OPINION: Essential Cooking Oils Health & General Advice

Ace Food Desk – Using a smaller number of versatile cooking oils can help you save precious pantry real estate and money. We asked experts about the essential cooking oils in their kitchens and how to make the most of them with taste, budget, and health in mind.

Olive oil 

Everyone we spoke to named extra virgin olive oil as a pantry essential.

“I personally use olive oil for everything,” says Newcastle/Awabakal and Worimi country-based food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett.

She says olive oil has health benefits, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s also a monounsaturated fat, which is part of a healthy diet and can “help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels (among other health benefits) when they replace saturated fats in the diet”, according to Eat for Health.

When it comes to buying olive oil, there’s a variety to choose from.

Matt Atkins is the owner and executive chef of a catering company based on Gadigal Land in Sydney.

He finds Australian-made olive oil available in the supermarket “equally as great” as some more expensive imported options.

Lillian Kaskoutas’s Greek-Australian family uses extra virgin olive oil on everything. (Supplied: Lillian Kaskoutas)normal

Chef Lillian Kaskoutas, who also lives and works on Gadigal Land in Sydney, says her go-to oil is a “good quality” extra virgin olive oil. 

“If you are a bit apprehensive to use the expensive stuff, keep that for your salads, bruschetta, [and] drizzling.”

But, if you use olive oil to roast veggies such as potatoes, they’ll absorb all that flavour, she says.

Dr Beckett says, “People often stress about the smoke point.” 

“When oils get too hot, they smoke” and begin breaking down. This is known as the smoke point, Dr Beckett says. 

However, olive oil’s smoke point is “above the ideal cooking temperature for most foods, even frying.” But, for deep frying, there are more suitable options.

Seed and neutral oils 

Dr Beckett says common seed oils include canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean and sesame.

“Seed oils get demonised because they are more processed, and because they have more omega-6s than omega-3s,” she says.

Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fats associated with heart health. 

Omega-6s are polyunsaturated fats that “the body needs but can not produce itself.” Still, they are also associated with inflammation, although the amount “is nostrils aren’t typically consumed in large amounts, Dr Beckett says. 

Emma Beckett says seeds require more processing to create oil, and “more of those good bioactives that are in the plants originally get lost along the way.”(Supplied: Emma Beckett)Normal

Adam Trengove is a professional cookery teacher at the William Angliss Institute in Naarm/Melbourne. He says the strength of cheap oils, such as canola, is their neutral flavour. 

“They’re not going to be too overpowering,” Mr Trengove says, regardless of the recipe they’re using.

They also work well when shallow frying and deep frying.

Variation is key, Mr Trengove says. 

“You don’t want to be using canola oil or sunflower oil for everything.”

Ms. Kaskoutas emphasises that a neutral oil is a key kitchen staple, with examples including grapeseed, rice bran, or canola oil.

She uses neutral oils when cooking Asian and South-East Asian cuisine.

There is some conjecture around cooking with sesame oil, but Ms Kaskoutas says it’s better to use it as a garnish or seasoning in Asian-style dishes rather than for cooking, which can alter the taste.

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Avocado and coconut oil 

Mr Trengove says, “Avocado oil is really delicious,” but like olive oil, it usually comes with a higher price point. The flavour also makes it less versatile than cheaper seed oils.

According to Dr. Beckett, avocado oil brings a unique twist to your kitchen with its distinct blend of nutrients and fats. He emphasizes that while it’s a bit different from other oils, it’s still an excellent choice for your health!

It has similar nutritional and antioxidant benefits to olive oil, although there’s a “bit less research.”

Mr Trengove says coconut oil is another “pretty delicious” option. The flavour can be “too overpowering” in everyday cooking, but it’s an easy and tasty fit in dishes such as curries. 

Dr. Beckett emphasizes that coconut oil is an exceptional source of fatty acids, containing approximately 90% saturated fats and about 9% unsaturated fats. This composition highlights the predominance of saturated fatty acids in this tropical oil, making it a unique addition to dietary fats. Its lipid profile is noteworthy for those interested in the biochemical properties and nutritional implications of saturated versus unsaturated fats.

She explains that “every oil has a bit of saturated fat,” which can raise those pesky ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, specifically low-density lipoprotein (LDL). It’s a reminder to be mindful of our choices!

Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are metabolized efficiently into energy, potentially contributing to satiety. However, it’s important to note that despite their potential benefits, these fats are calorically dense, and many of the purported advantages of coconut oil are often overstated in various health claims.

The health quality of food prepared with oils is significantly influenced by the ingredients being cooked in those oils. Prioritising the nature of the food itself is essential for achieving optimal health outcomes.

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