Oils and best uses

There are so many oils to choose from these days. What do you use and when?

Oils contain different types of fat, but usually have most of their fat from one category:

• saturated fat: butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, and other animal sources
• polyunsaturated: corn oil, soybean oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil
• monosaturated: olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil

Wikipedia has a great article on Vegetable Oils that covers many details. Chef Verati also has a useful video on his Low Fat Low Carb GrapeSeed Oil vs. Olive Oil.

For our purposes though, we limit the oils that we use.

Olive oil is the best choice overall. It is healthy, easy to find and economically priced. Grapeseed oil is an alternative that is better for high heat cooking due to its higher smoke point.

Oils permitted for Phase 1 dieters:
Cold or in Dressings: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Low-Med heat cooking: Virgin olive oil
High heat cooking: Grapeseed oil

Flavoured Oils
Flavoured oils can make a great addition to a dish, but make sure to read labels. You can find flavoured oils in gourmet shops, like our local Dana Shortt Gourmet shop in Waterloo, and sometimes in regular grocery stores.

What about Omega-3s you ask? 
These are important fatty acids that are best gotten through fatty fish consumption or taking an omega-3 supplement containing fish oil. For those with allergies, a flaxseed oil omega-3 supplement can be substituted, but is less effective.