There are so many oils out there that it can be confusing to figure out which ones to use when. This chart has always been a great reference to me and led me to use the following oils on a regular basis. I put together this oil infographic that details my 5 favorite oils and a little about them.
What’s your very favorite oil? I love flavored olive oils – lemon, herby, etc. – for drizzling on salads and veggies!
I love coconut oil and use it for SO many things in and outside of the kitchen (hello, moisturizer!)! I’m also a big fan of olive and avocado oils too!!
What’s your suggestion for a good high quality olive oil that can be found in stores?
I’ve been into the whole foods Greek olive oil. I wouldn’t call it top shelf or anything, but it’s got a lot more flavor than the basic ones. For great oils and flavored ones, look for specialty stores. We have one here called Oil & Vinegar. These are also great too and I am still using them from my blog post: http://www.oliviersandco.com/olive-oils.html
There’s also an olive oil from Trader Joe’s that ranked very highly in an olive oil taste test (I think it was done by America’s Test Kitchen). It’s TJ’s Extra Virgin California Estate Olive Oil — look for a tall, thin bottle — tasty and reasonably priced. We save this one for drizzling after cooking or for salads and sandwiches (it’s great on our favorite Caprese sandwiches!) and use a still decent, but cheaper EVOO for roasted and low-temp sauteing.
Great infographic! I’m going to post it somewhere else, FYI 🙂
Avocado oil has a pretty high smoke point so I use it for sautéing or high heat cooking as well!
The ads on the right seem to be covering quite a bit of content from the chart. Is anyone else having this trouble?
Never mind! They have moved over. I may have just needed to refresh.
What about roasting veggies? I always use extra virgin olive oil to roast them in the oven at 400. Do you use something different? Thanks…
That’s what I use for the good flavors!
Thanks! Do you think the 400 degree roasting temp is too high for extra virgin olive oil? I’ve never noticed an odd flavor in the food or anything, but this post got me wondering!
I think it’s fine for roasting
Questions answered. Thanks for the information.
I am just not a fan of olive oil- sesame oil, on the other hand- yessss!
There’s a lot of talk about the inflammatory effects of vegetable oils and the over-abundance of high-pressure extraction oils like safflower etc. – any views on that in terms of usage? because it seems to me most people use these for the majority of their cooking needs, regardless of type (except maybe over-using olive oil in high-temp situations like sautéing)! Thanks in advance 😉
I think the inflammatory effects occur when your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is out of balance, so if you’re also having a lot of omega-3 products (like wild salmon or chia seeds) then you shouldn’t experience any negative health effects
I’ve always used Canola oil to better my omega-6 to 3 ratio. Cottonseed, corn and soybean oils I stay away from as they are much higher in omega 6:-) And most processed foods are loaded with these 3 oils.
If you want the toasted, nutty flavor, make sure to buy _toasted_ sesame seed oil (dark colored). Regular sesame seed oil is much lighter colored, and has a flavor profile similar to sunflower or safflower. I keep my toasted sesame oil in the fridge to prevent rancidity.
Awesome infographic you created! EVOO is already a regular for me, but I started using avocado oil to change it up and I love the nutty flavor I get from it! It kinda gives me a light buttery taste or the feeling that I’m having a cheat day and eating something buttery? haha. I would probably like walnut oil!! Sesame oil is also one of my favorites, especially when I’m feeling like having chinese stir fry.