Page 73 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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HOW TO CHOOSE A COOKING OIL

alk into any grocery store and you’ll often find the
number of cooking oils overwhelming. Walnut and
Wpeanut, soy and corn, avocado and grapeseed . . . what-
ever “vegetable” is in “vegetable oil” (usually soybeans, it turns
out). On top of all the flavors, who’s got a clue what an “expel-
ler” is, or why you’d want your oil to be pressed in one? How, I
wonder, does a virgin become extra virgin?

The bottom line is this: For health, versatility, and production
methods, olive oil is a great go-to for pretty much all your daily
cooking. Canola is a stellar backup act.

Taste and cost: The importance of these factors will likely vary
based on how often you’re using an oil and what those uses
are. Specialty oils like walnut and flaxseed might be superb
nutritionally, but they are tough to sustain financially if you’re
using them every day. Ditto for toasted sesame oil, whose
smoky richness is welcome at times but doesn’t jibe with every
dish. So, you’ll want a default cooking fat you can use on a reg-
ular basis, both for taste and for cost.
Nutrition profile: Focus on the type of fat, not the total. In prac-
tice, this means choosing plant oils over animal fats. What’s
best for your health happens to also be best for the planet.

Smoke point: Different fats and oils break down at different high
temperatures, releasing smoke and a bad smell into the air.
When that happens, no one within shouting range is a happy
camper. The rule of thumb on smoke points is that the more

62 how to be a Conscious Eater