# ...healthiest cooking oil?



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Have been working hard at making sure what I feed myself and son are the healthiest can get from "store-bought" items.

Been looking at cooking oils and, of course, so many claim their's is the best. 

I'm curious as to what you healthy-minded people in here think.... Care to share?


----------



## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

It makes no difference. Don't worry about it from the health standpoint.


----------



## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

I like coconut oil. But i don't know if it is superior to other oils or something. It's supposed to be healthy, but like post #1 says, everyone thinks their kind of oil is healthiest.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Lard. Tallow.


----------



## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

You may want to look at some of Weston A. Price's research relating to oils, and what's followed after him. Turns out, things are different than most of what we've been told the last several decades. In particular, anything you'd find in a grocery store labeled "vegetable oil" isn't doing you any good, and animal and dairy fats are what you want. Here's an article that goes into probably more depth than you want, but has a lot of good info:








What You Need to Know about Cooking with Fats & Oils


Should you sauté vegetables in butter? Is it healthy to use refined vegetable oils to cook at high temperatures? Is it okay to cook with olive oil? There is a great deal of controversy about which fats and oils should be used for cooking and at what temperatures. Although a few questions...




price-pottenger.org





That website (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation) and Weston A. Price Foundation are both good resources.


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

i use salt pork for frying mostly but i also use safflower oil for baking etc. ~Georgia


----------



## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is good for lower temperatures. Also for salads. Not sure about deep frying, but it would be expensive!

Hydrogenated vegetable oils are worst. Cause inflammation.

For high heat, lard might be your best bet. See 5 Reasons to Choose Lard as Your Cooking Oil | SupermarketGuru


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

For deep frying turkey, the oil of choice is peanut.


----------



## Gayle in KY (May 13, 2002)

I either use olive oil or peanut oil, depending on what I'm doing with it.


----------



## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I use olive oil for most cooking, coconut oil for baking, and peanut if I fried, which is rare.


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I appreciate all your responses. I've been using olive oil for sautéing & peanut for frying. Have some "Sesame Seed Oil" and have no idea what it is used for. Also found some coconut oil and some lard; yet have no real idea how to use them. 

I don't fry a lot. Mostly baking, sautéing or roasting.


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Olive oil (check the country of origin), coconut oil, lard, tallow, and my latest oil: ghee.

I've been following the Wahls Protocol, and she extols the virtues of ghee. Inspired, I grabbed a pound of butter from the freezer, and made ghee. 

It is lovely. Can withstand high temps, and is fabulous on popcorn.


----------



## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

I use sesame oil for browning chicken in chicken/vegetable dishes. Also really good in Asian dishes. It has a distinct, wonderful flavor to it and I normally use more as a flavoring than for general cooking.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

Grapeseed oil is expensive, but if you want an oil with little or no flavor, and also has a very high smoke point, it's the one to use.


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Great information. Thanks to all of you.

Pony, why check the "country of origin" on olive oil?


----------



## Gayle in KY (May 13, 2002)

I use sesame oil the way you'd use butter, to flavor foods. I love the flavor of it, but it doesn't really go with a lot of the foods I make.


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

motdaugrnds said:


> Great information. Thanks to all of you.
> 
> Pony, why check the "country of origin" on olive oil?


Because things are not always as they seem.

Unscrupulous people will mix a variety of oils together and label them EVOO. You have to do a bit of sleuthing to make sure that your oil really is what it says it is.

What it boils down to is: Read your labels. According to an article on Spoon University, you should "...look for either a certification seal by the California Olive Oil Council or the Australian Olive Association. Their certifications are a lot more strict than the USDA’s standards, so you can trust them."

Here's the whole article:








How to Tell if You're Buying High-Quality Olive Oil


Looks can be deceiving.




spoonuniversity.com


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

What I have now in my kitchen is "Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil SMOOTH". It has "farmer owned", "non-GMO verified", "naturally gluten-free and non-allergenic" on it. It sounds good; but it does not have the country of origin on it or what organization certified it. Is this a good oil or not?


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

motdaugrnds said:


> What I have now in my kitchen is "Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil SMOOTH". It has "farmer owned", "non-GMO verified", "naturally gluten-free and non-allergenic" on it. It sounds good; but it does not have the country of origin on it or what organization certified it. Is this a good oil or not?


Pompeian is a good brand.


----------



## doozie (May 21, 2005)

I have a selection of oils to use, and I am always trying something new.
I can taste olive oil in some things so I'll use plain vegetable oil if I don't want that taste in what I'm making.
Avocado oil is also a new favorite, and I can't detect a flavor.


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

There is a store near MIL's place in Northern Ill-annoy that has myriad oils and vinegars, and they hold tastings there. 

She swears it's great fun, and I would love to try it. I wonder if you're supposed to spit out the vinegar or oil after each taste...


----------



## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

I put pumpkin oil on ice cream. It is awesome indeed.


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I use canola oil to cook. It is high in whichever of the omegas that is the good one and it's omega balance is good. I don't give a rat's azz that it is genetivcally modified.

Olive oil, avocado oil, and sesame oil are used cold for dressings, marinades, and flavorings. Unfortunately, the sesame oil with the excellent flavor only comes in the itty bitty expensive bottles. Larger bottles of sesame oil tend to be fairly flavorless so I don't see any advantage to them.

I confess to using a bit of bacon to flavor green beans. I don't think bacon is bad in moderation and if my family will gobble down a huge pot of green beans, I consider that an overall plus.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Oh. My. Goodness.

Just saying that none of the health oriented folks, including me, use Canola. Part is the chemical processes used to extract the oil. The other is that it doesn’t tase very good.


----------



## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

There are many expeller pressed unfiltered oils, sure any are ok. If its unfiltered (cloudy) most likely expeller pressed, though any can be filtered. Its the chemical extraction process that screws it up. They can get more oil using chemical extraction so greed rules out despite negative health effects. And expeller pressed doesnt necessarily mean cold pressed. Just saying...

As to lard, REAL LARD is hard to find. The stuff in supermarket is "shelf stable" meaning its been hydrogenated. In other words they took something relatively ok and screwed it up for more profit. Real lard needs to be frozen or refrigerated. It will also be lot more expensive.

Olive oil and honey are screwed up cause our govt doesnt care about purity or truth in labeling and doesnt have the necessary funding/manpower to enforce any food laws, so USA is dumping ground for all kinds of rancid and adulterated olive oil. And corn syrup blended with honey. You see anything sourced from blend from various countries, RUN. Real olive oil besides solidifying in refrigerator, will have either a spicey or fruity taste. Tasteless olive oil is NOT extra virgin olive oil. If its olive oil at all, it will be dregs chemically extracted olive oil that is left over after the real expeller pressed oil has been extracted. Dont buy any commodity that says sourced from multiple countries. Pretty good guarantee its crap.


----------

