Best to Use
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
* strong/rich flavour
* good fat & healthy
* low smoke point, so best with low- medium heat
cooking or use cold/drizzle on food after cooking
* use to sauté, drizzle on food, in place of butter,
salad dressing
VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
* lovely coconut flavour or neutral flavour
* high in good fat & healthy (if it’s virgin coconut oil)
* high smoke point
* use for all cooking, frying, sautéing, baking, eating
on it’s own, mixing in nut spreads
PURE BUTTER
* yummy buttery flavour
* healthy in moderation but does have bad fats
* medium smoke point, so best for low to medium
temperature cooking
* clarified butter can be used for high temperature
cooking (frying, roasting) without browning or
smoking
GHEE
* slightly nutty flavour (buttery oil is darker than
clarified butter)
* good fats & healthy (bad fat too but better than
butter in the health department)
* high smoke point
* use for high temperature cooking
* can be lactose free if done correctly & all milk
solids & moisture removed
AVOCADO OIL
* mild, slightly nutty flavour
* good fat & healthy
* high smoke point
* use for all cooking, sautéing, frying, baking, salad
dressing
ALMOND OIL
* strong nutty flavour
* good fat & healthy
* high smoke point
* use for salad dressing, dessert baking, sautéing,
frying
MACADAMIA NUT OIL
* rich, buttery, slightly nutty flavour
* good fat & healthy
* high smoke point
* use for baking, frying, sautéing, salad dressing
WALNUT OIL
* rich, nutty flavour
* good fat & healthy
* low smoke point , so best with low to medium heat
cooking or use cold/drizzle on food after cooking
* use for sautéing, salad dressings, baking,
marinades
SESAME SEED OIL
* strong flavour
* good fat & healthy
* low smoke point, so best with low to medium heat
cooking or using cold/drizzle on food after cooking
* use for sautéing and baking, stir fry (drizzle on
after)
RICE BRAN OIL
* neutral flavour
* good fat & healthy
* high smoke point
* use for all cooking, mayonnaise, Asian cooking
To Use Sparingly
PEANUT OIL
* great flavour
* high in bad fats
* high smoke point
* use sparingly in stir fries, Asian dishes, when cooking
fish or salad dressing, or occasionally to crisp up oven
fried chips
GRAPESEED OIL
* neutral flavour
* good fats and healthy
* medium to high smoke point
* delicate (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* use sparingly for low to moderate heat cooking
FLAXSEED OIL
* strong flavour
* good fat and healthy
* very low smoke point, so best not to use for cooking,
instead, cold/drizzle on food after cooking
* use in salad dressings
HEMP OIL
* nutty flavour
* good fat and healthy
* low smoke point, so only use cold, don’t heat
* delicate (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* use for dips and salad dressings
HAZELNUT OIL
* strong nutty flavour
* good fat and healthy
* low smoke point, so only use cold, don’t heat
* delicate (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* use on cooked rice, quinoa, oatmeal, with lemon juice
over pasta, roasted veggies or steamed greens
LARD
* great flavour for the right dishes
* bad fats and a few good fats
* might not be the healthiest, so best to use in moderation
and choose only organic or homemade 100% animal lard
(pork, beef, duck…)
* use for frying, baking, pastries, roasting, alternative to
butter
To Avoid
SOYBEAN OIL
* high in bad fats
* often highly processed, hydrogenated or part of what is
listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in an ingredients list, plus also
likely sourced from GMO crops, exposed to pesticides
SUNFLOWER OIL
* good and bad fats
* high smoke point
* often highly processed, hydrogenated or part of what is
listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in an ingredients list
SAFFLOWER OIL
* good and bad fat
* high smoke point
* delicate (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* often highly processed, hydrogenated or part of what is
listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in an ingredients list
CANOLA OIL
* neutral flavour
* good and bad fats
* high smoke point
* use for all cooking, frying, grilling, sautéing, salad
dressing, roasting, baking
* can go rancid easily
* often highly processed, hydrogenated, come from GMO
crops or part of what is listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in an
ingredients list
PALM OIL
* found in many processed foods
* high in bad fats
* often highly processed/refined, hydrogenated and
surrounded by nasty environmental issues, can come from
GMO crops or part of what is listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in
an ingredients list, which = avoid
* but, if responsibly cultivated and not refined, red palm oil
(virgin) is very similar to coconut oil and good for you
COTTONSEED OIL
* bad fats
* delicate/unstable (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* often highly processed, hydrogenated, come from GMO
crops or part of what is listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in an
ingredients list
CORN OIL
* bad fats
* delicate (easily effected by light, air and heat)
* often highly processed/refined, hydrogenated and
surrounded by nasty environmental issues, can come from
GMO crops or part of what is listed as ‘vegetable oils’ in
an ingredients list
VEGETABLE OIL
* good fats but at a price
* usually a blend of corn, canola, soy, sunflower etc oils
* often highly processed/refined, hydrogenated, found in
processed foods, can come from GMO crops
COPHA
* bad fats
* it’s hydrogenated coconut oil (refined, bleached and
deodorised) = avoid!
