18 September, 2020

Choose the best oil for your recipe

Comments : 7 Posted in : Health on September 18, 2020 by : Amatulla Merchant Tags: cooking method, oils, smoke point

Fats and oils contribute to texture, flavor, and taste to the recipe and increase the palatability of the diet. They provide an effective medium for heat transferring, deep-frying, and transfer of flavors from spices.

Cooking involves heating oils to definite temperatures. When oils are heated, they tend to give out smoke long before their boiling point. It is their smoke point. Different oils have different smoke points. The smoke point of oils tends to increase as the refinement increases. Oils start to degrade once it reaches its smoke point. Also, when the oils are overheated, beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals found in many unrefined oils are lost. 

Overheating also creates harmful free radicles and degrades the oils. So, If you happen to heat your oil till it smokes or catches fire, you need to discard it. It also explains why we shouldn’t reuse the same oil for frying repeatedly.

It is, therefore, crucial that the oil you choose to cook a particular recipe should be able to handle the amount of heat required for the application. Smoke points for some common oils are listed. 

Oils and Fats	Application or methods of cooking
flax seed oil ,butter and extra virgin oils etc.	Cool dishes like dips, salads, salad dressings, and spreads.
olive oil (virgin) ,sesame oil , peanut (unrefined oils )etc.	sauteing, low flame cooking, and stir-frying at low temperatures.
highly refined vegetable oils ,mustard oil ghee etc	roasting baking, grilling, and deep frying at high temperatures.

The frying temperatures for most foods are between 350 F and 450 F.So, it is best to choose an oil with a smoke point above 400 F deep frying and high flame cooking.

Oils that have smoke points between 250 F- 400 F are suitable for roasting in an oven, sauteing, pan-frying and, stir fry over medium-high heat.

fats and oils with the smoke point below 250 F should be used for cold dishes like making dips, salads, salad dressings, and spreads.

Oils, especially PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) are susceptible to oxidation and rancidity. Most oils have natural antioxidants, and food manufacturers have an option to add synthetic antioxidants like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) to prevent rancidity. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant therefore, its requirements by a person are linked to the PUFA intake by him. ICMR recommends vitamin E (tocopherol ) at 0.8 mg/g PUFA intake.

If we store oils for too long, it develops a distinct smell and gets rancid or oxidized. Such oils are hazardous for health. To keep cooking oils fresh longer and prevent oxidation, always store them in opaque glass containers in a cool, and dark place.

Why must you not cook food in used cooking oil or black smoked oil?

• It can increase the levels of LDL or bad cholesterol. Thus, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and chest pain.
• It may lead to a burning sensation in your stomach and throat by increasing stomach acidity.
• The free radicles released in oils make it carcinogenic.
• It can increase inflammation, which is the root cause of most diseases particularly, obesity, heart diseases, and diabetes. High inflammation in the body can also reduce immunity and make one prone to infection.

Besides the smoke point, we also need to look at the nutrients and health benefits of different oils before choosing one.

Amatulla Merchant

Clinical Nutritionist and Dietician

amatullamerchant@gmail.com