Cooking oils

Reporter: Helen Wellings
Broadcast Date: October 14, 2009

We've become cooking oil-mad, buying more olive oil per capita, apart from Mediteraneans, than any other nation. But just what do you choose for the trolley... extra virgin olive, light, vegetable oil, sunflower, safflower, oils from nuts, avocado, coconut, sesame seed oil? What's healthiest?

Caitlin Reid, Dietician for Australian Healthy Food Guide: "There are so many oils available at the moment on the supermarket shelves. You can see why people get confused and just have no idea of what they'll buy."

She warns, watch your intake. Oils are high in kilojoules and are between 90% to 100% fat.

Certain oils can be good for the heart. Others are downright unhealthy, such as those high in saturated fats and transfats, which constitute a heart risk and have the potential to stack on the weight.

"Look for the type of fat. You want an oil higher in unsaturated fat - so go for those higher in poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats, and lower in the saturated fat."

"You're really looking for a product that's less that 20 gms per hundred grams in saturated fat, " Caitlin said.

Coconut oil, and palm oil, are saturated fat - steer clear.

"Coconut oil will increase your risk of heart disease so definitely one to avoid," Caitlin said.

So unhealthy are transfats, they've been banned in some countries, such as Denmark and some US States (but not in Australia). Coles Canola oil contains 4.6% transfats - that's high risk.

If you have four oils in the pantry, these are the ones Caitlin suggests for a good variety:

Sunflower for baking and roasting,
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is best for dipping bread in, salads, roasted vegetables and for pan frying and baking.
Peanut oil for stirfries and Asian cuisines.
Canola oil for low to medium temperature cooking and grilling (don't have too high a temperature, this is not the best oil to fry foods with).

OLIVE OILS:

The NSW government, commissioned by the Australian olive industry, tested to the international standard 12 olive oils labelled as "extra virgin". Extra Virgin must be pure, never mixed with other oils, and from the first cold pressing of olives.

The three Australian oils were found to be high quality and pure. They passed the tests.

All nine imported ones failed. Spanish, Italian and Greek oils by Carbonell, Moro, Isabella, Bertolli, Paese Mio, Woolworths Home Brand imported Olive Oil Spray (which contained some canola), and three oils from Woolworths "Select" range failed.

They were found to be either poor quality refined oil, or old, in one case rancid, or heat-treated, not olive oil at all.

Some companies initially disputed the findings (like Spanish oil giant, Carbonell, which demanded a copy of the testing).

90% of the olive oil on the Australian market is from Spain and Italy.

"Because Italy is famous for olive oil, they think it must be good oil," says Mark Troy, former Managing Director of Origin Groves which owns Aussie brand Viva.

He and Douglas Pollard, of Barkworth Olive Groves, have been warning our government about cheap and adulterated imports for years.

"They think Spanish oil is good, but the Spanish oil could well be from Turkey, the Italian oil could well be from Tunisia".

Mark Troy in a blind taste test can pick the imports immediately. He says they smell awful and stale - he wouldn't even taste them. "They are trash," he concludes.

Recent tests by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission again failed Isabella Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Paese Mio Organic Extra Virgin olive oil, also Aigeon 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They were not extra virgin olive oil at all. The ACCC, in naming the distributor and two importers, stated they are likely to have engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct over the "extra virgin" labelling.

Caitlin sings the praises of avocado oil (good for dipping the bread in and for salads). Macadamia and almond oil are good for cooking in high temperatures so can be used in a stirfry as well. Walnut oil can't take high temperatures, so it's for salads only. Peanut oil's best for wok cooking, sesame oil can't take the heat, so is not suitable for wok cooking.

ADVICE:

Check the label on the container to find out the kind of oil you are using
Make sure the saturated fat is less than twenty grams per hundred
beware of coconut oil and palm oil which are high in saturated fats
Australian grown extra virgin olive oils have been found to be fresher and truer to their label than many of the imported varieties
Before choosing extra virgin olive oils, remember that the Australian Olive Association has a new Code of Practice which guarantees the authenticity and quality of certified extra virgin olive oils. Companies which have signed up for the Code carry a symbol on their packaging.

logo