Common Cooking Oils
Different fats and oils have different uses, by using the right oils and fats in recipes, your foods will not only taste wonderful, it will also be healthy. Choose healthy fats from nuts, seeds, vegetables, olives and avocados. Good oils for cooking are canola, coconut, grape seed, olive, sesame, and peanut. Each oil performs best when used within it's temperature range. The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which it produces smoke. When oils reach this point they begin to break down, lose their flavor and nutritional value. The smoke point of oil depends on a variety of factors like its purity and age at the time of measurement.
- Virgin Olive Oil is light and flavorful with a smoke point of 350°F. It is a used in sauteing, salad dressings, pan frying, stir frying, baking, and drizzling over food. Calories 119, Fat 14, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg
- Canola Oil has a mild flavor with a smoke point of 400°F. It is used in sauteing, salad dressings, pan frying, stir frying, and baking. Calories 124, Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg
- Peanut Oil has a nice nutty flavor (be careful about food allergies) with a smoke point of 450°F. It is used in frying at high temperatures and in salad dressings. Calories 119, Fat 14g, Saturated fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg
- Grapeseed Oil has a very light flavor with a smoke point of 420°F. It is used in stir-frying, sauteing, deep frying and salad dressings. Calories 119, Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg
- Sesame Oil is used mostly in Asian cooking with a smoke point of 415°F. It is used in salad dressings, sauteing and stir frying. Calories 119, Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg
- Coconut Oil has a nice rich flavor and easily digested with a smoke point of 360°F. It is used in sauteing and baking. You can also use it in place of shortening. Calories 116, Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 12mg, Cholesterol 0mg
Limit fat to 20% to 25% of your total daily calories. For an 1800 calorie diet that means no more than 360-450 calories, or 40-50 grams of fat.
For more on the nutritional value of fat and how to calculate fat calories and grams click here.
RSS Feed
