Spectrum Organic Canola Oil, 32 oz

I recently spent an afternoon researching fats in an endeavor to work out which are the healthiest, have the highest smoke point for cooking and which are the ones to avoid.I am not an expert myself but I consulted the experts and this is what I discovered with some surprises:Five oils clearly topped the rankings due to either high Omega 3 (protects against heart attacks and stroke) high omega 9 (increases good cholesterol and decreases bad)Moderate to low omega 6 (essential for the brain but is inflammatory at high levels and is stored in the body so oils with very high levels of 6 should be used sparingly - see my comments on sunflower oil below) low in saturated fat and with a high smoke point (less free radicals) for cooking.Canola, safflower and olive oils came out on top with flaxseed an excellent (by far the highest in omega 3) choice for low or no heat applications and avocado the best choice for extremely high heat cooking.Canola oil is the lowest in saturated fat of the 14 fats I researched. It is also high in Oleic acid (omega 9) low in linoleic acid (omega 6) which is good and only Flax seed oil beat it for Omega 3. It has a high smoke point of 450F..Canola is lower in Omega 9 than safflower and olive but is a little higher in 6 which we do want to reduce, but only fractionally higher.Olive oil has a smoke point of only 380F but along with safflower is just as high in omega 9 and is also low in omega 6 which is good but as I mentioned previously it is extremely low in omega 3 plus it’s saturated fat level is double that of canola and safflower (still low but higher is higher when it comes to saturated fat) Who knew? I will use it for cooking at temps 350F and under but for higher heat cooking won’t use it due to the free radicals at temps over 380F. I do use it extensively though for salads and crusty bread or for lower heat cooking and have a range of olive oils for different results flavor wise.Flaxseed should be used for low heat cooking as the flashpoint is only 225F but it is an excellent choice for dressings etc as it is by far the highest in Omega 3 and on par with canola and safflower in the saturated fat content. Flax is however quite low in 9 but is also very low in 6 which is good.Avocado oil has a flashpoint of 520F!!!! It is extremely low in 6 which is good but also low in 3 and 9 but is the best for extremely high heat cooking if the flavor (and price point) works for your dish and your wallet.All of these oils are wonderful choices and should be used interchangeably. They are all extremely heart healthy, but Canola does have the highest Omega 3s and the lowest saturated fat of any other cooking fat or oil. From here on in I will exclusively use these oils for all my needs and have increased my use of Safflower considerably due to its high levels of omega 9 (slightly higher than olive oil) and also Canola due to Omega 3.The surprise for me was how high in 6 (which we should be reducing) are sunflower, corn, cottonseed and soybean (also known as vegetable oil) Peanut is quite high in 6 which isn’t great and has only trace amounts of 3, it is higher in saturated fat and it’s smoke point is equal to that of canola so surprisingly canola and avocado oils with safflower a close contender are the the best choices in my opinion for high heat cooking! And here I have been frequently reaching for peanut oil for frying! I have now stopped buying sunflower and peanut oil completely and have replaced them with canola and safflower.I do use butter and very occasionally lard because sometimes a recipe just screams for those options but the levels of saturated fat and tiny amounts of omega 3 and approximately half the levels of 9 than the best options means that I reach for them only when my recipe really needs it.As an aside, I avoid Coconut oil! The lowest in 9 out of all the oils I looked at. Shockingly it contains NO omega 3 at all and more than double the saturated fat that lard contains! It only has a moderate smoke point of 347F - coconut oil is not a good choice for any application despite the hype in my opinion - but check out the levels and decide for yourself. I won’t eat it!To sum up, all of the oils I have selected are great options for various reasons and should be used interchangeably for the best benefits.Safflower oil is a great choice and although it can be a little hard to come by at least in my local stores, at the time of writing Amazon has it at a great price (especially when ordered from Whole Foods)Canola oil is widely available and if I see organic Canola on sale I stock up.Lastly, consider buying organic oils to avoid pesticides and herbicides with your healthy fat consumption! As a concentrated food, the levels of agriculture chemicals are also concentrated in oils.If this review has been helpful to you, would you click the helpful button? It makes my day to see that my kitchen insanity helped a fellow customer. You might also like to visit my profile page and check out some of my other ingredient and recipe book and kitchen tool reviews. 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This oil does not change the taste of the food I am cooking in it. I have gotten the 8 oz from local markets for the same price I paid for the 16 oz at Whole Foods.

I trust spectrum products and love to use organic canola oil in my cooking.