Which Oil Is Suitable For Frying? We Clarify

Choosing the right oil for frying is important for both taste and success. Here you can find out what is important.

Choosing the right frying oil

Whether or not an oil is suitable for frying and high heating depends on the smoke point. This value indicates the temperature at which the fat begins to smoke. In this case, it releases the poisonous gas creolin. So don’t let it get to that point.
A special manufacturing process, known as refining, makes oils more heat-resistant. To illustrate this, below are a few examples and useful tips for using different oils.

Oils for hot temperatures (high oil oils)

These oils are safe for frying at high temperatures.

Sunflower oil

Use:

• for roasting fish, meat, and vegetables
• in the cold kitchen
• industrial processing of potato chips

Sunflower oil is rich in vitamins but also contains many questionable trans fats. These arise during refining, which gives sunflower oil its high heat resistance. Refined sunflower oil is one of the so-called high oil oils. Fats of this type are particularly suitable for frying. In this manufacturing process, the heat removes color and bitterness, resulting in a pale liquid with a neutral taste. Thanks to these properties, it is suitable for almost all dishes.

This is where the refined oil differs from the cold-pressed product. This has a slightly nutty taste and a light yellow color. Unlike other types of oil, the cold-pressed variant also has a significant heat tolerance. That’s because the food industry doesn’t use the usual manufacturing process. Instead, the sunflowers are special breeds. So don’t be surprised if you discover cold-pressed sunflower oils with smoke points of over 200°C in health food stores.

Peanut oil

Use:

• ideal in Asian dishes
• also suitable for frying (e.g. lard biscuits)
• wok dishes

Peanut oil is popular due to its high smoke point of 230°C. Since Asians, in particular, sear their food, cooks like to use the nutty fat for wok dishes. The distinctive taste of its own also goes well with vegetables and meat. Another advantage of this oil is its long shelf life of up to 2 years.
But peanut oil is not just peanut oil. On the one hand, there is the conventional oil from America. Due to refining, it is very greasy, tasteless, and has a white, oily consistency. The African variant, on the other hand, is natural, more liquid, and tastes pleasantly mild and nutty. You can recognize it by its slight yellow tinge and fruity smell.

Soybean oil

Use:

• wok dishes
• Asian dishes

Similar to peanut oil, soybean oil is vegetable fat with a very high smoke point of 230°C. It tastes mild to neutral and is liquid and yellowish. You only get soybean oil in a refined form, since bitter substances would otherwise make it inedible. If you have a known nut allergy or if the taste of peanuts is too strong for you, you can use it as a substitute.

Sesame oil

Use:

• gives dishes a particularly nutty aroma
• in Asian dishes
• wok dishes

Sesame oil is also perfect for the hot pan. The nutty taste of its own also gives Asian dishes their typical character.

There are different types of trade:

• Cold-pressed sesame oil: obtained from the seeds without heat, contains all vitamins and nutrients, then filtered
• native sesame oil: is also natural
• Refined sesame oil: obtained under heat, has a longer shelf life, is less intense in taste and smell
• unrefined sesame oil: cold-pressed, steamed, long-lasting

On the one hand, producers make the frying oil from light sesame seeds. This is shimmering yellow and tastes quite neutral. The aromatic version is made from dark sesame seeds, has an amber color, and tastes nutty. However, the latter form is not suitable for heating.

Note: Although refined oils are very heat resistant, you should still use them sparingly for frying. Due to their properties, they have a high content of trans fats. These are considered unhealthy in large quantities. For example, they increase your cholesterol level and thus increase the risk of a heart attack.

Coconut

Use:

• for exotic dishes
• tasteless coconut oil is suitable for all dishes
• Can also be used on its own or as a spread

You’ve probably heard of coconut oil, which has caused a lot of excitement lately. Although the oil consists of 90% saturated fat, it is considered to be easily digestible and is even said to help with weight loss. Scientists attribute this paradox to the special composition of the fat chains.
Coconut oil exudes an exotic, fruity smell as soon as you open the jar, which also gives off to your food. When frying, it has a decisive advantage over other oils: Coconut oil is naturally very heat-resistant – without any refining.

Medium temperature oils

These oils are also suitable for frying. However, you have to make sure that the temperature does not get too high.

Olive oil

Use:

• for steaming fish or vegetables
• as a salad dressing (unheated)

The aromatic vegetable oil is indispensable in southern cuisine. Due to the remaining chlorophyll content, it is green in color and has a very distinctive taste. The intensity of the aroma varies depending on the type of olives processed. We recommend using it especially for Mediterranean dishes such as fish and vegetable pans in combination with herbs, but also for hearty meat. Like Mediterranean cuisine in general, it is considered very healthy.

The trade divides the oil into four grades:

• extra virgin olive oil
• native olive oil
• olive oil
• olive pomace oil

The native variant already starts to smoke at 160°C and is therefore only suitable for steaming vegetables. Refining, in which the manufacturers press the fatty acids out of the fruit using heat, makes it very heat-resistant. In this form, the oil is ideal for frying.

Corn oil

Use:

• for a low-cholesterol diet
• for light steaming
• as a salad dressing
• a common ingredient in margarine

Corn oil is a by-product of making corn. The yellow color resulting from the addition of beta-carotene is typical. In addition, manufacturers usually also add vitamins to prevent the corn oil from going rancid quickly due to its natural properties. With 59% unsaturated fatty acids, it has the highest content of healthy fats. This benefit makes it perfect for a low-cholesterol diet. However, it starts smoking at 200°C, so while you can use the oil for frying, you should avoid overheating.

Rapeseed oil

Use:

• makes food more digestible
• primarily in the cold kitchen
• a common ingredient in margarine

There are also two variants of rapeseed oil. While the refined form is suitable for frying at moderate heat, similar to corn oil, the cold-pressed product starts to smoke at 130°C to 190°C. The light yellow oil tastes mild to neutral is considered very healthy and makes food more digestible.

Note: Can’t it be culinary exotic enough for you? Then try avocado oil. Although it is still relatively unknown in Germany, it has the same positive properties as coconut oil.

Oils for the cold kitchen

The more unsaturated fatty acids an oil has, the less heat it tolerates. The high benefit for your health compensates for this disadvantage. You can use these oils as a salad dressing, for example. You must not heat the following oil above 150°C and therefore never use it for frying:

• pumpkin seed oil
• walnut oil
• linseed oil
• conventional safflower oil
• grapeseed oil

Note: Always follow the rule: the higher the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil, the lower its smoke point.