Every time I lurk through recipes there are those fancy folks that fry or bake with holistic organic extra virgin cold press oils. And I don’t really get it. Like OK raw oils are maybe better in salads because you can really taste the oil and so on. But in heat cooking? Isn’t the whole process of refining oils serving the purpose of removing all the dangerous particles so they don’t smoke into carcinogenic stuff?
So is it just a fancy trend or am I not getting something?
A 2013 study of over 7,000 people, one of the largest ever done, found people who followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil for five years had a 30% lower risk of heart attack or stroke. They also showed a slower rate of cognitive decline and were better able to control their weight.
Additionally, a 2018 Australian study found that extra-virgin olive oil (but not regular olive oil) produced the lowest levels of trans fats and other potentially harmful by-products when heated to high temperatures. Coconut oil took second place, while canola oil flunked, creating over twice as many harmful compounds as extra-virgin olive oil.
TL;DR: Try to cook everything in EVOO, if you can. Coconut Oil is ok. Canola and other seed oils are not so good for you.
-I plagiarized this CNN article, so sauce!
In the Mediterranean cuisine cold pressed / raw oils have been used for cooking for hundreds of years, and the people are healthier than American who mainly use refined vegetable oils.
see this video: https://youtu.be/rQmqVVmMB3k
However, if I have to cook steak or similar, which needs very high heat, I use clarified butter
Something worth considering is oxidation. You are going to have to do your own research, I don’t have sources, if you don’t like it then sue me.I have read that oxidation is the true cause of aging. Note that many products with antioxidants are touted as anti-aging (pomegranate juice for example).
EVOO has much higher levels of antioxidants than refined oils.Heating causes oxidation so the oils with higher levels of antioxidants should be able to withstand heat better and reek less damage on your body given exposure to the same level of heat.
Again, no sources, go ahead and Google it. Hope this helps.
Raw vegetable oils are not good for heating, with the exception of coconut oil. But refined vegetable oils are not good for your health at all, they are poison. I cook with lard and butter, those are the healthier options.