Is coconut oil the BEST for cooking with? Trendy oil compared to olive and rapeseed
OILS are essential for frying, roasting and other cooking methods, but knowing which type is healthiest for which dish can be a challenge.
Cooking oils: Some are more suitable for heating than others
Popular options include olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil.
However, it’s the latter which has become the trendiest to cook with in recent years, thanks to a host of health-conscious fans.
Once a pricey product, coconut oil is now sold in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Morrisons and even Home Bargains due to high demand.
It’s popularity is justified - many experts view it as the healthiest oil to cook with.
Olive oil: Is best used cold in salads
What’s more, coconut oil is the best oil for cooking with at high temperatures, such as frying or roasting.
Suzie Walker, nutritionist and founder of The Primal Pantry, said: “It’s is one of the richest sources of saturated fats - numerous recent studies have shown these are actually good for you, and it’s sugar that is the villain.”
Indeed, these saturated fats promote heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease.
She added: “It’s also made up of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), shown to convert to energy in the body really quickly, and is high in Lauric Acid which kills bacteria, fungi and viruses.”
What’s more, it’s the best oil for cooking with at high temperatures, such as frying or roasting.
Frying: coconut oil is best
Shona Wilkinson, nutritionist at SuperfoodUK, explained: “It’s mainly composed of saturated fats, it does not spoil at high temperatures, while still providing a healthier alternative to butter and other animal fats.”
Indeed, saturated fats - which are solid at room temperature - are heat stable, thanks to their molecular structure, and are not subject to oxidation like unsaturated fats.
Surprisingly, an oil which doesn’t do well at high temperatures is olive oil.
Walker explained: “Don’t cook with unsaturated fats - those that are liquid at room temperature - because heat oxidises and damages the structure of the fat producing toxic chemicals that our bodies don’t recognise.”
Olive oil prices soften as production increases
Coconut oil: It's full of heart-healthy saturated fats
Olive oil is healthiest used cold in salads or drizzled into dishes once they are cooked.
In those instances your body can benefit from the high amounts of blood pressure-lowering and heart-boosting monounsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants.
Similarly, vegetable oils - such as rapeseed oil and sunflower oil - are also not safe to cook with.
Wilkinson said: “They are made up primarily of polyunsaturated fats. Although we have been led to believe that these oils are healthier alternatives to saturated fats, this is not always the case.
“When they are heated to high temperatures as they can easily become oxidised and go rancid, with a potentially damaging effect in the body.”
Indeed, 2015 research linked heating vegetable oils to illnesses including cancer, heart disease and dementia.