Which Oils to Keep on Hand

January 21, 2019

Most of us who cook use some sort of oil every day. Even if you take most of your food in, you're at least EATING some type of oil almost every day. So it can be helpful to learn which oils are the good ones and which may be harmful to your health. Keep the good ones on hand all the time and toss the bad ones with no guilt.

Here are a few of the oils to keep around:

1. Olive oil. A staple of the highly-acclaimed Mediterranean diet, olive oil is great for low-heat cooking and for using in salad dressings and marinades. Be sure to buy extra-virgin because it is minimally processed and does not undergo any heat or chemical treatment.

2. Avocado oil. This is great for all high-heat cooking and roasting, as it has a high smoke point. It's lighly-flavored and high in monounsaturated fats.

3. Coconut oil. Also great for high-heat cooking, coconut oil adds an excellent flavor to veggies -- use it to roast sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and butternut squash. It's also great for removing makeup and replenishing dry skin.

Oils to ditch:

1. Canola oil. Canola plants weren't created by nature. They were developed by Canadian scientists in response to the ban on rapeseed oil the 1970s after it was discovered that rapeseed (and rapeseed oil) was unsuitable for human consumption. The scientists developed a form of rapeseed with lower erucic acid, which could then be tolerated by humans. The name "canola" is an acronym -- from CANadian Oil Low Acid. Still not good for humans.

2. Soybean & corn oils. It's nearly impossible to find soybeans and corn crops that are not sprayed with glyphosate (RoundUp) so that's a huge negative right there. These oils also Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats and, as such, oxidize easily -- from the light exposure in the supermarket and then further in our bodies. Oxidation leads to inflammation which is the root of all disease.

3. Sunflower & Safflower oils - just like soybean and corn oils, these contain high amounts of Omega 6 fats which throw off the vital balance of Omega 3-to-Omega 6 fats that is so important to our health. Omega 3s are heart healthy and protective to humans, but too much Omega 6s lead to inflammation and higher cancer risk.

Need an easy swap for baking (when you need an oil that is tasteless and easy to pour)? Use melted refined coconut oil, which has all of the benefits of standard coconut oil but is tasteless -- or melted butter.

Want to clean out the crappy oils from your pantry but don't like the waste? You can use them to oil tools, clean your floors or even to make play dough!