Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
You might be a little confused when it comes to choosing the best type of vegetable oils
for you and your diet. That's because there are different benefits and different drawbacks
to so many of them.
Now, olive oil is the most common, and it's high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats.
But it's also low in the omega 3 fatty acids that we need more of. Canola oil is lower
in saturated fat, and higher in omega 3 fatty acids, and it doesn't have that olive oil
taste. So it can be better to use in kind of a neutral baking way. It won't add the
olive oil taste and aroma to it. But you want to make sure that you're getting organic canola
oil, because canola can be genetically modified, and we're not sure what the health implications
of that are yet.
Another oil to consider using is coconut oil. Now, coconut oil is saturated, meaning that
it is solid at room temperature. But it can be wonderful in baking, and it has a different
aroma and texture to it, which can be healthier for people who need to avoid dairy, like using
butter in their baking.
Other oils that you might want to use for finishing, and that means not cooking with
them, but instead drizzling on finished cooked foods, or as a salad dressing, are the more
tender oils. The oils that will be degraded by heating them. Things like pistachio oil,
or almond oil, or toasted sesame oil can be really a delicious way to add some extra flavor,
and aroma to your dishes. But you don't want to cook them, because that will degrade the
quality of the oil.