The right oil for cooking & frying: Our Oil Guide

Oils and fats are an integral part of our kitchen—and far more than just flavor carriers. They provide energy, enable the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and significantly influence how healthy our meals are. However, not every oil is suitable for every type of preparation. Different fatty acids, processing levels, and smoke points determine whether a fat or oil is health-promoting or rather problematic.

Good or evil: The composition of fatty acids makes the difference

When the number of heart attacks and obese people increased significantly, fat was quickly identified as the culprit. After all, it sounds logical that fat makes you fat and clogs our arteries – like our household drains.

In fact, it is inflammatory processes in the body that overwhelm our immune system, damage our blood vessels, accelerate aging, and thus trigger many diseases. And fats influence the inflammatory processes in the body. They can either promote or even fight them:

• Trans fats, from processed and fried products, as well as the high consumption of saturated fatty acids from sausage, meat and dairy products, have an inflammatory-promoting effect. Smaller amounts from butter, coconut oil and clarified butter are okay.

• On the other hand, unsaturated and especially polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have an anti-inflammatory effect. Monounsaturated fats are mainly found in plant foods, e.g. in avocados, nuts and olive oil. The body cannot produce polyunsaturated fatty acids itself or only in small quantities. Therefore, they should be regularly consumed through our diet. Omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseeds are also included.

The fatty acid composition thus determines which oil is healthy and also how we can use it in the kitchen.

Choosing the right oil - Use fats correctly in the kitchen

Standing in the supermarket in front of the long shelf with countless olive, sunflower, and rapeseed oils, it’s easy to lose track. And not every oil provides the desired health benefits. Therefore, it's worth taking a closer look.

Refined? Better not

To extract oil from fruits and seeds, three different methods can be applied: Cold pressing, hot pressing and chemical extraction. The methods differ not only in their procedures, but also greatly in oil yield. While hot pressing and chemical extraction yield 80 to 99 percent of the contained oil, the yield from cold pressing is significantly lower and therefore more expensive.

But everything has its price: After hot pressing, where the oil is heated to 80-100 °C, or chemical extraction using a solvent, the vegetable oil must be refined, meaning it must be chemically cleaned. Refined oils are thus colorless, odorless, and no longer contain valuable accompanying fats such as vitamins or secondary plant substances.

On the oil bottles themselves there is no labeling requirement, indicating whether the oil was refined or by which method it was obtained. However, manufacturers of cold-pressed oils understandably boast their gentler, more expensive production on the labels. "Cold-pressed", "Native", "Native extra" or "Extra virgin" designate cold pressing. If none of these are present, you can assume it is refined oil.

Searing, steaming, baking, cold kitchen: The right oil for every occasion

In a pan, it can quickly become very hot. Within a few minutes, temperatures over 350°C can be reached, and not every oil is suitable for such high temperatures.

The right oil for frying:

When choosing the right oil for frying, there are two criteria that determine suitability for frying: the smoke point and the fatty acid composition.

1. The smoke point:

The smoking point describes the temperature at which an oil begins to visibly smoke. From this point, fatty acids and valuable ingredients start to decompose, and health-hazardous degradation products may form.

Therefore, oils with a smoke point over 200°C are stable for cooking. Cold-pressed oils often have a lower smoke point than refined ones due to their gentle production process.

Here you will find a summary of the smoke points of various oils:

2. The fatty acid composition:

Besides the smoke point, the fatty acid composition also determines how good an oil is for frying:

• Saturated fatty acids are more heat-stable than all other fatty acids. Oils with a high content of these therefore have a high smoke point, which is why they are particularly suitable for frying. However, from a health perspective, one should not overindulge in their consumption.

• Monounsaturated fatty acids although they are not quite as stable at high heat as saturated fatty acids, they are significantly more stable than polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oils with a proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids of at least 70% and a smoke point above 200° C are therefore best suited for frying, as they are heat-resistant and healthy.

• Oils with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids begin to oxidize and decompose at 175° C. This leads to the formation of health-threatening aldehydes. These should therefore not heated Include grape seed oil or linseed oil, among others.

The fatty acid composition of various oils at a glance:                    

Conclusion: The best oil for frying and steaming

Overall, it can be said that oils and fats with a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids are best suited. However, depending on the temperature, you can also use other oils:

• For moderate temperatures and thus vegetables, meat and fish: Our favorite is olive oil. This is not suitable for searing, but depending on the olive oil, it is ideal up to the respective smoke point of 130°-175°C. Additionally, suitable are cold-pressed rapeseed oil, Butter (to temperatures of 150°-175°C) for mild or clarified butter (to 205°C) for sharp frying. Avocado oil can also be used for mild frying (up to 158°C), which is ideal for sautéing vegetables.

• For high temperatures and thus for frying, for fried potatoes, Asian cuisine, including wok dishes, as well as schnitzels and steaks: Suitable up to 205°C clarified butter and rapeseed oil. Coconut oil can you up to 175°C-205°C and palm kernel fat can be used well up to 220°C. For very high temperatures, so-called high-oleic oils (HO oils), specifically specially cultivated sunflower and safflower varieties that have an oleic acid content (i.e., monounsaturated fatty acids) of 60-90%, and thus a higher smoke point.

• Beware of soybean oil, grapeseed oil, corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil: These oils contain a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (often over 60%), which are prone to oxidation at high temperatures. Despite sometimes having high smoke points, intense or prolonged heating can lead to the increased formation of potentially harmful oxidation products such as aldehydes. Cold-pressed varieties in particular are therefore not suitable for frying. For high-temperature cooking, only refined oils should be used sparingly and should not be reheated multiple times.

• Not heated should be oils with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a low smoke point. Generally, the label indicates that these oils should not be heated.

The best oil for cold dishes

For cold dishes and delicious salads, dressings, and dips, cold-pressed oils are particularly suitable. Some of these, such as e.g. linseed oil and pumpkin seed oil, have an intense aroma, olive oil or rapeseed oil taste more neutral. If the flavor is too intense for you, you can mix different oils to somewhat neutralize the taste. It is important that the cold-pressed oils are stored cool, dark and airtight sealed. Because light, heat, and oxygen can diminish the quality of the oil over time.

Cold-pressed oils due to the often high content of omega-3 fatty acids, have many health-promoting effects. A lot of them are found in flaxseed, linseed, rapeseed, and walnut oil. Additionally, due to gentle production, all accompanying fats and secondary plant compounds remain in the oil.

Also pay attention to organic quality: In tests, these performed significantly better concerning pesticide residues.

The right oil for baking

Especially suitable for baking are refined oils, as the smoke point is somewhat higher here (it should be at least 150 °C) and they are tasteless. Because especially in sweet pastries, the inherent flavor of oil can stand out negatively.

The most popular oils for baking are therefore:

• refined rapeseed oil: neutral in taste, high smoke point, especially good for batter and yeast dough

• coconut oil: high smoke point, aromatic flavor component

• refined sunflower oil: very neutral in taste, inexpensive

• olive oil: You can also use it for baking. Olive oil creates a unique aroma in savory pastries and harmonizes wonderfully with herbs. It's ideal for pizza, ciabatta, or a Mediterranean bread. For sweet cakes or muffins, we recommend using a slightly milder and fruitier olive oil. If no distinct taste is desired, you should opt for a more neutral-tasting oil.