Whats in Oil

In my cooking experiments in the past couple of years, the one thing that has been on my mind while cooking has been the nutrition and health effects of using Oil.

While discussing with friends and family the most common answer I get is about Olive Oil and the lovely monounsaturated fats it provides to our body. Yes I switched to Olive Oil for my everyday curry and stir fry needs but continued to use Sun Flower oil for all my deep frying.

Today I was reading a article about Olive Oil and how it loses its health benefits at smoking point. I hastily forwarded the article to my family and friends and then sat back to think about it for a second. I made my own little research on the internet and came to the conclusion that Olive Oil when used below its smoking point is definitely beneficial but is not a good candidate for my deep fry, high flame stir fry needs. That led me to write this entry.

Here are the smoking points for some of Oils that I have used:This above information made me do my little research on what is Saturated, Unsaturated Fats:

Saturated Fats:

Saturated fats are mainly animal fats and are solid at room temperature. These fats include butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, egg yolks, lard and fatty meats. Some plants fats are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil and palm oils. Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol more than any other food you eat.

Unsaturated Fats:

These fats can come from both animal and plant products. There are three (3) types:

Monounsaturated Fats - Usually come from seeds or nuts such as avocado, olive, peanut, and canola oils. These fats are liquid at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fats - Usually come from vegetables, seeds, or nuts such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, cotton seed, and sesame seeds oils. These fats are liquid at room temperature.

Trans Fatty Acids - Trans fats are produced when liquid oil is made into a solid fat, such as shortening or margarine. This process is called hydrogenation. Trans fats act like saturated fats and can raise your cholesterol level.

Finally to conclude, the reason smoke points are important is because if an oil burns and starts smoking, it forms nitro-compunds that are harmful to health and have been thought to lead to insulin resistance and hence diabetes