More recent research has nutritionists recommending staying away from canola oil whenever possible. It has been linked to vitamin E deficiency and heart disease, plus it goes rancid easily.

Olive oil, grapeseed oil , sesame oil and even walnut oil are considered by many nutritionists to be superior to canola oil.

Actually, not all olive oils have a "fairly high" cooking temperature. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has a relatively low smoke point and is generally not recommended for high-temperature cooking. When oils are heated long enough to smoke, the healthy compounds break down, and unhealthy substances are formed. Plus, at least with EVOO, the delicate flavors break down.

For frying, pure olive oil or light olive oil are better choices than EVOO. For salad dressings, dipping oil for bread, drizzling over steamed vegetables, etc., go with EVOO.

Coconut oil is the absolute healthiest oil. It has a high smoke point making it excellent for frying. Saturated fat is by far the best. Think about it. It is saturated; it is the least reactive of any of the oils. Coconut oil also has excellent anti-viral & anti-biotic properties. Mono-unsaturated is second best, & *any* polyunsaturated should be used as machinery lubricant.

@anon:

Actually the Inuit (Eskimo) mainly ate *just* animal protein and fat . This cannot be compared to the standard American diet since it is likely the Inuit spent majority of their lives in ketosis (fat metabolism), and the average American doesn't (glucose metabolism).

Fat can be consumed in generous portions. It is just when carbs are thrown in the mix (particularly high-glycemic ones) that high levels of dietary fat, good or bad, causes health issues such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, etc.

1) Canola oil is a marketing term (CANadian OIL) for cultivated rapeseed oil. Originally, rapeseed oil was used for industrial purposes because it has high content of euric acid that is believed to be carcinogenic for humans together with disagreeable taste. Canola comes from low euric rapeseed cultivar, and is believed to be comparable to other seed oils like soybean or sunflower in terms of fatty acid composition.

2) Grapeseed oil is different from rapeseed oil (see 1), because grapeseed oil comes from the little hard particles contained in grapes. Grapeseed oil is usually a secondary product of a wineyard, and its main advantage is high smoke point, and therefore it's good for frying.

3) The point about bad health effects of saturated fats is controversial. Historically, there was a fight between the butter lobby and the margarine lobby, and finally the margarine lobby sort of won by convincing the public that butter is bad for health. That was before other studies discovered that trans-fats containted in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (margarince, Crisco) are definitely even worse than lard or butter. It's true that it's probably not good for people with sedentary lifestyle to eat a lot of lard, but on the other hand, there are groups of people (like Eskimos), whose diet consists predominantly of saturated animal fats, and yet they have no cardiovascular problems. The same goes for coconut and palm oil. Always look who finances what research and check references, there's lot of money in oleochemistry and the opinions change every decade.

Coconut oil is NOT the healthiest for you! It is actually composed majorly of saturated fats, so try to avoid it at all costs! Stick to olive or canola oils as the article says.

Yes coconut oil is the best...at least thats what i hear.

I was in the understanding that coconut oil is the best oil to use in any kind of cooking. Is this true or not?

does anyone know of cottonseed oil? I am trying to determine how healthy this oil is to deep fry in compared to other oils, but can find very little info on cottonseed oil.

Canola = Canadian oil low acid. It is from the rapeseed and has the bad stuff removed so it doesn't cause cancer or something like regular rapeseed oil.

i can see how this can be a confusing topic. there is no one single answer to this question because comparing all oils to each other can be akin to comparing apples and oranges. i conducted a bit of my own research and read one one site that rice bran oil was the healthiest, another touted coconut oil, while still another claimed that olive oil was the best.

most will agree that canola oil that has not been hydrogenated or mixed with other oils is the healthiest in terms of having the least saturated fat. however, it's not always the first choice for high temperature cooking, so in that case you'd have to go with a different oil better suited for high temp cooking.

choosing the "healthiest oil" has a lot to do with how you will be using it, and by what standards you measure "healthy." olive oil has the highest monounsaturated fat acids (good), and safflower has the highest polyunsaturated fat acids (good). coconut may have gotten a bad rap in the past for high fat, but is extremely high in lauric acid, which doctors are finding help treat numerous ailments.

so, take this list of healthy oils, and try to integrate several types into your diet--in moderation of course! you'll like the variety.

The main article says "Canola oil may be the healthiest oil" and then the discussion closes with "Canola oil is one of the most unhealthy oils used today." It can't be both ways....

Canola is one of the most unhealthy oils used today. It is a cheap manufactured oil. There is no reason to use canola, there are so many alternative oils that are actually healthy oils...grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, macadamia nut...do your research before believing everything you read, look into manufacturer company sponsored research done on their own products.

What are all the compounds formed while frying refined sunflower / edible oils?

Hang on there anonymous. Canola oil is also known as "RAPESEED" oil. Yes, it comes from the Canola plant.

GRAPESEED oil comes from grape seeds and is one of the premier cooking oils, having a high smoke point and a neutral taste.

If you are really interested in high quality cooking oil, try Macadamia oil. It is richer in monounsaturates than olive oil...and it tastes better.

Canola oil is not a hydrogenated oil, but is a plant based oil. Europeans call canola grapeseed and its a great oil seed crop for North American farmers. If you see the term hyrdrogenated canola oil, that means someone took the nice healthy oil and then processed it to produce a hydrogenated product. Naturally however, the oil is not hydrogenated.

Am I wrong in believing Canola Oil is a form of Hydrogenated Oil. If it is a Hydrogenated Oil, Why are you recommending it for high temperature cooking?