As a recipe developer, I like to check out the comments under my published recipes. When people write good things in the comments about my recipes, I find myself SWOLLEN with joy. Truly. Debbie from Iowa waxing poetic about how she made the recipe for her husband and now he asks for the dish every week. Keep going, Debbie! I love this comment! On the other hand, I am well aware of how the internet works, and you don't need to tell me that sometimes the comment section can be a nasty place. Oh, you subbed a majority of the ingredients and ignored half the method and you're telling me the recipe didn't work? Hmmm, you don't say?
Ranting aside, one of the most common comments that I've been noticing under some of my recipes is about canola oil. Whenever I call for it in a recipe, people seem to lose their minds. "This recipe looks good, but what's with canola oil?" "You had me until canola oil." "Canola oil? That's disgusting." Now, I'm all for constructive criticism. If somebody in the comment section makes a valid point about what I'm calling for in a recipe, I am all ears. However, this is not a valid point at all, because canola oil is a perfectly fine and underappreciated ingredient. Here's why.
It's Cheap
I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but the price tags in the oil aisle can get pretty expensive. There is certainly a time and place for an expensive, cold-pressed, imported extra-virgin olive oil that tastes like a trip to the coast of Sicily. But for day to day cooking, that kind of oil is going to burn a hole through your wallet. Save the good stuff for finishing dishes, like drizzling over pasta, roasted veggies, risotto, or salads. Prices vary based on location, but generally speaking, you can buy a gallon of canola oil for about $5. That same amount of extra-virgin olive oil would cost you upwards of $30. That is a notable difference. Why are you coming for me in the comments when I'm just trying to save you money?!
It's Great for Cooking
When I was in culinary school, I wrote a 2,000-word essay on smoke points. And the info remains deeply embedded in my brain. In a nutshell, the smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which it starts to smoke (as the name implies) and can start to break down. When oils start to break down, they can not only give off a slightly burnt, rancid flavor, but a smoking oil "converts some healthful compounds into potential cancer-causing compounds," says Brierley Horton, MS, RD.
If you've ever wondered why you don't roast things in melted butter, it's because butter has an extremely low smoke point. The milk solids will start to burn by the time you hit 300°F. Canola oil, however, is a reliable cooking oil for a wide range of tasks. It boasts a smoke point of 400°F, which means it's great for high-heat roasting, grilling, and sauteing.
It's Neutral in Flavor
Just because people talk about extra-virgin olive oil like they talk about wine (it's robust and full-bodied in flavor with earthy, grassy, fruity, and buttery notes) doesn't mean that a flavor-forward oil is necessarily superior. Aside from EVOO — walnut oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil are other flavor-packed oils. There are plenty of instances where you might want to use one of these oils for the flavor they impart, but for many cooking applications, a neutral-flavored oil is a safe bet. When you're pan frying or deep frying, using a flavorless oil is key to making super-crispy, golden-brown food that doesn't taste like the oil it was cooked in.
Fully flavored oils are often touted as great options for homemade salad dressings, but frankly, I'd have to disagree. I like using canola oil for homemade Caesar dressings, homemade mayonnaise, and homemade vinaigrettes so that these tasty concoctions are not overpowered by an intensely fruity, olive flavor. Neutral oils are also great for baking cakes and brownies because unless you're going for an olive oil flavor, you'll want a fat that does not compete with the other flavors of the baked good. Anybody that tells you that they don't cook with canola oil because they don't like the taste is someone that you need to keep at an arm's length. Canola oil has no flavor. Do not trust this person.
It's Nutritionally Comparable to Other Oils
So, this is probably where a lot of the canola oil hysteria is rooted. Canola gets a bad rap because it's extracted from rapeseed (a plant that belongs to the cabbage family), which is not as pleasant sounding as say, an avocado, a coconut, or an olive. Horton says canola oil is "a monounsaturated fat (just like olive oil), is low in saturated fat (the so-called "bad" fat that will raise your cholesterol), and is one of a few plant-based oils that gives you good-for-you omega-3 fats in the form of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid)." Registered Dietician Constance Weissmuller, MS, RDN agrees that "nutritionally, canola oil is very similar in composition to olive oil — which seems to get a much better reputation as 'good."" That is not to say that other oils do not offer their own unique health benefits, just that canola oil isn't a nutritional villain when compared to its fatty brethren on grocery store shelves.
But, canola oil is highly processed, you say? Well, yes. That is true. However, most other cooking fats are, too. In the case of nuts, seeds, coconuts, and olives, the oil needs to be pressed and extracted. Then, most refined versions undergo even more processing to remove impurities and make the oil more heat stable. In the case of canola, a solvent called hexane is used to chemically extract as much oil from the seed as possible. Hexane, an admittedly scary sounding word, is often a cause for concern among consumers; however, experts agree that there is virtually no safety concern in regards to this extraction process.
Oil is not naturally occurring, so to speak — it needs to be extracted from naturally occurring substances before it can be used. So yes, canola oil is processed. But so are its competitors. Sure, you can buy unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil if you are extremely concerned about excessive "processing," but think about all the other advantages of canola oil (price, neutral flavor, high smoke point) that you're missing in pursuit of lessened processing.
Listen, I am not here to put down other oils, but to give some justice to the humble, misunderstood canola oil. That said, while we're on the subject, I do think this is a good time to recognize that on the other end of the spectrum, coconut oil has benefitted from clever marketing and dieting rhetoric. In fact, Weissmuller says "Coconut oil, which has increased in popularity over the years from the wellness industry touting it as superior, is largely saturated fat — more so than butter. Saturated fat has a higher likelihood of contributing to raised LDL levels." So, if you're one of the people in my comment section raising hell about canola oil, does that mean that you're also taking a hard stance on coconut oil, as well?
I'm not going to tell you what oils you should and shouldn't use; that's definitely not my place. For me, it's just frustrating to see so many people shoot their noses up at the thought of canola oil for reasons that, in my opinion, are unfounded. At the end of the day, you should cook with an oil that works for your budget, taste, and cooking preferences. For me, that is mostly canola oil, with an occasional extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling and garnishes. Can't wait to read the comments on this one!
What's the Difference Between Canola Oil and Vegetable Oil?
