The ins and outs of oils
What oils do you reach for when you cook your favorite meal? The emergence of trendy culinary oils such as grapeseed, hemp, or pumpkin seed oils and the claims about their various health benefits can be overwhelming for consumers.
Cooking oils are typically marketed in two basic forms - refined and unrefined. Refined oils tend to be flavorless, odorless, and light in color due to processing. They are more shelf stable than unrefined oils and hold up better to high heat, which means that food items may be cooked adequately without releasing damaging free radicals from oil that has been heated to the point of smoking. This is known as the oil's smoke point.
When oil smokes, its chemical structure begins to deteriorate and its nutritional value declines. The higher the smoke point, the better the oil is for frying, sauteing, or utilizing other high heat cooking methods. High smoke point oils include refined (or "light") olive, refined sesame, refined peanut, avocado, safflower, canola, soybean, corn, grapeseed, and coconut oils as well as butter.
Unrefined oils are typically "expeller pressed," which means that the oil was processed via mechanical or cold-press methods rather than heat extraction, which may lower exposure to harmful toxic residues released when oil is heated to extremely high temperatures and washed with chemical solvents. Unrefined oils have a fuller flavor, richer color, and greater amounts of beneficial plant compounds. However, they go rancid more quickly, so be sure to store in the fridge to prolong shelf life.
You can find unrefined oils most often as macadamia, coconut, avocado, hazelnut, extra virgin olive, flaxseed, and walnut oils. Unrefined oils do not hold up well to high temperatures, and therefore are best used for salad dressings or drizzled over previously cooked items. One of the exceptions to this is avocado oil, which is an unrefined, high heat cooking oil that imparts a buttery flavor and pairs well with citrus, cilantro, and Mexican dishes. Coconut oil has a higher smoke point but may be purchased in an unrefined, cold-pressed form and pairs well with curry dishes and in baked goods for a nutty, tropical flavor.
If you don't eat fish at least twice per week, then you may not be getting adequate amounts of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Purchase walnut or flaxseed oil for a plant-based form of omega-3's; however, keep in mind that these oils are not made for high heat, so try as a vinaigrette drizzled over salad greens or with cooked quinoa, barley, and fresh herbs. Try extra virgin olive oil (rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fat) paired with sliced tomatoes, basil, and balsamic, while opting for refined olive oil in Italian stir fries.
Get creative in the kitchen and experiment with a variety of cooking oils, choosing oils rich in monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids most often.
Natalie Colla, RDN, LD, is a clinical dietitian at Kootenai Health and graduate of the University of Idaho Coordinated Program in Dietetics.