Olive oil – Bad for cooking?
Best Oil to Cook With?
An HSI member named Deborah writes: “Olive oil gives me stomach aches, so I use canola oil. I read your article about how heating the oil changes it to a dangerous oil. My question is: Is organic, expeller pressed canola oil also dangerous?”
Dr. Spreen will field this one: “I’m not really sure what the significance of ‘organic’ means when referring to canola, since the oil is processed and treated to get past the overt toxicity problems inherent in the oil of the rapeseed plant (which is all canola oil is, of course). Handling the rapeseed plant in an organic manner is certainly superior to conventional methods, but that’s not the answer, in my opinion, to the problems associated with canola oil.
“Then you have one more problem: the definition of ‘organic’ is now being watered down by federal regulations so that large companies can cash in on having the ‘organic’ label on their products, while not having to adhere to the strictest definitions. If the ‘organic’ labeling (and the label will probably brag about it) does not state that it’s in accordance with California organic standards (or something similar) be cautious.
“My oils of choice, if melted butter is unacceptable, would be coconut oil and palm kernel oil, now much harder to acquire due to the hype and fad concerning saturated oils. I’d also consider lard, which strikes fear into the hearts of so many well-propagandized cooks today (bet THAT opens up a can of worms!). Lard, butter, and the aforementioned oils do not go rancid with heat, which is an attribute of saturated fats. Then, heating is no big deal, as you only have a rancidity problem when heating (and exposing to air) the polyunsaturated oils.”
