A simple guide to help you understand and cook with the best cooking fats and oils for your health!
When shopping for oils and cooking fats, you face many choices. This clear, practical guide will help you choose healthier fats, know which to use for different cooking methods, and which to limit or avoid.
CHOOSING YOUR COOKING FAT
Great
Whole, minimally processed fats and single-source oils typically offer the best nutrient quality and stability.
- Raw butter and ghee
- Tallow from grass-fed cows, bison, or lamb
- Lard from pasture-raised pigs
- Single-source organic extra virgin olive oil
- Organic, sustainably farmed coconut oil
- Organic cold-pressed sesame and other nut oils
- Avocado oil
- Fair-trade, organic cocoa butter
Good
These options are generally healthy, though some are refined or pasteurized. They work well in many recipes.
- Cultured butter (from organic pasteurized milk)
- Conventionally produced extra virgin olive oil
- Refined coconut oil
- Refined avocado oil
Acceptable
Acceptable choices are usable in many dishes but may be more processed or blended.
- Conventional butter
- Light olive oil (confirm it is not blended with canola or other vegetable oils)
- Peanut oil
Limit or Avoid
Highly processed and hydrogenated fats, or oils high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, are best limited for health and cooking stability.
- Margarine
- Corn oil
- Soybean oil
- Canola oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Other industrial vegetable oils
- Shortening and hydrogenated fats
Understanding fat types helps you pick the right oil for each cooking method. Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats behave differently at heat and have different uses.
HOW TO USE YOUR COOKING FAT
Best fats for high heat – Saturated fats
Saturated fats are highly heat-stable. Use them for frying, baking, and other high-temperature methods where stability matters.
- Grass-fed ghee
- Grass-fed butter
- Coconut oil
- Animal fats (tallow, lard)
Great fats for moderate heat – Monounsaturated fats
Monounsaturated oils perform well for sautéing, pan-frying, and stir-frying when you avoid very high temperatures or prolonged heating.
- Cold-pressed avocado oil
- Cold-pressed olive oil
- Cold-pressed peanut oil
Not great with heat – Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated oils offer health benefits when used uncooked. Their fragile molecular structure makes them unsuitable for high heat; use them for dressings or add at the end of cooking to preserve quality.
- Seed oils (as dressings)
- Delicate nut oils (for finishing)
Avoid
Avoid highly processed and hydrogenated fats that can contain trans fats or oxidized components. These include shortening, margarine, and industrial vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, canola, and cottonseed oil.
- Shortening, hydrogenated fats, margarine
- Vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil
Choose minimally processed, sustainably sourced fats when possible, match the fat to the cooking method, and use delicate oils cold or as a finishing touch to preserve their benefits.