Cooking Oil

Cooking oils are edible vegetable oils, which are extracted from the fats of plants or animals. Cooking oil is a mixture of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fats and is liquid at room temperature.

Many different types of cooking oils have captured the market to such an extent that it becomes difficult for one to choose appropriate one. An appropriate or a good cooking oil is the one that contains high amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and low amounts of saturated and trans fats.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered to be the good ones as they help in lowering the bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol levels. On the other hand, saturated and trans fats are considered bad ones as they lower good cholesterol levels and raise bad cholesterol levels.

Therefore while choosing cooking oil, you should go for the oil rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and low in saturated and trans fats. These cooking oils are also beneficial for heart diseases and arteries.

Considering the above criteria cooking oils are primarily classified into two types. They can also be classified by their flavors and smoke points. Smoke point is the temperature at which the cooking oil decomposes and gives off nasty smoke and odor.

Good Cooking Oils

The following cooking oils are considered to be the good ones as they have higher concentration of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and minimum or no saturated and trans fats.

    * Canola Oil- Also called as rapeseed oil, this cooking oil has the least amount of saturated fats. It has mild flavor and relatively high smoke point. It is used for cooking and salad dressing.
    * Olive Oil- This cooking oil is rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fats. It has moderate to strong flavor and medium smoke point. It contains phytochemicals that help in lowering bad cholesterol levels and decreasing the risk of cancer.
    * Peanut Oil- This cooking oil has a bland flavor and high smoke point. It is used for cooking and salad dressing.
    * Corn Oil- This cooking oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats and is tasteless. It has a high smoke point and therefore is excellent oil for cooking. It is also used for salad dressing and making margarine.
    * Safflower Oil- It is rich in polyunsaturated fats and low in saturated fats with bland flavor. It is excellent all-purpose cooking oil and is used both for cooking and salads.
    * Sunflower Oil- This cooking oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats having bland flavor. It is good all-purpose cooking oil with low smoke point.

Bad Cooking Oils

The following cooking oils are considered to be the bad ones as they have higher concentration of saturated and trans fats.

    * Coconut Oil- It is highly saturated cooking oil used in blended oils and shortenings. It is also used in preparing soaps and some cosmetics.
    * Butter- This cooking oil is high in saturated fats, calories and cholesterol thus increasing the risk of heart diseases. It can be used for sauting and baking.
    * Hard Margarine- This cooking oil contains high amount of saturated fats and trans fats, which are often related to high cholesterol. It can be used as a substitute for butter and sauting vegetables and meat.
    * Palm Oil- This cooking oil is high in saturated fats and has a high smoke point. It is used for cooking, flavoring and shortening.

Uses of Cooking Oils

The first and obvious use of cooking oil is cooking. But other than cooking there are varieties of other uses associated with cooking oil. Some of them include:

    * Rubbing a small amount of cooking oil onto the skin will not only moisturize the skin but also make it glow.
    * Applying warm cooking oil to the scalp and hair ends and washing it off with shampoo moisturizes the hair.
    * Rubbing cooking oil on the nail cuticle will make them soft and smooth.
    * Rubbing it on dry, cracked hands and feet will make them soft.
    * Adding a tablespoon of olive oil to a bowl of water and soaking a chamois in it helps in restoring the softness of chamois.
    * Dipping a paper towel into a small amount of cooking oil and rubbing on the glass removes the adhesive from it.
    * Spraying the key with cooking spray makes its insertion into the keyhole easy.
    * Placing a few drops of oil on the paper that is stuck to a wooden object and rubbing loose after soaking makes it easier to remove.
    * Rubbing utensils or wooden dishes with cooking oil helps in restoring their original glow.