Vegetable Oil(s)

I don't really know a lot about vegetable oil and was beginning to become suspicious. If you're reading this, you must have had some of the same paranoia: What is it? Is it edible? Is it safe? So I did some research for us, the paranoid food consumers, label investigators, and overly conscious foodies. Where? Wiki of course. Ok I started there and much of the page was incomprehensible sciency stuff so I read other webpages about vegetable oil and have condensed it here for those of you, like me, who are needing to know what's really up with the ambiguously named vegetable oil.

First of all, check out the label, become a detective. Check ingredients and check out how the oil is processed. Sometimes the label will be just as ambiguous as the name of "vegetable oil" revealing nothing of any use--a blend perhaps, or the clever use of commas and "or". However, sometimes they'll just come right out and tell you it's soybean or some other such oil that doesn't have the same ring of health as "vegetable". I also shall warn you to never buy the cheap stuff. I used it for years in baking but now I know better. That stuff is extracted using a petroleum derivatives, hexane, and some fishy chemical process. Stick to the processing that has been used for centuries, pressing the seeds until the oil comes out.

And that hydrogenated stuff? Another big no-no. Never touch. Lard is probably healthier than that. Though of course I am not advocating for lard. I once was forced by a boss of the local B&B I was working at to use lard in her "traditional family recipe" for biscochitos. I gagged almost the entire time and tried using gloves, to no avail. I touched it. Slimy and disgusting. Never do that either. Back to hydrogenated oils: you can't digest them, they'll make you fat, and there is another ridiculously complicated processing that goes on in production that includes atoms (hydrogen clearly), chemicals and very high heat making this clearly very unnatural and something to be scared of.

There is a reason to be suspicious. In my opinion, cough up the extra few dollars and get yourself a quality oil. Some oils are better for high heat, like coconut, palm and butter. (One day I will do a whole entry extolling the wonders of butter but for now, you must simply forget everything you've ever heard about it being unhealthy and just trust me. Food of the Gods.) Some oils you should never really heat at all like flax oil (see below). Everyone's favorite, EVOO (or extra virgin olive oil for those of you not in the foodie acronym know, elite class) should really only be used at medium heat. If it starts popping at you, it's too high.

Then there's the debate of saturated versus unsaturated. Some saturated fat is probably good for you. I mean, butter and coconut oil is saturated *gasp*. You can't possibly tell me that coconuts are bad for you. It's kindof like when these pharmacy students gave a presentation in our health theory class about the horrors of natural remedies, like grapefruits? Give me a break. People are just scared of getting fat, and no wonder with the obesity epidemic. Then there's also the "polyunsaturated" versus the "monounsaturated". Apparently both will lower your cholesterol, so you probably shouldn't worry about the nuances of specifics. And then there's HDL versus LDL cholesterol, and then I'm just confused. I think the real trick here is to go with what seems the most natural and least processed.

Another important oil related topic is omega 6s versus omega 3s. Most experts (I should ask for their credentials or maybe read their studies because it is a bit fishy) say we need 3s and 6s in equal proportion. Apparently omega 3s are not found in the oils we consume when cooking or baking which are omega 6. Omega 3s are mostly found in fish, but the catch? One would have to consume four pounds of fish daily to consume 3s and 6s in the same proportion. And unless you're a pescaterian (which I am not) that would be really hard to do. The only solution: flax oil. Flax oil is a vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids but it tastes slightly revolting and you can't cook with it as it turns rancid. When I was consuming it on a regular basis my skin was literally sparkling. The oil would seemingly seep out of my pores and catch the light--never had better skin in fact. Then my stepmother told me that some famous actress used flax oil to gain weight for some movie and that was it. I couldn't consume it with the same health enthusiast vigor. I now take capsules and notice no real effects on the skin. It's really just a nod to doing the right thing, I don't think one flax oil pill in the morning could possibly do much. (I was consuming about 2 tablespoons a day).

The skinny? Do: pick natural products (no crisco for instance), make sure the processing is also natural (pressed for instance), consume all types of oils, choose reputable brands, read labels and spend the extra buck for a quality product that won't clog your arteries. Don't: consume hydrogenated oils, vegetable oils, lard, four pounds of fish a day (because that's gross), or worry so much about getting fat from oil consumption (as long as it's quality and you're cooking it correctly you have nothing to worry about).