Gourmet Cooking With Nut Oils

Get Unique Tastes with Oil from Coconut, Macadamia, Peanut and More

Nov 14, 2009 Bridget Coila

Cooking with nut oils, from peanut oil to pecan oil, can add a unique flavor to both gourmet and everyday dishes as well as providing healthy nutritional bonuses.

Cooks looking to branch out beyond vegetable oils are turning to nut oils to experiment with new tastes and health benefits. There are many varieties of nut oil available, including walnut, peanut, coconut, almond, and macadamia oils.

The Benefits of Peanut Oil Cooking

Peanut oil has quickly become one of the most popular nut-based cooking oils. Since it has a high smoke point, the point at which it begins to burn, it's good for frying and deep frying many foods. Made from peanuts, this oil is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the heart-healthy kind, and low in dangerous saturated fats.

Cooks using peanut oil, or any nut oil, should be sure that none of the people eating the meal are allergic to peanuts, since the oil could set off an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.

Walnut Oil Health Benefits Come from Omega-3 Fats

Walnut oil is high in omega-3 fats, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including reducing the risk of dementia and heart disease according to a November 2007 report in the journal Neurology. This makes it a healthy choice as a nut oil for use in salad dressings and baking. Because of its low smoke point, walnut oil should not be used for frying.

Walnut oil has a mild nutty flavor similar to the nut itself, so using it in a winter salad with apples and fresh greens is one way to bring out its unique taste. One drawback to walnut oil is that it tends to become rancid quickly, so most producers recommend storing it in the refrigerator once it has been opened.

Pecan Oil Brings a Deep South Taste to Everything from Salads to Fried Foods

Sometimes hard to find, pecan oil is a specialty nut oil that in its unrefined form brings the taste of fresh pecans to any dish using it. Unrefined pecan oil is a great alternative to walnut oil for salads or baking.

Refined pecan oil loses some of the distinctive taste, but the health benefits remain, including high levels of unsaturated fats, selenium and vitamins B6 and E and one of the lowest levels of saturated fat of any oil, including olive oil, according to Jean Carper in the book "Food - Your Miracle Medicine." Because of its high smoke point, pecan oil is a great choice for frying and deep frying.

Macadamia Nut Oil Adds Light Flavor to Many Dishes

Macadamia nut oil, from the famous tropical nut, adds its distinct light flavor to dishes cooked in it. This is another oil high in monounsaturated fats that has a high smoke point, so it can be used in everything from sautéing to deep frying to served raw over vegetables.

Almond Oil is Sweet and Healthy

Mild flavored almond oil is yet another tasty nut oil for the adventurous cook to try. As with most nut oils, it is high in monounsaturated fat and a variety of antioxidants, including vitamin E. Cooks familiar with almond oil often use it as a substitute for olive oil in recipes to give a different flavor to their dishes.

Coconut Oil – The Controversial Nut Oil

Coconut oil has encountered more controversy than any other nut oil over whether it is a healthy option for cooking. This stems from the fact that it is high in saturated fats, generally considered to be dangerous when eaten in large amounts. However, coconut oil advocates claim that virgin coconut oil contains other components that mitigate the effects of the saturated fats, including some of the highest levels of antioxidants found in any oil. Scientist Mary G Enig, PhD presented studies detailing these benefits at the 1996 AVOC Lauric Oils Symposium in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.

Other varieties of specialty gourmet nut oils include hazelnut oil and pine nut oil. Some of these nut oils are harder to find and more expensive, but can bring their own unique tastes to food when used for cooking.

Overall, nut oils can be found in many different varieties and their health benefits and unique tastes make them worthwhile additions to any cook's arsenal of oil choices. Experimenting with a range of nut oils can bring taste variety to everyday cooking.

For more information on choosing oils for cooking, see the article Dietary Oils for Cooking and How to Use Them, which gives an overview of basic cooking oils, their uses and health benefits.

Resources:

Carper, Jean - Food: Your Miracle Medicine

P. Barberger-Gateau, et al. Dietary patterns and risk of dementia. Neurology. Nov 2007.

Kris-Etherton, et al. Low Fat and High Monounsaturated Fat Diets Decrease Human Low Density Lipoprotein Oxidative Susceptibility in Vitro. Journal of Nutrition. June 2001

Mary G Enig, PhD. Health and Nutritional Benefits from Coconut Oil: An Important Functional Food for the 21st Century. The Weston A. Price Foundation. Presented at the AVOC Lauric Oils Symposium, Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, 25 April 1996.

The copyright of the article Gourmet Cooking With Nut Oils in Gourmet Food is owned by Bridget Coila. Permission to republish Gourmet Cooking With Nut Oils in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Using Nut Oils for Cooking Adds Flavor	Walnut Oil and Peanut Oil Made Are From Fresh Nuts	Pecan Oil From Pecans Adds Souther Taste
Many Asian Dishes Use Virgin Coconut Oil	Nut Oils Are Good for Baking