Cooking with Specialty Oils

©All articles are copyright of Dr. Susan Mitchell and Practicalories, Inc. and cannot be reprinted or used without permission. To obtain permission, please contact Dr. Mitchell.

It's the holiday season and next week we'll celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States. Maybe you've already started planning a special menu. Are you trying any new recipes? Tweaking some that you've had a while? Maybe you want to be bit more creative. Have you tried any of the specialty oils? Not only do oils vary in their health benefits, but the right one defines a recipe. Among the basic oils are olive, canola, corn and sunflower. Olive oil and canola oil are great for day to day cooking. Both contain healthful monounsaturated fats, perform well in cooking and are reasonably priced. Sunflower and corn oils contain more polyunsaturated fats and are also good daily use oils, especially if you fry as they have a high smoke point. This means you can heat the oil to a high temperature before it starts to smoke and burn.

Did you know that oil consists of a mix of monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat? When we talk about an oil, we usually state only the one type of fat that makes up the majority of that oil. For example, both canola and olive oil are monounsaturated oils. This means that the major type of fat in these oils is monounsaturated but they do contain some polyunsaturated and some saturated fat. Each oil has a little different mix of the three fats. Oils for daily use tend to be more bland in flavor where specialty oils add oomph! They are fragrant and more strongly flavored so you typically use only a small amount. Some specialty oils are expensive and others don't do as well in cooking. Let's talk about some of the specialty oils you might want to try.

Last year I was introduced to pumpkin oil. It can be a little hard to find but it's worth it. Pumpkin oil is commonly used in the part of Austria known as Styria. It has an intense nutty flavor and makes a great salad dressing, especially when combined with flavored high quality vinegar. Potatoes and onions are also delicious roasted with pumpkin oil. The main type of fat in pumpkin oil is polyunsaturated. Remember that oils go rancid or bad over time so it's smart to buy specialty oils in small quantities and replenish as needed.

Walnut oil also has a nutty flavor and because it has a low smoke point, use it mainly in cold dishes like pasta or a turkey salad with fruit and nuts. Add a little to the other oil in your salad dressing for added flavor. Walnut oil contains more polyunsaturated fats, especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant based omega-3 fat.

One of the trendy specialty oils is avocado oil. Many chefs mix it together with olive oil so that the flavor doesn't overpower the recipe or food. Try avocado oil when you stir fry or as a dipping oil instead of olive oil or mixed together. Pressed from the pulp of the avocado, the oil is a terrific source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and has a rich flavor like the avocado itself.

The seeds of certain grape varieties are pressed for grapeseed oil. The flavor is light and clean, often referred to as a neutral oil so it works well in salad dressings, marinades, baking, and stir-frying. If you like to infuse your oil with rosemary, garlic or other spices and herbs, grapeseed oil is a good selection. Mainly polyunsaturated fat, all of these specialty oils can be kept in the refrigerator to help them last longer. It's normal for oils to turn cloudy or slightly solid in appearance when stored in the fridge. When brought to room temperature, they return to their original liquid oil.

I like the flavor of hazelnut oil. Try this oil in your baked goodies or salad dressings. Because it's full of flavor and aroma, you might want to combine it with your day to day cooking oils. It's all a matter of personal taste. Hazelnut oil is also a good source of monounsaturated heart healthy fat and the majority of it is imported from France.

It's exciting to know that there are numerous choices for specialty oils that contain heart healthy fats beyond olive and canola oils. Look for these specialty oils in the gourmet section of your supermarket or with the everyday oils. Also check out online sites such as markys.com, earthy.com and gourmetfoodstore.com for a selection of oils. Be creative this holiday season and try one.