What’s The Skinny On Fats (pun intended)

Over the last few years, there has been a dietary shift toward consuming more fats. If you are like me and try to follow the latest trends, you may have some questions. I grew up during the time when the thinking was, if you consume too much fat in your diet, it will make you, well, fat. We had skim milk, margarine, low fat this, fat free that. Then came the Atkins diet which went against all the dietary guidelines of the time. Fast forward to 2024, we now embrace the Keto Diet and the Paleo Diet.

If you are making a shift toward one of these diet’s, or just a general cooking oil user, it is important to understand how to store your fats/oils and how to use them. The fats we consume in our diet produces many benefits for the body. They digest slowly, help us to feel full, helps with the absorption of vitamins D, E, A, and K, provides warmth for the body, protects our organs, provides the cholesterol which i the building block of our hormones. But, a diet high in the wrong kinds of fat can lead to tumors, cancer, obesity, heart disease, gall bladder and liver disorders.

There are 4 categories of fats, saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and trans fats. Saturated fats can be found in animal products and a few plant products such as coconuts, peanuts, and palm kernel. These fats are solid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats can be found in nuts, seeds, grains, and vegetables. These fats are liquid at room temperature and may start to solidify when chilled. Monounsaturated fats can be found in nuts, seeds, and vegetables and are considered the most stable and best used for cooking. These oils are liquid at room temperature and may solidify when chilled. Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat and can be lab created to make liquid oils solid like margarine and shortening. This type of fat is extremely unhealthy and can lead to heart disease.

Choosing how you store your oils is very important due to their unique composition of fatty acids, which impacts stability and shelf life. Light, heat, and air exposure can break these oils down causing them to become rancid. Rancid oils taste bad and also contain free radicals which are detrimental to our health. Nut oils, once opened, should be stored in the refrigerator to keep fresh. Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and other cooking oils should be stored in a cool dark area.

Some common cooking oils and the temps you should use them are as follows:

Avocado Oil- 520 degrees, best used for grilling, roasting, searing, and stir frying

Canola Oil- 400-475 degrees, good for deep frying and other high heat cooking

Coconut Oil- 350-450 degrees

Corn Oil- 400-450 degrees and good for high heat frying

Olive Oil- 325-375 degrees good for drizzling, low heat sautéing and salad dressings

Refined Sesame Oil- 410 degrees