Cooking Oils Guide

All oils have something to offer. Choose according to your needs and preferences.

A well-stocked kitchen includes a variety of different oils chosen for characteristics like cost, smoke point, nutritional profile and culinary uses. Regardless of which cooking oil you select, be proud of choosing a liquid over a solid fat, such as shortening or butter. It’s a fairly safe bet that by doing so you avoid saturated animal fats and trans fats, the undeniable nutritional bad guys. Numerous studies confirm that high intakes of saturated fats and trans fats cause cholesterol and heart-disease risk to rise—and that when unsaturated fats replace saturated fats in the diet, those risks are largely averted. Use this guide to pick the right oil for your cooking and health needs.

Key

Smoke point: high=for searing, deep-frying, browning, all-purpose cooking. medium-high=for baking, oven cooking, crisp sauté, stir-frying. medium=light sauté, low-heat baking and sauces.

Cost: $=25 cents or less per ounce. $$=25-50 cents per ounce. $$$=more than 50 cents per ounce

COMMENTS	POSTED
Thanks for your very helpful guide. I understood that polyunsaturates are less table than monounsaturates, and therefore have a lower smoke point. Yet Sunflower oil, at M: 14%, P: 79%, and S: 7%, has a high smoke point. Why is that? — Anonymous	03/11/2013 - 7:05am