- Choose an oil that’s low in saturated and trans fat. But remember that all oil is 100 percent fat, so use as little as possible.
- If you’re heavy-handed with your oil, measure it with a spoon. Or try a non-stick oil spray – the amount that comes out in a spray is small, and so it’s easier to use less.
- Heat and light can affect oil quality. Try to avoid oils that have been displayed in a shop window or under fluorescent lights. Green or dark bottles – or tins – provide better protection from the light. Store your oil in a cool dark place.
- Oils don’t improve with age. So buy the freshest oil possible. Look for a pressed-on date if there is one: best-before dates aren’t always a good indicator of quality because you don’t know how old the oil is.
What about takeaways?
You can choose your oil at home but not when you eat out.
Some fast-food companies are using healthier cooking oil. When we tested hot chips in 2008 we found Domino’s Pizza, Burger Wisconsin and Nando’s used canola oil. McDonald’s used high-oleic vegetable oil and Burger Fuel used a vegetable blend.
But fast-food giants KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King were still using “unhealthy” palm oil or beef tallow – both of these are high in saturated fat. We’d like all takeaway outlets to use healthier oils.
Tip: Check that your takeaway outlet uses one of the healthier oils for frying. If it doesn’t, get your takeaways from somewhere that does.
More from consumer.org.nz
Report by Belinda Allan.
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