brissybee

I have been cooking under the impression cold pressed virgin olive oil was best... now I've been told that heat affects this oil and I would be better off using a canola or avocado or macadamia oil to cook with.

I would really like to use the healthiest option for heart health and non carcinogenicness (?) ... so, can anyone please advise which is the best oil to use for things like roasts, stir fries etc.

ozzieeagle

Ive a feeling its rice bran oil because of its high smoking point.

Kapri

Coconut oil has lots of great health benefits and is great for cooking. It's the only oil we use for cooking now.
We keep olive oil for dipping our bread in or adding to dishes.

Hebe

Take a look at this site

http://www.benefitsofoils.com/

The main oils I use are Coconut oil, ghee and olive oil

TiddlyPom

I use coconut and olive.

Japonica

Coconut for high heat. Olive oil for salad dressing etc.

Canola is just evil. People have been sold a bill of goods on it. It's usually most likely to be GMO as well, even in Oz.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...s-in-Australia

I don't even buy prepared foods where canola is listed as an ingredient.

Pollyana

Seriously allergic to canola oil, its vile stuff. I used to sneeze violently when near fields of rapeseed back home, and now I have to be careful to avoid cooking with the stuff.

brissybee

Hmmm... looks like I'm going to have to give coconut oil a go for cooking.

Does it taste a lot different to the extent that it's likely to affect how food tastes. Must admit, not tried coconut oil before (except during the 70's as sun tan oil... doh!)

Also, I'm guessing that just because coconut oil is healthy to cook with it doesn't mean I can stuff my face with coconut ice and expect to lose weight!

spuddyo

Lard ! Nothing better.

old.sparkles

Japonica

My dad's cousin used to make his own lard. The guy is 90 and still fit as can be. I went looking for him at his house a few years ago and he was out putting up the village snow fence.

Saturated fats are not as bad as the diet book sellers made them out to be back in the 80s and 90s. There's been a LOT of research done since then on fats and oils, traditional foods, type of inflammation and oils...I have to admit that I'd take lard and butter any day over canola, cottonseed oil (also GMO), corn oil, and many other of the so-called heart healthy vegetable oils.

Japonica

Yeah, you'll need extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil. And I found that the taste (i.e.. whether there's a noticeable coconut flavour in the food) varies by brand.

As for losing weight, sure you can. The trick is that you'd have to watch what else you're eating. Primal and paleo types recommend coconut oil for weight loss. I was taking about 1 tbsp a day last year along with decreasing my grains and increasing the protein and veggies and I lost about 15kg. So, it is possible. But no, you can't suck back jars of it and still eat copious amounts of starches and sugar...alas...

Jon77

If you believe the 'experts' nothing done in a frying pan is healthy regarless of the oil.

Just get a big block of lard, cut it in half and drop in the frying pan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty.../consider-lard

Jon77

As things currently stand these healthy eating trendy oil hippies will be dropping dead of heat disease long before anyone else.

moneypenny20

Rice Bran Oil here. Oh and EVOO whilst Butter for potatoes. Coconut Oil is used for some cooking but mainly hair conditioning.