Add New Oils to Use in Cooking or Salad Dressings

Avocado oil

Pressed from the fleshy pulp. Nutty-flavored oil, like olive oil, is rich in monounsaturated fats. Has a high smoke point, which makes it good for sautéing or stir-frying fish, chicken, or vegetables. It’s great in vinaigrette dressing.

Grapeseed oil:

Extracted from the seeds of grapes, and typically imported from France, Italy, or Switzerland, this also has a high smoke point, which makes it good for sautéing or stir-frying. It is great in salad dressings. Some imported oils have a rather grape-y flavor, but many are quite bland or nutty tasting. Try a few to see what you like best.

Nut Oils:

The good thing about nut oils, such as almond, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut oils, is that they provide the same monounsaturated fats that are found in the nuts themselves (but it doesn’t contain the fiber). Since overheating will diminish the flavor of nut oils, avoid cooking with these oils and use them instead in salad dressings or drizzled over cooked pasta or vegetables. Nut oils can go      rancid quickly, so store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.

Pumpkin seed oil:

Made from roasted pumpkin seeds, this very flavorful, dark green, opaque oil is best used in combination with lighter oils for sauteéing or in salad dressings. It can also be used undiluted to add a distinctive flavor to fish or steamed vegetables.

Safflower oil:

I recommend using relatively flavorless safflower oil because it contains more polyunsaturated fats than any other oil. It also has a high smoke point, which makes it fine for sautéing or stir-frying. You can mix it with more flavorful oils for heart-healthy salad dressings, too.

Advertisement