There is so much contradicting information about which oils are best to cook with. Today, I’m here to set the record straight.

Ideally, you are using oils sparingly in your cooking.
There is no need to have your food soaked in oil. It is also super important to not overheat your pan and let the oil smoke. This creates carcinogenic chemical  changes in the oils and turns them from a healthy fat to a damaging fat. If your oil smokes, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Wipe out the oil, wash the pan and start over.

If you are on a weight loss plan or have heart disease, it’s great if you can roast vegetables without oil and / or use the water saute method as often as you can, saving olive oil for your salads- and even then, use sparingly. You can enjoy healthy fats from avocados, raw nuts and seeds and coconut milk. I’ve included a recipe below. Use it as is, or add a small drizzle of olive oil to the veggies once they are cooked.

As we consider the best oils to cook with, we want oils that can tolerate higher heat levels.
Remember though, deep frying is about the worst for your health, so find other ways to prepare your favorite dishes that are not about deep frying.

The best oils to cook with are:
Virgin or raw Coconut oil
Unrefined Avocado oil
Ghee or Clarified Butter, ideally from grass fed cows
Olive oil, best at lower heat temps

Here’s a recipe for a sheet pan supper that actually doesn’t use oil. If you prefer using oil to roast the veggies, use a small amount of unrefined avocado oil and skip the step to drizzle olive oil at the end.

Roasted Fish and Vegetables and Fish with Quinoa and Pine Nuts
Serves 2

This easy, colorful meal is roasted in a parchment-paper-lined pan to avoid the need for added oil. Garnish the finished dish with cilantro and pine nuts, or a combination of basil and almonds or sunflower seeds and parsley would be delicious as well. Add sliced avocado and drizzled olive oil to the finished plate.

Ingredients

4 carrots cut into 2-inch sticks

2 large yellow or red bell peppers cut into strips

2 cups grape tomatoes

1 red onion halved and thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt divided

4 pieces wild caught cod

2 lemons zested and juiced

1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 Cup toasted pine nuts, chopped

Sliced avocado, if desired
olive oil for drizzling, optional

2 Cups quinoa
4 Cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
pinch salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Place carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in the pan and toss. Bake in the top third of the oven until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

While veggies are roasting, prepare quinoa by rinsing quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a small pot. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.

Stir vegetables, arrange fish on top and sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon zest and juice and bake until fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 more minutes. Add pine nuts for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Be careful because they can burn easily. Serve fish and vegetables (and all the juices) on top of quinoa and sprinkle with cilantro and sliced avocado.