Healthy Cooking by design

Grapeseed oil definitely makes the list of healthy oils to have in your pantry.  As with any ingredient, a little information about how to best use it is helpful. Grapeseed oil is made from the grape seeds after they have been crushed for wine making.  (small rant inserted here - I wonder how much of this valuable oil we would naturally consume if people in laboratories hadn’t played with our grapes to remove the seeds.  It seems to me that whenever we genetically play with foods, the nutrition suffers and we introduce consequences we could not foresee. end of rant…)  Anyway…Here are some facts about this beautiful, pale green oil.

What it is:

• a poly unsaturated fat (more than one double bonded-carbon in the molecule, making it liquid at room temperature and also liquid when chilled)
• high in omega-6 fatty acid
• low in saturated fat
• high in vitamin E
• antibacterial

What it does:

• binds to free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules that can attack normal cells and destroy or mutate them)
• does not change at high temperatures and has a high smoke point (428 degrees)
• lowers bad cholesterol(LDL) and raises good cholesterol(HDL)
• lowers triglycerides* (used by the liver as fuel to make cholesterol)
• stays liquid and emulsified in mixtures

How it is best used:

• High temperature frying
• In a sauce or recipe that you do not want to impart any flavor from the oil
• To make salad dressing or mayonnaise that will not separate or cloud in the refrigerator
• Topically on skin - provides healing and moisture for skin, fights acne, absorbs quickly without feeling greasy.  Often used as a lip conditioner, night cream, hand lotion, or massage oil.

Now before you go and throw out all your other oils and exclusively use grapeseed oil, let me remind you that variety and moderation are keys to a healthy diet.  There is no one magic answer or one perfect oil.  I do not think we should try to compare oils to find the healthiest.  Instead, we can identify strengths and weaknesses of an oil and then use it in the applications best suited to its characteristics.  And as with any oil, at around 120 calories per tablespoon, use it sparingly.

*For a really facinating look at triglycerides and cholesterol visit ReduceTriglycerides.com.  You will notices from the listed causes of increased triglycerides that a healthy Mediterranean type diet will eliminate many of them.
Special thanks for the photo to Aurora Marrero on Flickr.

The other day, I was shopping with one of my daughters.  We saw a bottle of beautiful pale green colored Grapeseed Oil and I mused aloud, “I wonder what it smells like.”  The words had barely left my lips when I heard the seal breaking on the cap as my daughter excitedly exclaimed “Let’s see!”  Her excitement quickly faded as she realized we now needed to purchase that bottle because we had opened it.  So I thought it was a perfect opportunity to research as well as taste a new oil.

Here are some things I found online about grapeseed oil.  In Posh Gourmet’s article “Choosing Gourmet Oils” they say there are three oils no pantry should be without - olive, grapeseed, and canola.  The Gourmet Retailer says grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point (better for high temp cooking or frying), holds together well in sauces or mayonnaise, and has an unobtrusive taste.  The article at Suite 101.com, “Alternatives to Olive Oil” won big points with me by saying the three most commonly used fats in Italy are olive oil, butter, and grapeseed oil.  (I personally still think butter has a place in our diets.)  Grapeseed oil has antibacterial properties and fights free radicals.  A Yale-New Haven dietitian recommends that grapeseed oil be used in addition to olive oil as part heart healthy diet, but not to replace it.

Those things reinforce my belief that there is NO ONE MAGIC ANSWER.  Just because we discover some great properties in soybeans doesn’t mean that eating soy everything is beneficial.  Or because olive oil has proven health benefits that we should use it to the exclusion of all other oils.  Or when we see benefits to eating vegetables or raw foods, that we should only eat those foods.  I don’t believe that our bodies were designed to eat only from a few categories or use only a few cooking methods.  I think important keys to healthy eating are variety, moderation, and a basic understanding of the nutrition in foods.

As to the taste, I found it light and easy to combine with any flavor.  I fried quite a few chickpea and rosemary patties in a couple of tablespoons of it and never had any smoke or burning.  I will definitely use it for high temperature cooking or for recipes that don’t need an olive oil flavor. Yea!  One more healthy food in my pantry.  Try it, you might like it too - although you don’t have to open your bottle in the store.  Just some food (or oil) for thought…