Which oils and fats
are good for you - and when should I use them?
First and foremost, choosing a fat should be based on what you are going to use it for. I try to use a variety of fats, carefully and where I feel they will do the most to enhance the flavor of my recipes.
As I have mentioned, I use butter in sparing amounts where the flavor will shine through. Rather than use a tablespoon of butter to sauté with, I might use a couple of teaspoons of a mono-unsaturated oil that doesn't have as much flavor (like canola oil) combined with a teaspoon of butter. The rich flavor of the butter will come through, but there's much less saturated fat.
Here's a guide to what I keep in my cupboard and fridge so that I have the best choices available:
Butter
I keep unsalted butter on hand always. Sure, it's high in saturated
fat, but there is simply no substitute. Butter adds a richness to sauces
that almost nothing else can, but I use it in sparing amounts and always
measure what I need. For most sauces it takes only a teaspoon per serving
to give that great mellow flavor and velvety texture that only butter
can offer.
I choose the higher butterfat "European" style unsalted butter and don't purchase more than a half pound at a time (the equivalent of two sticks). I freeze half and keep the other half in a tightly closed plastic container.
Olive Oil
This is certainly the oil that gets the most attention. And well
it should, since this is the guy that proved that fat is not bad. Why?
First and foremost is that olive oil (and most vegetable oils) is high
in monounsaturated fats. These Omega 3 fats are key to helping prevent
heart disease and other illnesses.
The best part, of course, is that like butter, olive oil is full of bright, fruity flavor. I choose extra virgin olive oils and use them for recipes where I want to add more flavor. This is especially true for salad dressings and other dishes that are not cooked. The fresh flavor of a great quality (and usually higher priced) oil really comes through. I keep a less expensive and further refined virgin olive oil on hand for those dishes that will lose some of the flavor when cooked.
Canola Oil (Rapeseed Oil)
The oil from the rapeseed is also very high in monounsaturated fat.
Canola oil has little flavor and I use it for just that reason: for salad
dressings where you don't want to add too much fruitiness, for example.
It works great in baked goods as welll, adding the fat needed but one
high in monounsaturated fat. I will often combine canola oil with an egg
yolk or unsalted butter to form the basic ingredients in muffins or quick
breads.
Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil is another oil that's very high in monounsaturated
fat. There's some research that shows it may even more beneficial than
olive oil. In one study published in the Journal
of Arteriosclerosis, the test subjects showed a 13 to 14 percent increase in HDL (good) cholesterol
with as little a 1 ounce. In another study published in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology, 1.5 ounces of grapeseed oil substituted
for other fats used in recipes resulted in a 7% reduction in LDL (bad)
cholesterol and a 13% increase in HDL levels.
Flavor-wise, grapeseed oil has less of the strong fruitiness of olive oil but all of the benefits. It also has a very high smoke point.
That's another important consideration in the choice of oil. "Smoke point" is the temperature at which the oil will begin to smoke. There are a number of factors and one of the most important is how refined the oil is. I like using grapeseed oil because it has a high smoke point.