Two cooking oil bottles with a salad infront of them.

Types of cooking oil

Today, you can find a large number of different oils on the shelves of stores. Oils (sunflower oil, olive oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, and coconut oil) are used daily in cooking. But do you know about each type of oil?

Best cooking oil to deep fry

A coconut oil bottle with coconut pieces are in this image.

Coconut oil is best for deep-fried foods.


What are the problems of oil use

Currently, cholesterol or high fat in the blood is a very serious problem all over the world. Because of this, non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure are also highly valued. If you don't have a good understanding of oily food, instead of temporary taste on the tongue, long-term sadness may increase.  But because there is no correct understanding about a type of oil that is said to be good to eat because it is said to reduce oily food, this article is about that.

Especially coconut oil. No matter how much oil was added to the diet, most of the fat stored in the body was burned with their activity.  But nowadays, the fat stored in the body is not burned like that because the current generation is less active.


Better oil for use


However, with time, we heard from all over the world that coconut oil is not suitable for food and that better oils like vegetable oil, soya oil, corn oil, and sunflower are used. That's why people gradually reduced the use of coconut oil and got used to using earlier types of oil instead. But, according to the clinical tests conducted at present, it has been reconfirmed that coconut oil is the most suitable for food and that vegetable oil is not suitable at all. Due to this fact, virgin coconut oil (Virgin Coconut Oil), super pure coconut oil, which was unknown until then, is starting to come to the usual coconut oil shops under different names and labels. However, if these oils are used indiscriminately, by the age of 35-40, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. will be affected.

From the clinical tests conducted in many countries of the world, the information and quality of food consumed by humans changes from time to time. It is called Evidence Base Medicare. In the analysis (Meta analysis) made from the collection of that information and the results of various researches, vegetable oil was said to be good for the body in the early stage, but after studying the use of vegetable oil and its final results, it was found that coconut oil is more suitable.

Best oil for use

Some olive oil bottles are in this image.
Olive oil is recognized as the most beneficial type of oil found in the study.


The type of oil suitable for consumption should be selected by considering the composition of the oil and the amount of saturated and unsaturated fats in it. For example, Extra Virgin oil contains unsaturated fats, while Organic Virgin Coconut oil contains mostly saturated fats. Pure vegetable oil is high in polyunsaturated fat.

Vegetable oil is often made from a combination of several types of oil such as Canola, Corn, Soya bean, Sun flower, and Palm oil. The polyunsaturated fats in these oils are weak in heat and should never be used in cooked foods.


Best cooking oil for salads


Thus, if olive oil can be used for fatty foods, it is best to add it to salads, etc., to maintain its antioxidant properties. Free radicals formed when olive oil is heated are destroyed by its antioxidant properties, so it does not contribute to damage to the body.


Best cooking oil for frying

Pouring some oil in to the pan for frying.

Coconut oil is best for deep frying. That's because it's high in saturated fat. But, it is not advisable to re-bind once used oil. That's because after the heated oil cools down, reheating it creates free particles that are harmful to the body. Olive oil is most commonly used in the world, and in Sri Lanka, it is quite expensive, so olive oil can be used for dressings and coconut oil for deep dressings.

Since the cost of diseases caused by oil is more than the cost of oils used without proper understanding so far, add only the right type of oil to your daily diet without thinking twice. But keep in mind that taking too much of the oils that are said to be good can lead to the aforementioned diseases.

Many people are afraid to eat oily food as there is a higher chance of getting diseases like heart disease, obesity and paralysis due to eating too much fatty food. But, if you make sure to collect enough oil for daily meals, you don't have to have such unnecessary fear. 


Instructions for use of oil

person following a healthy diet usually only needs 3-5 tablespoons of oil per day.


Healthy cooking oil

The types of oils we eat in the market contain both healthy and unhealthy oils.  Among them, oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil, corn oil, and olive oil can be identified as oils that are not harmful to health. However, palm oil and margarine are not suitable for food. If at any time you need to use palm oil or margarine, it is better to use coconut oil instead. This is because coconut oil is better for the body than those two types of oil.


Cooking oil harmful Smoke point


Deep frying food is very harmful. Heating the oil until it emits black smoke is even more harmful. In such cases, the composition of the oil changes, making it unhealthy to eat.  For this reason, it is best to add some water to a container before adding oil and then add oil afterwards. By doing so, there is no overheating of the oil. Also, none of the above oils are suitable for deep frying; coconut oil can be used for that if necessary.


Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is recognized as one of the good oils that you can use for cooking regularly.  Although it also comes in many variations, virgin olive oil is always available in stores.

Many studies have confirmed that olive oil is good for your heart health as it contains fatty acids.  But, this type of oil is not suitable for heavy frying due to its low boiling point.

Olive oil is a very popular cooking oil around the world, and there are many brands that you can choose from. A study conducted in the United States has revealed that most of the olive oil in the market is not up to standard. Be sure to check the quality of your choice of olive oil before choosing it.


Sesame Oil

Sesame oil with some sesame seeds

If you are someone who often likes to deep fry your food, sesame oil may be the best choice for you. Since sesame oil has a high smoke point, it can withstand high temperatures. Sesame oil has a unique flavour and also contains fatty acids that can support your heart health.

Things to be aware of when cooking with oil

Smoke point of oil

Butter oil  300⁰F
Coconut oil  350⁰F
Olive oil       375⁰F
Canola oil      468⁰F
Peanut   oil     320⁰F

The oil we consume every day has a smoke point. That is, the temperature at which any oil will smoke.  Once any oil is heated to the smoke point temperature, the good things in it such as vitamins and nutrients begin to be destroyed, making it unhealthy for our consumption.  It is more appropriate to be aware of the smoke point of the type of oil you use for cooking.

Refined oils generally have a higher smoke point, while unrefined oils have a lower smoke point because of how it were processed. Virgin oil has a relatively high smoke point and will be the best choice for cooking.