Which oils and fats should I keep in my pantry?
Time and again you will hear "eat more monounsaturated fat" or "don't
eat too much saturated fat." These are certainly true statements, and over
the last ten years or so we have learned a great deal about just which
fats can be a problem and which are actually good for us. I get the question
all the time at the DrGourmet.com web site about when and how to use butter,
which is the best oil for cooking and how about baking?
The most important fact to remember is that all oils and fats contain calories. For the most part, a measured teaspoon of any fat will have about 45 calories. There's no doubt that from a health standpoint that fats that are less saturated are better for you. Saturation refers to the amount of hydrogen atoms that hang off of a fat molecule. More hydrogen atoms and the fat is "stickier." Saturated fats are more solid at room temperature (such as butter or lard). As a rule of thumb, animal fats like butter and lard are more saturated than fats that come from vegetable sources.
There are some vegetable oils that are naturally more saturated, like coconut oil, and some oils are artificially saturated by adding hydrogen atoms. The process is known as hydrogenation and is how margarines and vegetable shortening are made.
The healthiest type of fats are the monounsaturated fats and they have been clearly linked with lower rates of heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Good examples of monounsaturated oils are vegetable oils like olive oil, canola oil and grapeseed oil. Note that these three come from seeds, as both seeds and nuts are mostly made up of fats and you should think of them as fats even though they may also contain protein or carbohydrates. Like the oils that come from them, nuts are generally high in monounsaturated fats. Even so, it's always important to keep in mind that they have a lot of calories.
There are some ingredients like avocados, eggs and dairy products that
most of us don't consider as fats. Like seeds and nuts, avocados have the
good types of fat (along with a lot of calories).
One of the most common fats that many of us use is mayonnaise. There are a number of fantastic non-fat and reduced-fat products. In my recipes I specify which should be used. This is based simply on which tastes best. Most salad dressings, for instance, will work fine with non-fat mayo. Try this first, and if it is not to your liking, the reduced-fat version will almost always work great.
The three oils that I use the most are olive oil, grapeseed oil and canola oil. These are all good mono-unsaturated oils. The olive oil is the most flavorful and the rich fruity flavor of olive oils is the topic of complete books. I generally keep a stronger Tuscan extra virgin oil for making a salad dressing like Caesar Salad where the flavor of the oil is a key flavor in the recipe.