Even before one decides which dish to cook, our brains wander in a grocery store on the variety of oils that are lying on the shelves in front of us making purchase a task. How to decide which oil is best for a chicken marination or dressing a salad? which oil has more health benefits and is also tasty?
This decision is a difficult one, but an important one. Some oils are happier with sauces and dressings, and some go best with chicken and baked goods. Understanding health benefits and taste also plays a crucial role in deciding our cooking oil.
So, rather than jumping on the lowest cost oils, it’s important to choose the right one!
How to choose an oil for a healthy cooking?
While choosing the correct oil for your kitchen, you need to understand a few things. Start with considering the nutrition value, suiting cooking methodology and point of smoke. The oils that are high in smoke point are good for frying, roasting and sauteing and those with lower can make way for good dressings or dips.
One of the important points to determine the nutrition value of an oil which is calculated on the basis of calorie rich fat. Many of the oils are high in good fats and some have a certain amount of bad fats at a saturated level. Its okay to use any oil that suits your need keeping in mind the quantity being used while cooking.
Another point that needs to be reviewed is the pricing. Expensive oils may not have more nutritional value and a cheaper in cost may be more in value. So, understand the type of oil that your cooking methodology requires.
Types of oils for cooking
Sunflower Seed Oil
This oil is made from sunflower seeds and are very friendly for everyday cooking, deep frying and simple experiments in the kitchen. It is high in vitamin E and is very good for skin.
Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oils are great for low flame cooking and dressings for salads and dips. It is considered to be high in polyphenols which is a plant that is helpful in reducing incidences of cancer and other heart diseases.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is generally not the first choice in the households for cooking. This is due to high levels of cholesterol and saturated fats and hence is not recommended by nutritionists that much.
Vegetable oil
A vegetable oil, which is generally seen in most households is a combination of many different oils like, soybean, sunflower, peanut, etc. It is one of the most preferred oils while cooking as it is affordable and is considered to low down coronary heart diseases. One just needs to be careful while choosing the correct vegetable oil for their kitchen.
Peanut oil
This oil has its popularity in Asian food and is also used for fried food like the fries. It is rich in Omega 6 and should be used in moderate amount.
Conclusion
Choosing an oil can be a challenge, but remember to keep your needs and the nutrition value in mind when purchasing it. Avoid making your choices based on the cost, but just to help you decide, my favourite is pure filtered groundnut oil for everyday cooking.
Happy Cooking!!