* best to use organic coconut oil, which is the same thing,
just without all the nasties and processing/hydrogenation
MARGARINE
* good fats but at a high health price = Avoid avoid avoid!
* blend of butter & oil, usually with a large dose of
preservatives, colouring, flavouring & other unnecessary
additives… despite the media & manufacturers claiming
otherwise, when you decipher the labels you’ll quickly see
you can believe it’s not butter
* If you really want a spreadable butter without all the
nasties, stick to organic products using butter and good
oils, or check labels for non organic brands which use
butter and olive oil instead of vegetable oils
Tips & Terminology
* Delicate = exposure to air, light or heat can dramatically change the oils (some fats in the oils are unstable),
sometimes to the extent that they can become toxic. Best to keep all oils in cool, dark place, and only expose to
light, heat and air briefly – take off the cap, put it straight back on and tuck it away safely! Also best to not keep
oils forever, use as per the used by date and once opened discard the delicate ones after about 3 months.
* Highly processed and hydrogenated = have gone through an unnecessary and alarming number of
chemically assisted refining processes to make the oils taste and look ‘better’, usually lighter colour and neutral
flavour
* Cold-pressed = the oil is extracted in a relatively unadulterated process, without the use of chemicals, and at a
temperature that doesn’t effect the oil
* Extra virgin = the least amount of processing is used to extract the oil and leaves it at it’s purest or most
virginal state, without the use of chemicals
* Refined = processes used to make the oil lighter in colour and usually neutral flavour also, often with the use of
chemicals
* Vegetable oil = a blend of oils (often canola, soybean, corn, sunflower etc) often used in processed foods, often
highly refined and hydrogenated with the use of chemical processes, associated with GMO crops, pesticides =
avoid!
* Smoke point = the temperature at which the oil starts to break down and not be so good for you. Best to stick
to recommended uses and cook with heat below the smoke point temperature
* If vegan or dairy free, replace butter with coconut or olive oil
* If sensitive to salicylates and amines, avoid coconut, almond, olive and peanut oil and substitute with canola,
sunflower, flaxseed or rice bran oils (but ensure organic or not GMO)
* If lactose intolerant, ‘proper’ ghee can be used if made correctly NB: not just clarified butter
* Spreadable butter is not pure butter. It’s a blend of butter and oils and often contains additives. Check labels
carefully for spreadable butters with hidden ingredients and stick to pure butter or organic spreadable butter with
organic oils
* To make clarified butter – melt butter gently, remove the clear oil off the top and discard the white solids then
just use the oil that remains for cooking
* To make ghee – basically it’s a longer clarifying process with butter so only a very pure clear oil remains. Ghee
takes at least 20 mins (for approx 250g butter) but similar process to clarifying butter where the butter is melted to
separate and then strained to remove the white solids and become pure oil
