The Best Cooking Oils for your Health

Any type of cooking, baking or frying requires the usage of oil. Just about anyone can empty some oil into a dish and begin to cook. Yet, choosing the best cooking oils for your health can prove a difficult task. We can decide on the type of oil required, this depends on the dish. And also on whether you plan to bake, sauté, grill, fry, deep-fry, or roast, as all types of cooking oils produce different results.

Vital Role of Cooking Oils

The cooking oil we use plays a very vital role in determining the quality of food we eat. However, choosing the right oil can be a difficult task. There is a vast choice in the Indian market. Some of the variants available are – Sunflower oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, groundnut oil, and sesame oil. Health experts recommend that one should change the cooking oil you use every month. But how does one choose the correct cooking oil and what are the types available in the market? Let’s learn about this, a tad bit more

I don’t think you should go to the store and pick up dozens of different cooking oils. But you should consider these cooking techniques for choosing the right one. So what should you consider?

Broiling: If you’re attempting to sear something, you’ll need to settle on oil with a nonpartisan flavor and a high smoke point.

Heating: If you’re searching for something to prepare with, it’s ideal to settle on unbiased oil. You can comfortably use canola oil, coconut oil, and vegetable oil.

Sautéing and burning: You ought to pick increasingly delightful oil with a lower smoke point. Great choices include canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil, safflower oil, shelled nut oil, and sesame oil.

Dressing: As for the dressing, for any salad or dip. Go for extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil.

Take a look at popular cooking oils and know which one is the best for your health. Let’s learn more about cooking oils and clear all our doubts.

1. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a popular cooking oil in South India. It is a healthy cooking oil that contains medium-chain fatty acids. Coconut oil is easily digestible oil, therefore used for stir–frying and pan-frying. It has a distinct flavor and imparts its flavor to food cooked in it.

2.  Olive oil

Olive is known for its health benefits. In fact, it is considered to be the healthiest oil on the planet.  Olive oil contains rich plant-based compounds called polyphenols that have been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

However one cannot cook in an extra virgin variety of Olive oil. It is best used for salad dressings, dips, etc. As it loses its qualities when overheated. People on a weight loss regime often resort to olive oil.

3. Groundnut Oil

Groundnut oil when heated has a high smoke point. It is a perfectly good oil for stir-frying and frying. Peanut or groundnut oil contains healthy omega-6 fatty acids.

4. Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is the best option for deep frying because it has a higher smoke point and can be used for high-heat recipes. It has nearly anequal amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids.

5. Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is high in vitamin E content.   It also has a high smoke point and has a mild flavour, which means it won’t add any extra flavor to the dish you prepare.

6. Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is the most affordable of all cooking oils. It is generally made from combining different oils like peanut, sunflower, canola, soybean and corn oil. Generally, vegetable oil is best suited for all types of cooking.

7. Rice bran Oil

Rice bran oil is obtained from the outer coating of rice. It contains a good amount of monounsaturated fatty acids. Rice bran oil also has oryzanol, it is an element that is believed to have cholesterol-lowering properties.

8. Canola Oil

Canola oil is obtained from rapeseed which is a flowering plant and contains a good amount of monounsaturated fats and a decent amount of polyunsaturated fats. Of all vegetable oils, canola oil is proved to have the least content of saturated fats. With a high smoke point, it proves helpful for high-heat cooking.

9. Mustard Oil

Mustard Oil is extracted from the seeds of mustard (black or white). It has a distinctive odour and flavor, it is appreciated in Bengali cuisine.  Mustard oil is extremely beneficial for health.

10. Palm Oil

Palm oil is derived from the fruit of oil palms. It consists mostly of saturated and monounsaturated fats, with small amounts of polyunsaturates. Because of this,  palm oil a good choice for cooking.

11. Flaxseed Oil

Flaxseed oil is also nutty–tasting, but too much can impart a fishy, funky flavor. Use it in small quantities for salad dressings or as a finisher. It has to be stored in the fridge.

Hopefully, after reading, you must have gathered more information on cooking oils and how to use them in our day to day cooking. You will now understand how they are used in cooking and will choose the best cooking oils for your health.

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