The best oils for cooking
There is a wide assortment of cooking oils readily available on the market shelves each with their own health claims. But have you thought about if those claims are true? How should you choose your oils? In this article, we aim to equip you with the knowledge to choose the best oils for you and your heart.
Firstly, you can look at the different smoking points that each oil has, it will help you determine the appropriate one for different methods of cooking or preparation. Oils with a high smoke point (more than 205°C/400°F) are suitable for searing meats and frying in a wok. Oils with a medium-high smoke point (160–205°C/320–400°F) are best for stir-frying, baking or deep frying. Oils with smoke points lower than that have a medium smoke point, which is suitable for low heat baking or sautéing (120°C/248°F).
Secondly, look at the distribution of fats the oil has. Oils that are low in polyunsaturated fat (less than 20%) and high in monounsaturated fat (more than 60%) will oxidise the least upon cooking. Oils rich in polyunsaturates generate high levels of aldehydes when used in cooking. This occurs when the molecular structures of the fats and oils change when heated to a high temperature (around 180°C or 356°F) as they react with oxygen in the air to form these carcinogenic and mutagenic end products. Oxidation also occurs slowly even at room temperature, so if your oil has been sitting out for a long time, check to see if it has a rancid smell and taste!
Let’s compare oils which are commonly found in supermarkets, such as FairPrice.
So which is the best oil for cooking then?
Macadamia nut oil is the most heart healthy option. This is because it has low polyunsaturated and saturated fat content, the highest monounsaturated fat content, an ideal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of 1:1and a medium-high smoke point, suitable for baking, stir-frying or sautéing. However, one disadvantage is that it comes with a high price of $32/L.
For a more economical option, canola oil has a relatively high monounsaturated fat content (62.6g/100ml), relatively low saturated fat content (6.7g/100g) and a medium-high smoke point, suitable for use in stir-fry, baking, deep-fry and dressings. One draw-back is that it has 22g/100g of polyunsaturated fat, which is slightly more than the <20% polyunsaturated fat guideline, making it more prone to oxidation.
And of course there is olive oil, it is versatile to use and is proven to be beneficial to your heart- being low in polyunsaturated fats and saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fats. Refined or light olive oil would be appropriate for stir frying, deep frying, searing or browning. Light virgin olive can be used for baking and light sautéing. Extra virgin olive oil is best used raw for dressings, dips and marinades. It is not the cheapest oil out there but you get the best of both worlds with it being heart healthy and not producing carcinogenic substances when heated.
Why is coconut oil and palm oil not recommended even though they have low polyunsaturated fat?
Although coconut oil and palm oil are shown to be relatively low in polyunsaturated fats, they have the highest saturated fats and lowest monounsaturated fats, which makes them the least heart healthy option. Research has proven that palm oil and coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol as compared to vegetable oils with low saturated fat content (Sun et al., 2015; Eyres et al., 2016). Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, increasing the risk of heart disease.Therefore, these two oils are not the best options as cooking oils.
We have also found that waste cooking oils were reported with the highest level of oxidation, recorded at 18.75% compared to cold pressed olive oil which was as low as 0.1%. Waste cooking oils would be commonly used by hawkers and restaurants as they tend to reuse oils, especially for deep-fried foods. Therefore, for your heart health, have less takeaway meals and be empowered to prepare your own food at home.
References
Achitoff-Gray, N., 2017. Cooking Fats 101: What’s a Smoke Point and Why Does it Matter? [online]. Available from: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html [Accessed 19 Oct 2017].BBC, 2015. Which oils are best to cook with? [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33675975[Accessed 17 Oct 2017].Beck, L., 2015. ‘Smoke point’ matters when cooking with oil [online]. Available from: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/smoke-point-matters-in-cooking-with-oil/article26569060/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com& [Accessed 19 Oct 2017].Cao, H., Xue, B., Jiang, Y., Han, X., Shi, H., Cao, W., 2017. Application of triacylglycerol polymer determination in the quality evaluation of vegetable oil. LWT — Food Science and Technology [online], September 2017, 82, pp. 243–247.Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643817302566 [Accessed 16 Oct 2017].Cleveland Clinic, 2014. Heart-Healthy Cooking: Oils 101 [online]. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/10/heart-healthy-cooking-oils-101/ [Accessed 17 Oct 2017].Esterbauer, H., 1993. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of lipid-oxidation products. The American journal of clinical nutrition [online], May 1993, 57(5), pp. 779S-785S. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8475896 [Accessed 17 Oct 2017].Eyres, L., Eyres, M. F., Chisholm, A., Brown, R. C., 2016. Coconut oil consumption and cardiovascular risk factors in humans. Nutrition Reviews [online], April 2016, 74(4), pp. 267–280. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892314/ [Accessed 17 Oct 2017].FairPrice, 2017. Search Results for Oil [online]. Available from: http://www.fairprice.com.sg/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?searchTerm=oil&categoryId=&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&pageSize=24&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView= [Accessed 17 Oct 2017].Live Science, 2017. The Science of Cooking Oils: Which Are Really the Healthiest? [online]. Available from: https://www.livescience.com/59893-which-cooking-oils-are-healthiest.html [Accessed 17 Oct 2017].Sun, Y., Neelakantan, N., Wu, Y., Lote-Oke, R., Pan, A., van Dam, R. N., 2015. Palm Oil Consumption Increases LDL Cholesterol Compared with Vegetable Oils Low in Saturated Fat in a Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials. The Journal of Nutrition [online], July 2015, 145(7), pp. 1549–1558. Available from: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/145/7/1549.long [Accessed 19 Oct 2017].The Baseline of Health Foundation, 2012. Healthiest Cooking Oil Comparison Chart with Smoke Points and Omega 3 Fatty Acid Ratios [online]. Available from: https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points[Accessed 17 Oct 2017].
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Author: Trina Lam
About: Trina is Clinical Nutritionist with previous experience in tackling unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, and prescribing specialized meal plans for weight management, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. She is passionate in helping her clients find healthier alternatives that are both realistic and enjoyable. Trina is a strong advocate in sustainably achieving healthy eating habits through a balanced diet. Trina received her Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Nottingham (UK).
