Although there are different types of cooking oil on the market and every cooking oil has its share of the good, too good, and con factors and we need to select a collection of good cooking oil. Remember that just because they are edible doesn’t mean that you can use them in the same or a particular way as every healthy oil has different chemistry with temperature, different shelf life, and different nutritional features, different flavors. Although cooking oil is similar in many ways, it’s rather important to have a quirky analysis of various cooking oils used in India.
What are the factors that can help you to choose Cooking Oil?
Before we dive deeper into the types of healthy cooking oil let us study the reasons that impact the recognition of these oils. Now, doctors or health experts play a vital role in assisting you in choosing the cooking oil suitable for your body. Some might suggest a low-fat oil and some might recommend an oil well for your heart; while some use oil for the central reason of taste and sauteing.
Saturated Fats: Some oil contains saturated fats which are not considered to be extra healthy. Excessive saturated fats are bad for the heart and health. However, saturated fats are better than unsaturated fats as they cause the growth of cells, allowing you to absorb the required minerals necessary for your body.
Trans Fat: This fat is mostly used for the processing of food. They are considered to be the worst kind of fats that increase bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. Trans Fat is formed through bacteria therefore the priority is to reduce the consumption of trans fats.
Healthy Fats: Healthy fat is an important part of choosing a healthy oil that contains healthy fat like Monounsaturated fats which is good for higher heat-related cooking. Omega3 is a type of polyunsaturated fat also known as healthy fats. There are different types of omega3 and ALA that come from plants and reduce the chances of various health conditions from dementia to depression.
Fresh Oil: There can be a variety of oils and the most important thing is that you purchase a fresh manufactured oil otherwise they will eventually oxidize and develop free radicals. Therefore, it must be kept cool in a low area and oil should be used before 30 to 60 days of its manufacturing.
The Misconception of Spray Oils: Spray oils are fancy oils that claim to save time, be non-sticky, and are supposed to be trans fat-free which is a good thing. However, there is no way of checking it unless you buy it and use it. The oil spray has an anti-foaming agent; and coats the frying pan by forming a thin layer, which prevents food from sticking.
The Flavour of Oil: Some people are particular about the taste of the cooking oil and how much it impacts the preparation of a recipe, for example, some unrefined oils of nuts manage to leave a certain flavor in a certain dish. Although most of the oil is tasteless and hardly impacts the food’s taste.
Analyzing the smoke point of the cooking oil: The oil has a sudden smoking point, a temperature that allows the oils to start smoking which produces toxic fumes and free radicals. Different chemical compositions create different smoking points in edible oil. Cooking oil like rice bran oil has a high smoking point because they are more refined and fresh.
Types of Edible Oil and their Comparison
Now that we have learned about the various things to keep in mind before purchasing cooking oil. Now let us compare the 5 best and most popular cooking or edible oil that is used in most Indian households and know about their compositions and various aspects in order to assist you in choosing the best one for you.
1. Sunflower Oil
The production of Sunflower oil in India is 1.7 MMT every year, out of which 90% is imported. Further research shows that Refined sunflower oil comprises 10%of the country’s consumption of 230-240 lakh tonnes of edible oils annually and almost 60% of the demand is met through imports.
Sunflower oil is rich in Vitamin E, it is light golden in color, and offers benefits. It’s low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated fats. The oil is available in different varieties and linoleic and is high in oleic acid Sunflower oil promotes heart health
2. Rice Bran Oil
Rice Bran Oil has a huge market size in India, expanding up to trading at 147,000 Indian rupees. The states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, and Orissa are active producers of Rice Bran Oil. Rice bran has turned out to be the most sort after edible oil in India consumed by one and all. India considers rice as a staple diet and similarly the byproduct can be equally productive and the Government of India highly supports it. The problem is the low awareness among the people about this gem of cooking oil.
Rice Bran Oil has to undergo a major physically refined procedure and a solvent extraction process to make a difference. Unlike cold-pressed oils, rice bran oil does not get impacted by the heat and instead works well when the smoking point is high.
Only the byproduct of Rice is beneficial, please do not fall victim to the wrong ideas like other brands like oat bran, peanut bran is adequate too.
3. Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is the most widely used healthy oil in India. The mustard oil Market size was estimated to be around $21.6 billion in 2020, projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period 2021-2026. Indian states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh are the maximum producers of Mustard crops.
However, did you know that Mustard oil is banned for any kind of edible consumption in Europe, the USA, and Canada, principally due to its high level of erucic acid content?
4. Virgin Olive Oil
The current market size of Virgin oil is profitable in India after the plantation started thriving in Rajasthan as Olive is still considered to be a premium among all other oils. Virgin Oil is an excellent ingredient for roasting, sauteing, frying, and baking loaded with antioxidants a d heart-healthy fats. The first olive yield in India occurred in 2012, and commercial olive oil production began in September 2013.
Virgin olive oil has three main grades associated with it. Extra Virgin oil is the least refined oil like Refined Olive Oil, Virgin Olive Oil, and Pure Virgin Oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed oil with all the essential benefits to sustain a living. The flavor of Virgin Oil is slightly raw and the least processed virgin oil.
5. Canola Oil:
Canola oil is considered to be one of the most expensive cold-pressed oils in the world. India has a minimal percentage of people with a fascination towards Canada (Can: Canada _ Ola: Oil). However, this cooking oil is a vegetable-based oil used for several cuisines. But the inside story is that many people have started to cut canola oil out of their diet due to concerns over its health effects and the method of its production. The safer option is cold-pressed canola oil which exists but it is very expensive and hard to find especially in India.
You can be the better judge as to which healthy oil you should ultimately go for. But our recommendation is something that is potentially good, physically refined, affordable, with a good trans fat and a perfect balance of Mufa & Pufa which is Jeevan Rekha’s Rice Bran Oil.
