10 Oils To Avoid When Cooking (And 10 Best Ones To Use)
Cooking oils can make or break a dish, but not all oils are created equal.
Some sneak in unwanted flavors or harmful fats, while others bring out the best in your recipes with heart-healthy benefits and rich taste.
Knowing which oils to skip and which to embrace can turn your kitchen experiments into delicious successes.
Dive into this guide and discover the oils that elevate your cooking and the ones to keep off your stove.
1. Corn Oil: The Silent Kitchen Saboteur
Remember when grandma used corn oil for everything? Those days should stay in the past!
Highly processed and packed with omega-6 fatty acids, corn oil creates inflammation in the body when consumed regularly.
The refining process strips away nutrients while leaving behind potentially harmful compounds. When heated, it oxidizes quickly, creating free radicals that damage cells.
2. Soybean Oil: Hidden in Plain Sight
Lurking in countless processed foods, soybean oil might be America’s most consumed yet problematic oil.
Heavily refined and typically made from genetically modified soybeans, it’s unnaturally high in omega-6 fatty acids.
Your body needs balance between omega-3s and omega-6s, but this oil throws that ratio completely off. Most concerning? It oxidizes rapidly during cooking, creating compounds linked to various health issues.
3. Cottonseed Oil: The Textile Industry Byproduct
Few people realize cottonseed oil comes from cotton plants never intended for human consumption!
Originally considered waste from textile production, this industrial byproduct found its way into our food supply. Cotton crops receive heavy pesticide treatments, and residues often remain in the oil.
High in saturated fat and omega-6 fatty acids, cottonseed oil creates an inflammatory response in the body. Best left for industrial uses, not your dinner plate.
4. Canola Oil: Marketing Miracle, Nutritional Nightmare
Marketing wizards transformed rapeseed oil’s image by creating “canola” (Canadian Oil, Low Acid).
The friendly yellow fields hide the truth – conventional canola undergoes extreme processing with chemical solvents, bleaching, and deodorizing.
This industrial process destroys any beneficial nutrients while creating trans fats. Despite its heart-healthy reputation, refined canola oil oxidizes quickly during cooking, potentially causing more harm than good.
5. Refined Sunflower Oil: Sunny Deception
Bright yellow bottles of sunflower oil line supermarket shelves, but don’t be fooled by their cheerful appearance.
The refined versions undergo harsh processing that strips away natural benefits while creating unstable compounds.
Extraordinary high in omega-6 fatty acids, refined sunflower oil contributes to inflammatory conditions when consumed regularly.
It breaks down quickly under heat, forming harmful compounds that affect everything from heart health to cellular function.
6. Grapeseed Oil: Wine’s Problematic Byproduct
Wine lovers might feel virtuous using this byproduct of wine production, but grapeseed oil harbors a dark secret.
Extracted using chemical solvents like hexane, most commercial versions contain concerning residues. Marketing hype focuses on its high smoke point while ignoring its sky-high omega-6 content.
The polyunsaturated fats in grapeseed oil oxidize readily during heating, creating compounds that trigger inflammation and cellular damage over time.
7. Margarine: The Frankenstein Fat
Created in a lab to mimic butter, margarine stands as one of food science’s biggest blunders.
Traditional versions contain partially hydrogenated oils – the primary dietary source of dangerous trans fats that damage heart health and cellular function.
Even modern “trans-fat free” versions use interesterification, a chemical process with questionable health effects.
The yellowish spread contains artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives that your great-grandparents wouldn’t recognize as food.
8. Vegetable Shortening: The Flaky Crust Culprit
Grandma’s secret to perfect pie crusts has a not-so-perfect health profile. Vegetable shortening gained popularity for its convenience and long shelf life – achieved through hydrogenation that creates harmful trans fats.
The semi-solid white blocks might make baked goods flaky, but they also make arteries stiff. Modern versions claim to be trans-fat free but use alternative processing methods with their own health concerns. Natural fats produce equally delicious results without the chemical baggage.
9. Rice Bran Oil: The Asian Market Mistake
Popular in Asian cooking, rice bran oil comes with a health halo that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Extracted from the outer layers of rice grains, it sounds natural but typically undergoes heavy refining with chemical solvents.
The oil contains oryzanol, marketed as heart-healthy, but this benefit doesn’t outweigh its problems. High in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and processed with hexane, rice bran oil creates more health concerns than benefits for most home cooks.
10. Refined Palm Oil: Environmental and Health Disaster
Appearing in everything from cookies to cosmetics, refined palm oil wreaks havoc on both rainforests and human health. Cheap production makes it industry’s favorite, but processing strips away nutrients while leaving problematic compounds behind.
The refined version contains palmitic acid that raises harmful cholesterol levels. Rainforest destruction for palm plantations devastates orangutan habitats. Some companies offer sustainable versions, but the refined oil still presents health concerns regardless of environmental practices.
11. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Mediterranean Liquid Gold
Generations of Mediterranean families can’t be wrong about this verdant elixir.
Cold-pressed from fresh olives without heat or chemicals, extra virgin olive oil retains all its natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and polyphenols, it supports cardiovascular health while adding distinctive flavor.
Perfect for low to medium-heat cooking, salad dressings, and finishing dishes with its peppery, grassy notes.
12. Avocado Oil: The High-Heat Hero
Pressed from the flesh of ripe avocados, this emerald-green oil boasts one of the highest smoke points in the natural oil world. Unrefined versions maintain the fruit’s mild, buttery flavor while providing a wealth of oleic acid and lutein for eye health.
Remarkably stable at high temperatures, avocado oil shines in stir-fries, searing, and roasting without breaking down. The monounsaturated fat profile mirrors olive oil’s heart-healthy benefits with even greater cooking versatility.
13. Coconut Oil: Tropical Transformation
Island cultures have treasured coconut oil for centuries before it became a modern wellness trend.
Virgin coconut oil offers a distinctive tropical aroma and contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that convert quickly into energy rather than storing as fat.
Remarkably stable under heat due to its high saturated fat content, it resists oxidation during cooking. Perfect for baking, sautéing, and adding subtle sweetness to curries and tropical dishes.
14. Ghee: Ancient Ayurvedic Ambrosia
Revered in Indian cuisine and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, ghee represents butter in its purest form.
The clarification process removes milk solids and water, leaving behind a golden, nutty-flavored fat with remarkable stability. Free from lactose and casein, ghee often works for those with dairy sensitivities.
Its high smoke point (485°F) makes it perfect for high-heat cooking, while its rich flavor transforms ordinary dishes into culinary masterpieces.
15. Grass-Fed Butter: Pasture-Raised Perfection
Nothing compares to the rich, complex flavor of butter from cows that graze on diverse pastures. Grass-fed varieties contain significantly higher levels of beneficial nutrients like vitamin K2, omega-3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid than their grain-fed counterparts.
The golden hue comes from natural beta-carotene in grass. While not suitable for high-heat cooking, grass-fed butter transforms vegetables, adds depth to sauces, and creates unparalleled baked goods.
16. Unrefined Sesame Oil: Eastern Culinary Secret
Walk into any authentic Asian kitchen and you’ll find this amber-colored treasure. Unrefined sesame oil delivers an intensely nutty, toasty flavor that transforms ordinary dishes into restaurant-quality creations with just a few drops.
Rich in antioxidants, sesamol and sesamin, it offers impressive shelf stability despite being unrefined.
Best used as a finishing oil rather than for cooking, it shines in dressings, marinades, and drizzled over completed Asian dishes.
17. Macadamia Nut Oil: Australia’s Gourmet Gift
Pressed from the world’s most expensive nuts, macadamia oil justifies its premium price with extraordinary cooking properties and health benefits.
Its fatty acid profile mirrors olive oil’s heart-healthy composition but with an even higher smoke point and lighter flavor. The subtle, buttery taste enhances foods without overwhelming them.
Nearly 85% monounsaturated fat makes it one of the most shelf-stable natural oils, resistant to rancidity for up to two years when properly stored.
18. Tallow: Grandmother’s Secret Weapon
Before vegetable oils dominated kitchens, beef tallow created the crispiest potatoes and flakiest pie crusts.
Rendered from grass-fed cattle fat, quality tallow contains a similar fatty acid profile to olive oil, with nearly 50% monounsaturated fat.
Rich in fat-soluble vitamins and conjugated linoleic acid, it supports immune function and metabolism.
Its high smoke point (400°F) and stability make it ideal for high-heat cooking, deep frying, and traditional recipes requiring depth of flavor.
19. Duck Fat: The French Culinary Treasure
French chefs have long known what science now confirms – duck fat creates unparalleled culinary magic while offering surprising health benefits.
With less saturated fat than butter and more monounsaturated fat than olive oil, it occupies a sweet spot in the cooking fat spectrum.
The silky texture and rich flavor transform ordinary potatoes into extraordinary experiences. Its high smoke point makes it perfect for searing, roasting, and confit preparations that require extended cooking times.
20. Walnut Oil: Delicate Finishing Touch
Cold-pressed from English walnuts, this amber oil delivers an impressive nutritional profile alongside its distinctive nutty flavor.
Exceptionally high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, it offers anti-inflammatory benefits rarely found in cooking oils.
Heat destroys its delicate compounds and creates bitterness, so save it for cold applications.
Drizzle over finished dishes, whisk into vinaigrettes, or incorporate into desserts where its rich, nutty character enhances rather than cooks within the dish.