What is the best oil for cooking?

Health is driving the speciality food sector right now as consumers look for delicious new ways to improve their wellbeing, and producers and retailers respond to their demands.

Alongside functional drinks, gut-friendly kefirs and kombuchas, and adaptogens, a category showing growth is oils. Not only are shoppers reaching for healthier oils, but they want to know the best oils for cooking, and to be steered in the direction of interesting, flavoured oils which can enhance whatever they rustle up in the kitchen.

They’re increasingly mindful of the cost of sunflower oil, which remains high, and are become wary of using ultra processed seed oils like sunflower and vegetable oil, with some commentators arguing these could have negative health impacts.

Specialist retailers looking to shake up their oil section should certainly, say experts, be investing in high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and other healthy cooking oils. Speciality Food takes a look at the options…

What is the healthiest oil for cooking?

The best cooking oils for health, says Maria Dawson of Clearspring, include coconut oil, avocado oil, hazelnut oil, sesame oil and toasted sesame oil, and she sees each of these as solid investments for retailers…and shoppers.

These oils, Maria says, have their own unique flavour profiles. “Avocado oil has a creamy texture with a very mild fruit flavour,” for example. “It lends itself particularly well to baking, but is also great for sauteeing and stir fries.”

A cooking oil offering something a bit special is pumpkin seed oil, Maria adds, saying she adores its rich, deep colour, velvety texture, and nutty flavour, which “creates a sumptuous salad dressing”.

These oils, and their ability to be used in a variety of ways, has seen them gaining traction on shelves. But the star of the show at the moment, when it comes to healthy oils for cooking, is extra virgin olive oil. Scientists, nutritionists, and food professionals have all been espousing the health benefits of EVOO, which is thought to have gut-friendly and anti-inflammatory properties.

Professor Tim Spector is an especially vocal proponent of the oil, having given it hours of airtime on podcasts, radio and TV shows, as well as whole sections in his books.

Shoppers have responded in kind, putting more olive oil in their baskets, despite its high price due to fluctuating harvests.

Gianfranco Perri, of Just Gourmet Foods, says, “We are seeing growing interest in single varietal extra virgin olive oil. Authenticity still wins in a cash-strapped market and, when purse strings are tight, there are still people who value quality over quantity.”

The healthiest olive oils, adds Maria, are those that are cold-pressed and organic, which allows them to “retain even more of their natural flavour compared to conventional oils”.

What is the healthiest oil for frying?

The smoke point of avocado oil makes it an excellent oil for high temperature cooking such as frying, and roasting, followed closely by rapeseed, sunflower and olive oil. Coconut and sesame oil, in contrast, have some of the lowest smoke point, making them best suited to marinating, light frying and baking.

Choosing the best oil for cooking

Deciding on the best oil for cooking comes down to a few factors, including the dish you’re making, and the flavour profile you’re trying to achieve. Lighter, softer, gentler oils are best for dressings, unless you’re after, say, the punchy herbaceous pepperiness of a good olive oil. While bolder oils, like walnut, sesame or coconut put in the groundwork flavour notes for a range of dishes.

The types of oil for cooking

Olive oil for cooking

Olive oil, for millions of people living in the Mediterranean, is liquid gold, and natives take sourcing their oil very seriously. In fact, it’s not uncommon for families to rock up to their local olive farm with giant vats to stock up on their favourite variety during the season.

Good quality olive oils, says Yacine Amor of The Artisan Olive Oil Company, are incomparable to what you might see in the average supermarket. “They tend to be produced fairly early in the season, and the difference can easily be seen in the chemical profile.” When sourcing, he suggests that retailers who are taking olive oil seriously, should ask for a chemical analysis. Good extra virgin olive oil should have an acidity of no more than 0.8%, with the very best sitting between 0.3% and 0.4%. Find out which estate they’re from, and whether they are blended, which can taint the overall quality and flavour. Fine olivesoils have a distinct smell, he explains. “Open a bottle, and if there’s no small, you already know it’s not particularly high quality.”

Olive oil smoking point: 175C to 210C

The difference between olive oils

What is light olive oil?

This has been processed quite heavily to refine it, allowing it to reach higher smoking points. It delivers a fairly neutral taste which some prefer for dressings and mayonnaise making.

What is virgin olive oil?

Is less processed, but has a few minimal defects, and its acidity level can be up to 2%. It has more of a traditional olive oil taste than light olive oil.

What is extra virgin olive oil?

EVOO is considered the best. It has a lower acidity, and will have been cold-pressed and minimally treated to retain maximum health benefits, and flavours ranging from herbal and grassy to nutty. Contrary to popular belief, you can cook at high temperatures with extra virgin olive oil, as the Italians, Spanish, and other Mediterranean cooks have for generations.

Is cold-pressed olive oil healthier?

The experts say cold-pressed olive oil is definitely healthier than other varieties. Not only is it less processed, but it contains higher levels of oleic acid and other polyphenols, which many think contribute to everything from lower cholesterol, to better heart health, and a better supported gut microbiome. 

