Let’s dive a little deeper into the chemical bonds of what makes an oil a good choice for cooking
In general, the more double bonds a fat contains, the less stable it will be when exposed to heat. This is why polyunsaturated fats, which contain at least two double bonds, are not great for cooking, while saturated and monounsaturated contain one or zero.
Other factors play a role in how much heat is needed to make these oils unstable as well
he smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down and form compounds that can be extremely damaging to your health. When it comes to high heat cooking, you want to choose an oil with a higher smoke point.
Oxidative stability refers to an oil’s ability to resist oxidation, which is the process that causes fat molecules in oil to form free radicals. Free radicals can cause a whole host of health problems, including heart disease, aging, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even inflammatory disease like arthritis. This is mainly due to their ability to severely damage your DNA.
This is why it’s extremely important to choose an oil with a high oxidative stability. This largely depends on its chemical makeup, its smoke point (high is better), and its antioxidant content, which can help protect it from oxidation
