Oil ABC's

I found a lot of information on edible oils while doing research for this article. Each Web site or book that I read gave concise descriptions of the differences between mono-, poly-, and super-poly-saturation levels, as well as in-depth chemical breakdowns of healthy vs. unhealthy cholesterols. But while this was all interesting information, my motivation for writing this article was to gain, and share, specific understanding about which oil to use when in the kitchen.

As one source stated, "fats are not just a food lubricant. They are a source of essential nutrition and flavor." In fact we need high quality oils in our daily diets to ensure good health. While I had certainly heard of "bad fats," I have been largely unsure of how to choose a "high quality" oil for kitchen use.

Oil quality is largely determined by the process used to refine it. How an oil is extracted effects its nutritional quality because light, heat, and oxygen can destroy nutrients. Here briefly are the most common extraction methods: Expeller pressing uses mechanical pressure. The friction created using this method can generate temperatures as high as 185 F. Cold pressing is expeller pressing at temps below 120 F. Vacuum extraction is a recently developed method that extracts oils in a non-oxygenated, light-free atmosphere at temps as low as 70 F. Solvent extraction chemically extracts oils using petroleum solvents, destroying the oils' nutritional value.

Categorizing oils by their refining (or lack of) method can help us choose quality oils; unfortunately there is not just one perfect oil to stock in our kitchens. This results from the fact that the most nutritious, and flavorful, oils are not heat tolerant, and will breakdown if used for cooking. Meanwhile, heat tolerant oils provide fewer nutrients and less flavor.

Spectrum naturals breaks its oils into four usage categories based on heat tolerance, and conveniently compiles it into a handy chart.

So, in our home kitchens as well as in the Co-op Deli and Bakery we need to have a selection of oils: from flax or hemp oil, kept in the fridge, and added to cold foods, to super canola or high-oleic safflower oil for frying and searing. While the Deli has long-stocked olive and canola oils, we will now add a high-heat oil for high temperature grillwork.

While risking over-simplification of oil types, refining processes and choices, I believe that by using the chart we can generally make good dietary choices. Keep in mind that current studies suggest that an ideal diet might provide 25% of calories from fats and oil. Meanwhile, excess consumption of saturated fats and the cholesterol found in animal fats has been associated with heart and arterial disease.

In addition, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to protect the body from heart disease and some types of cancer. Flax, hemp, canola, walnut and soy oils are good sources of omega-3, and should be included daily in our diets. And (risking a plunge into over-complication) oils like olive, peanut, canola, and other high-oleic oils protect the body from heart disease by raising the blood level of HDL (good cholesterol), while consumption of oils like safflower and soybean (poly-saturated) lower our blood levels not only of LDL (bad cholesterol) but also of HDL.

Here at the Co-op we carry a wide selection of oils, both bulk and packaged, and you should have no problem finding some that fit your cooking style and health needs. For more information, check out the Spectrum Naturals Web site. Generally, nutrition resource books offer quite a lot of information on oils. For this article I also referred to a brochure on oils published by the Madison Market in Seattle, Washington.

Spectrum Naturals Kitchen Guide
USES	TEMPERATURE	HIGH HEAT OILS
SEAR BROWN DEEP-FRY TEMPURA BREADED FRY FRY	HIGH	Refined Neutral Flavor
		Super Canola
		Advocado
		Rice Bran
		Almond
		Apricot Kernal
		Coconut
		high oliec Safflower
		High-oliec Sunflower
		Palm
		Peanut
		Soy Bean
USES	TEMPERATURE	MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT OILS
BAKE CRISP SAUTE MEDIUM STIR-FRY MEDIUM WOK-FRY OVEN COOK	MED-HIGH	Semi-refined Mild Flavor
		Canola
		Grapeseed
		Walnut
		High-oliec Sunflower
		Safflower
		Sesame
		Soy Bean
		Sunflower
USES	TEMPERATURE	MEDIUM HEAT OILS
SAUCE LOW HEAT BAKE LIGHT SAUTE PRESSURE COOK	MEDIUM	Unrefined Full Seed and Nut Flavor
		High-oliec Sunflower
		High-oliec Safflower
		Olive
		Corn
		Safflower
		Soy Bean
		Sunflower
		Peanut
		Pumpkinseed
		Walnut
		Sesame
USES		NO HEAT OILS
USE THESE OILS AS NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, DIPS AND DRESSINGS, OR ADD TO A DISH AFTER IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM HEAT		Nutritional Full Seed and Nut Flavor
		Fish Blend
		Flax
		Evening Primrose
		Borage
		hemp
		Black Currant
		Wheat Germ

 

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