Sunflower oil for cooking

The war in Ukraine, one of sunflower oil’s major exporters, has lifted prices often two or threefold, which has caused shoppers to invest instead in olive and other oils.

With its high smoking point and neutral, inoffensive flavour, sunflower oil can be used for any type of cooking, from deep frying to sauce and dip making. It’s often an ingredient in butterless cakes too.

Sunflower oil smoking point: 232C

Vegetable oil for cooking

Like sunflower oil, vegetable oil has a huge range of uses, both as a vehicle for frying and baking, and as an ingredient in sauces and cakes. Savvy consumers however, conscious of their wellbeing, are distancing themselves from this heavily processed oil, choosing better, healthier oils.

Vegetable oil smoking point: 204C

Cooking with rapeseed oil

Rapeseed grows very well in the UK in a good season, and there are now several rapeseed oil producers across the nation, selling what is thought to be a rather healthy oil, containing high levels of good-for-you fatty acids. Rapeseed oil has a very distinctive nutty and grassy taste, and can be used in all the same ways as olive, vegetable and sunflower oil, from baking, through to frying, thanks to a high smoking point.

Rapeseed oil smoking point: 204-246C

Cooking with corn oil

America is the largest producer of corn oil, as well as its largest user. This oil’s very high smoking point makes it perfect for deep frying. However, almost all methods of making it require solvents, which doesn’t sit well with most British consumers.

Corn oil smoking point: 232C

Cooking with grapeseed oil

With a light and clean taste, grapeseed oil (collected from the seeds of grapes once they’ve been pressed for wine), is an excellent alternative to sunflower or vegetable oil in making creamy dressings and vinaigrettes. It’s high in Vitamin E too.

Grapeseed oil smoking point: 216C

Walnut oil for cooking

This is a very special tasting oil having, as you’d expect, a nutty flavour, with a touch of sweetness. Its low smoking point means it’s not the best oil for frying or baking, but it brings a complexity and new dimension to dressings, or used as a drizzle over meat, salads or roasted vegetables.

Walnut oil smoking point: 160C

Avocado oil for cooking

This has one of the highest smoking points of any oil, meaning it can be used in myriad ways, including deep frying. However to do so would not only be expensive, but would ruin its delicate, fresh, fruity flavour. Reserve this oil for dressings and salad making, and to bring added oomph and a new dynamic to crushed avocado on toast.

Avocado oil smoking point: 271-299C

Groundnut oil for cooking

A vegetable oil derived from peanuts, you’ll rarely find this oil used in commercial applications due to allergy risks. But it remains popular in America, India and Asia where it is used for stir fries, curries, and plenty more thanks to its relatively cheap price and neutral flavour. 

Groundnut oil smoking point: 227C

Coconut oil for cooking

There was a craze a few years ago for cooking with coconut oil, as the likes of Joe Wicks and co used it as alternative oil for frying thanks to its high concentration of MCTs, which are thought to support fat burning and leave you feeling fuller for longer. Many of the same people who bought into coconut oil have switched to good quality British butter for their cooking, but nonetheless it’s worthy of shelf space. Consumers are using it in Asian and Indian frying and baking, where it adds a distinctly coconutty flavour, but are also as a mouthwash (coconut pulling) and beauty product. 

Coconut oil smoking point: 177C

Rice bran oil for cooking

This is considered an up-and-coming cooking oil because, produced the right way, it could have good eco credentials. It’s made from the discarded husks/bran of rice produced largely in India and Asia. Rice bran oil is high in beneficially fatty acids, but the high level of refinement might make it a no-go for conscious consumer. Cold-pressed, healthier rice bran oil, is available on the market.

Rice bran oil smoking point: 232C

Sesame oil for cooking

A must have in Asian kitchens where it’s used as a frying oil, finishing oil, and as part of various dips and dressings. It imparts a very very distinctive nutty flavour that can be used in both sweet and savoury cooking.

Sesame oil smoking point: 177-232C

Do cooking oils go off?

Yes. It’s very important to store your cooking oils correctly as they can go rancid, particularly the more expensive nut and fruit oils. 

How to store cooking oil

Proper storage of oil depends on which type it is and how often it’s used. Most cooking oils should be placed somewhere cool and dark, away from bright sunlight. Bottles in dark glass will stay fresher, and taste better for longer. Time, light, temperature and oxygen exposure will all have an impact on how long cooking oils last. Generally, the lighter an oil is, the longer it will stay fresh, because it’s usually been processed more heavily.

We recommend putting delicate oils, such as walnut, macadamia and pistachio, or those with infusions like truffle or lemon, in the fridge, as they are more susceptible to oxidisation.

What to do with used oil cooking oil

It might be tempting to pour used cooking oil down the sink, but this can clog and damage your plumbing. If you pour it outside, on the other hand, it might cause problems for wildlife. We recommend:

Saving the oil to use later in a suitable container.

Let the oil cool completely, then pour into a container with a lid and throw in the bin with household waste.

Small amounts of cooking oil can be added to your food waste recycling service if you have one.

Businesses must seal cooking oil in a leak-free container and arrange for collection with a licensed waste carrier.