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jk1
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17 May 2015, 9:38 am

Hi,

What oils do you use for cooking or for simply pouring on salads etc.
Do you know what oils are healthier than others?
Do you know what oils can be heated without turning harmful?

There's a lot of information about this subject and different sources say different things. Also what they say changes over time. It's very confusing. It seems that most oils are unhealthy because of how they are processed according to some websites. Canola, grape seed, sesame, sunflower etc.

I myself only use extra virgin olive oil because it seems to be the most reliably healthy oil. I only pour it on salads etc. I try not to use any oil for cooking (heating).



Kiriae
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17 May 2015, 10:29 am

I don't use oil for cooking or salads because I don't cook that much.
But I like coconut oil. I eat it with bread instead of butter and use it as cosmetic too. It's good for skin. It actually can work as a medicine against yeast and bacterias, even in sensitive areas. I cured yeast infection using coconut oil 1,5 year ago and it hasn't returned since then.



Fnord
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17 May 2015, 10:41 am

Olive oil for low-temperature cooking, especially for heat-blooming spices before adding other ingredients.

Corn oil for high-temperature frying, such as stir-frying veggies and lean meats or deep-frying tempura. It is also the oil of choice for breads, cakes, and other baked goods.

Avocado oil for salads.



Amity
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17 May 2015, 5:22 pm

Hi jk1

For cooking I use organic, virgin coconut oil, it does not oxidise at high temperatures, because it is high in saturated fat it contains medium-chain triglycerides, which are converted in the liver to ketone bodies (used as a source of energy in the heart and brain and used in diets for Epilepsy). Its rich in Lauric Acid (kills bacteria, fungi and viruses), it is high in saturated fats, but its Lauric acid content can improve blood lipid profiles (increases HDL). Plus as Kiriae wrote it has many topical cosmetic benefits.

I use olive oil as salad dressing, and olive oil spreadable for sandwiches.

Oils that oxidise during cooking are the oils to avoid for your health; Mono and poly unsaturated fats (eg vegetable oil) are more sensitive to heat and more chemically reactive than saturated fats (coconut oil or animal fats).



jk1
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18 May 2015, 6:34 am

Thank you for responding, Kiriae, Fnord and Amity.

@Kiriae: Yes, coconut oil is obviously a good oil now. It used to be one of the few unhealthy plant-based oils because of its high saturated fat content, according to some websites a few years ago. Now I see only positive information about it. My sister has it every day with yogurt.

@Fnord: Yes, I see olive oil classified as suitable for low-temperature cooking on some websites because of its high mono-unsaturated (rather than poly-unsaturated) fat content. I also saw avocado oil listed as one of the healthy oils. I want to give it a try. I wonder if it's available in supermarkets. I like avocados but have never tried "avocado oil". Corn oil is the confusing one. Some websites say it's too processed. Do you have any particular reason for choosing it for frying and baking? Health or taste or something else?

@Amity: Wow, that is detailed info about coconut oil. Thanks for that. Now the benefits of coconut oil sound more credible. Is it related to your special interest (or maybe work) or are you very health conscious? I think many people including me used to think very simplistically that "saturated fat = bad" and "unsaturated fat = good". And coconut oil/fat was simply considered BAD because of that. But now I can see it's changed. Saturated fat is more stable and resistant to heat. So it's suitable for cooking. The downside of coconut oil is that it's pretty expensive. Is olive oil spreadable healthy? It's like margarine, isn't it?

As I said I in the OP, I've been mostly using extra virgin olive oil because it seems to be the only confirmed healthy oil. I just don't feel safe with other oils. But I might start using coconut and avocado oils. I'm a bit shocked that sesame oil, grape seed oil and rice bran oil are considered UNHEALTHY because they are too processed.



Amity
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18 May 2015, 7:33 am

jk1 wrote:
@Amity: Wow, that is detailed info about coconut oil. Thanks for that. Now the benefits of coconut oil sound more credible. Is it related to your special interest (or maybe work) or are you very health conscious? I think many people including me used to think very simplistically that "saturated fat = bad" and "unsaturated fat = good". And coconut oil/fat was simply considered BAD because of that. But now I can see it's changed. Saturated fat is more stable and resistant to heat. So it's suitable for cooking. The downside of coconut oil is that it's pretty expensive. Is olive oil spreadable healthy? It's like margarine, isn't it?


Right now I have returned to being health conscious, after a few years of neglecting my health I'm trying to build up healthy habits again, and I'm not doing it by half measures. :wink:
Margarine is similar to vegetable spreads, but it usually has a higher fat content, which makes it more suitable for baking/cooking. Also the industry standards in the US and Australia are different, eg there are trans fats in American Marge, but not in Australian.



Nambo
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18 May 2015, 9:08 am

When I was a child back in the sixties, Peanut Butter had to be stirred as it had a layer of peanut oil on the top.
Nowadays Peanut Butter is dry and horrid, so I buy Peanut Oil to add to the jar to make it lovely and oily again.



sagarverma
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21 May 2015, 12:15 am

Olive Oil is the best to use in cosmetics, cooking and soaps.


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Soliloquist
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26 May 2015, 1:14 am

Amity wrote:
For cooking I use organic, virgin coconut oil. Its rich in Lauric Acid (kills bacteria, fungi and viruses)


But I thought we had all agreed not to tell Nambo about this!

Nambo wrote:
The only thing I actually do for my feet is piss on them when I have a shower, the uric acid helps prevent fungal infections.



b9
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26 May 2015, 2:54 am

i do not use oil as all my bearings are teflon coated.



Amity
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26 May 2015, 3:31 am

Soliloquist wrote:
But I thought we had all agreed not to tell Nambo about this
Uh-huh, I was nodding and agreeing at that meeting, really I was thinking about my shopping list: 5lrs of bleach, shower cleaner, gloves, scrubbing pads...
@Nambo, busted :lol:


b9 wrote:
i do not use oil as all my bearings are teflon coated.
bushings too? :)



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26 May 2015, 8:33 am

Holy Mackeral---you know about cars, too!



MathGirl
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31 May 2015, 10:55 am

I use coconut oil for cooking and olive oil for sprinkling stuff like popcorn or salads or cooking at very low temperatures. I don't consume any other oils.


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starkid
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31 May 2015, 11:05 am

Coconut oil for cosmetics and the rare dish (baked sweet potato chips). Olive oil for salad and the occasional sauté (which I keep on low heat). I pour sesame oil into the water with my noodles.



guzzle
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31 May 2015, 11:10 am

olive oil for cold preparations
rapeseed oil for normal temperature cooking
ghee (clarified butter) for high temperature cooking



jk1
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02 Jun 2015, 3:31 am

Thank you for responding. It seems that the people who responded to this thread are rather health conscious. The three people who responded most recently all use olive oil in a commonly recommended way. Coconut oil and ghee (which used to be said to be simply unhealthy) are also recommended for high-temperature cooking in some websites.

I love the taste of sesame oil, too. Yeah, it's nice in a noodle soup. But some websites say it's too processed and we should avoid it. It's a bit of a shock to me. I always thought sesame oil was healthy. I guess it might depend on how it's extracted. I need to read a bit more about it.

I tried (cold pressed extra virgin) avocado oil recently as it is said to be one of the few healthy oils. I just poured it on my salad. It definitely tasted nice but I couldn't really tell it was avocado.