use for baking?
In order to get enough vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E, it is good to vary between oil and liquid cooking and cooking fat or liquid margarine when preparing your hot meal. Although some oils do contain vitamin E (especially sunflower oil, olive oil contains almost nothing), they do not contain vitamins A and D. These vitamins are often found in almost all liquid margarines.
