What Oil Is Best For Frying?

Choosing the right oil to cook with is serious business. Part of the problem is that when it comes to oils, we have so many choices. Supermarket shelves are groaning under the weight of options. Over time, opinions change as studies are conducted and their findings are released. So, how do you decide?

✅About Cooking With Oils

Sometimes you might hear in no uncertain terms never to cook with olive oil because all the goodness goes "up the chimney" in the cooking, and that the best olive oils should be reserved to flavor salads, etc.

Then on television, you see all the celebrity chefs cooking with olive oil.

So, how do you decide?

Part of the problem is that when it comes to oils, we have so many choices.

To make matters worse, there is so much debate about the benefits and harm that come from consuming different types of fats.

🍳What Is The Healthiest Oil For Frying?

You might think it is obvious that frying with vegetable oils has to be healthier than cooking with animal fat, like lard or butter.

But is it really?

When you are frying or cooking at a high temperature (at or close to 180°C or 356°F), the molecular structures of the oils change, undergoing what's called oxidation.

They react with oxygen in the air to form aldehydes and lipid peroxides.

Consuming or inhaling aldehydes, even in small amounts, has been linked to increased risk of heart disease and cancer.

Experiments carried out reveal that oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil, generated very high levels of aldehydes. National Library of Medicine

This was surprising because like most people, I thought by using sunflower oil I was making a "healthy" choice.

Moreover, the experiments showed that sunflower and corn oil are fine as long as you don't subject them to heat, such as frying or cooking.

But, go ahead and use the oil of your choice for salad dressings, as they are not generally heated.

👩‍🍳What Oil Should Be Used For Cooking?

So, what is the advice?

Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and cold-pressed rapeseed oil produce far fewer aldehydes along with butter and goose fat.

The reason is that these oils are richer in monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, and these are much more stable when heated. In fact, saturated fats hardly undergo this oxidation reaction at all.

So, when it comes to cooking, use olive oil, butter, and other animal fats if you wish, because lower levels of these toxic compounds are generated, and those compounds that are formed are actually less threatening to the human body.