Essential things to keep in mind when choosing a suitable cooking oil

In summers, it is recommended to use lighter oils such as rice bran, olive, avocado or coconut, which have cooling properties

You need to identify if you are cooking food at low, medium or high heat. All of these temperatures require different oils for your needs. (Source: Freepik)

While cooking can be a therapeutic activity, it comes with its own set of challenges. From choosing the right ingredients to measuring them accurately, and getting the perfect taste, many of us struggle with these nuances of cooking on a daily basis. But there is one more aspect that often leaves most cooks puzzled — how to choose the right cooking oil. This is because different cooking oils have distinct properties, making it tricky to pick the most suitable one.

As such, if you want clarity on which cooking oil is best suited for Indian cooking, then Anjali Mukerjee, a nutritionist, shared some pointers on Instagram that you must keep in mind while picking a cooking oil.

Stressing that the answer to this question is not really simple owing to several factors, she said, “One is that all of us cook different types of foods at different temperatures. So first, you need to identify if you are cooking food at low, medium, or high heat as all of these temperatures require different oils.”

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A post shared by Anjali Mukerjee (@anjalimukerjee)

Secondly, she suggested using an oil with a high smoking point, which is also heat stable. “This is because you don’t want it to break down into its toxic compounds that will get into your food,” she informed, adding that one must also consider the fatty acid composition of the oil. “Oils have saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. So, you need to choose an oil that has a good monounsaturated fat content because that is considered healthy,” Mukerjee added.

And lastly, know that cold-pressed oils are better than their refined counterparts. “Cold-pressed oils, as the name suggests, have no addition of any chemicals or solvents, and is no heat applied. Therefore, they have a higher nutrient content, and are richer in omega-3. On the other hand, refined oils have a lot of bleaching agents, solvents, deodorising agents. In fact, during the refining process, a lot of harmful chemicals are used,” she continued.

So, how best can one identify a suitable cooking oil?

According to Karishma Shah, an integrative nutritionist and health coach, one must consider three important factors when choosing a suitable cooking oil. “First, make sure to identify its nutritional ingredients. Avoid using an oil that might give you an allergic reaction. Second, consider the season you are using it in. In summers, it is recommended to use lighter oils such as rice bran, olive, avocado or coconut oil which have cooling properties, whereas in winters, you can opt for heavier oils like sesame, mustard and peanut oils, which have heating properties. And finally, understand that different food items require different cooking oils, you cannot use one for all dishes,” she told indianexpress.com.

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A post shared by Anjali Mukerjee (@anjalimukerjee)

According to Mukerjee, another thing to keep in mind is the temperature at which you cook the oil. “Generally, low temperature cooking means anything between 60-90°C; mMedium temperature cooking is done above 90°C up to 190°C; and high temperature cooking is done at 200°C or higher up to 300°C,” she informed, adding that low to moderate temperature cooking is better for health.

Concurring, Shah said that low temperature cooking helps retain the nutritional benefits of the food being cooked. “However, different food items need to be cooked at different temperatures. Moreover, it also depends on your taste. For instance, you will require high temperature to deep fry potatoes, while to sauté baby corns, you will need low temperature. Both will have a different crunchiness and palatability to them.”

ALSO READ | FSSAI recommends four simple ways to reduce oil intake

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A post shared by Anjali Mukerjee (@anjalimukerjee)

Lastly, Mukerjee explained that most chefs use the smoking point information to decide the cooking oil they would use for low temperature cooking like sautéing or pan-frying, or high temperature cooking like deep frying. “The smoking point of an oil is the temperature at which it begins to smoke. It is the maximum temperature beyond which you should not heat the oil because it will give rise to trans-fat formation –which is very harmful to health. Moreover, cold-pressed oils have low smoking points and can only be used in low heat cooking.”

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Agreeing with this, Shah said that if your cooking oils begins to smoke, it means you have used too much heat. “This can release harmful compounds and toxic components in your food, which can lead to inflammation and heart conditions. So, use a high smoking point cooking oil, if you are doing high temperature cooking,” she concluded.

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