Cooking oil

From Freepedia

Cooking oil is purified fat of plant or animal origin, which is liquid at room temperature.

Oil can be flavoured by immersing aromatic food stuffs such as fresh herbs, peppers and so forth in the oil for an extended period of time. However, care must be taken when using garlic and onions to prevent the growth of botulism in this medium.

Some of the many different kinds of vegetable oils are; grape seed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil, peanut oil, cashew oil, sesame oil and rice bran oil.

The generic term "vegetable oil" when used to label a cooking oil product refers to a blend of a variety of oils often based on corn, soybean or sunflower oils.

Health and nutrition

Fats in one form or another are necessary to our diets and are an important part of our culinary traditions, but they are also a significant health issue. Regardless of the type of cooking oil being used, the key health factor is moderation in the use of fats in the diet. While fats are a necessary part of a persons diet, they should not provide more than a third of the daily food energy consumed and attention must be paid to the types of fat being used.

Many cooking oils are also known sources of various vitamins (A and E), minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants.

Storing and keeping oil

Whether refined or not, all oils are sensitive to heat, light and exposure to oxygen. Rancid oil has an unpleasant aroma and acrid taste, and its nutrients are greatly diminished.

It's best to store all oils in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Oils may thicken, but if you let them stand at room temperature they'll soon return to liquid. To prevent negative effects of heat and light, take oils out of cold storage just long enough to use them. Refined oils high in monounsaturated fats keep up to a year, while those high in polyunsaturated fats keep about six months. Extra-virgin and virgin olive oils keep about a year after opening. Olive and other monounsaturated oils keep well up to eight months; unrefined polyunsaturated oils only about half as long.

Types of oils and their characteristics

Saturated fats are unhealthful in excess, but a small amout is essential. Unsaturated fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated) are more healthful for those living in Western-style homes, but most nutrition authorities recommend that no more than 30% of Western diet be fats. In unheated northern environments, up to 2/3 of the diet can be fats without health problems.

Type of Oil or Fat	Saturated	Mono unsaturated	Poly unsaturated	Smoke Point	Availability	Uses
Butter	66%	30%	4%		common	cooking, baking, condiment, sauces, flavoring
Canola oil	6%	62%	32%	238 °C	common	frying, baking, salad dressings
Coconut oil	92%	6%	2%		common	commercial baked goods, candy and sweets, whipped toppings, nondairy coffee creamers, shortening
Corn oil	13%	25%	62%	236 °C	common	frying, baking, salad dressings, margarine, shortening
Cottonseed oil	24%	26%	50%		common	margarine, shortening, salad dressings, commercially fried products
Grape seed oil	12%	17%	71%		common	cooking, salad dressings, margarine
Lard	41%	47%	12%	138-201 °C^[1]	common	baking, frying
Margarine, hard	80%	14%	16%		common	cooking, baking, condiment
Margarine, soft	20%	47%	33%		common	cooking, baking, condiment
Olive oil	14%	77%	9%	190 °C	common	frying, cooking, salad dressings
Palm oil	52%	38%	10%		common	cooking, flavoring, vegetable oil
Peanut oil	18%	49%	33%	231 °C	common	cooking, salad oils, margarine
Safflower oil	10%	13%	77%	265 °C	common	cooking, salad dressings, margarine
Soybean oil	15%	24%	61%	241 °C	common	cooking, salad dressings, vegetable oil, margarine, shortening
Sunflower oil	11%	20%	69%	246 °C	common	cooking, salad dressings, margarine, shortening