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Food Safety Issues/cooking oils
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Question
Hello,
I am trying to find out which oil is best to cook with. It my understading that oils have different flash points and that certan oils , when burned , are unhealthy.
Of the oils which would be the best to cook with?
Grapseed
extra virgin olive oil
olive oil
vegetable oil
corn oil
butter
Thanks
Jg
It depends on what you intend to cook and how you want to cook it. For example, peanut oil is great for cooking with Woks (a la Chinese cooking), as woks cook at high temps and peanut oil doesn't break down as readily at high temps.
You should also bear in mind saturated and unsaturated fat content. Generally, the higher the unsaturated fat content the healthier. Canola oil is very healthy (often sold as generic "vegetable") and olive oil is also very healthy. But again, there are many variables. Both canola and olive are good general purpose cooking oils, although olive oil will tend to flavor the food more than canola.
Alex Avery
Hudson Institute
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Answers by Expert:
Alex Avery
Expertise
Questions regarding organic food, agriculture, pesticides, herbicides, environmental issues, food safety, bacterial infection, agricultural economics, crop biotechnology, wildlife conservation, erosion, global food issues.
Experience
Director of research and education with the Center for Global Food Issues at Hudson Institute. Prior to joining Hudson in 1994, I was a McKnight research fellow at Purdue University, where I worked to develop drought-resistant sorghum varieties for the Sudan of Africa.
I have spoken to a wide variety of national and international audiences and have represented the Center at the United Nations World Food Summit in Rome. I have written numerous articles which were published in leading newspapers and am currently working on a book.
Organizations
Center for Global Food Issues
Publications
Washington Times, American Outlook, Global Food Quarterly, Des Moines Register, USA Today Magazine, Canada's Western Producer, New York Post and others.
Awards and Honors
McKnight Research Fellowship at Purdue University
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