Cooking Oils

Oil is a refined food. And if its refined, chances are it isn't healthy per say. The processing of oil to prevent it going rancid robs it from most of its original nutrients. It isn't something that is good for you and should be used in limited amounts. It's perfectly possible to cook without oil, and instead get all your Essential Fatty Acids from nuts, avocados etc. But would your food taste as good without the oil content? Of course not. Food just tastes so much better with the addition of oil. That said, oil in small amounts is not harmful if you are not overweight or suffering from disease.

Different kinds of oils

There are three kids of oils: saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated. Saturated oils are solid at room temperature. Mono-unsaturated oils are fluid at room temperature but solid in the refrigerator. Poly-unsaturated oils are fluid at room temperature and in the refrigerator.

However, all oils contain a mixture of the above three kinds of oils. Below I've highlighted some common oils and their fatty acid contents: