Cooking with fats - Temperatures page

[Lukey]

hey guys, I am finding it hard to get info on the correct temperatures to cook certain fats. Here are my questions:

Is it only PUFA fats that are of concern when cooking with fats?
Can you cook with saturated fats eg: Butter,cream,animal fats at high heat?
Can you bake with coconut flour without oxidising any of the fats?
Does coconut have PUFA?

It would be great if anybody could give me the basics on cooking with fats and which temperatures to cook them. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

[PHaselow]

hey guys, I am finding it hard to get info on the correct temperatures to cook certain fats. Here are my questions:

Is it only PUFA fats that are of concern when cooking with fats?
Can you cook with saturated fats eg: Butter,cream,animal fats at high heat?
Can you bake with coconut flour without oxidising any of the fats?
Does coconut have PUFA?

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat (minor amount of PUFA). What sets it apart from other saturated fats is that it is a medium chain fatty acid which is more easily digested/absorbed/utilized by the body and does not seem to have a negative effect on blood lipids. Refined coconut oil stands up to high heat better, but the UNrefined coconut oil is so much better for you because it has not been bleached/filtered/heated, etc.

I cook with ghee (clarified butter) more than the pasture butter in my fridge. Ghee tolerates a much higher temperature because the milk solids (which burn) have been removed. You can make it yourself. If you are using olive oil for high heat (not a terrible thing) cooking, add a bit of ghee to it and that will help minimize burning of the oil.

coconut flour will be less sensitive to the heat of baking (little PUFAs!), but my guess is there will be oxidation. It is so much more stable than almond flour, for instance. It is high fiber, so you will need to use more liquid (for each portion of flour I add an equal amount of liquid/egg). Bake at a lower heat...

LARD is a great but not that easy to find, I think. I save my bacon grease for cooking. It also tastes SO good in a salad dressing.

That is what I think I know. I am sure others will correct me! I don't fry foods, so I have no answer for what oil to use for deep frying if that is something you are interested in.

[Lukey]

Thanks for the info, is it unhealthy to cook with butter if the milk solids burn? Or is it just for taste purposes? If i were to make cocomeal (desicatted coconut cooked like oatmeal) would cooking the coconut be a bad idea?

[Artbuc]

What sets it apart from other saturated fats is that it is a medium chain fatty acid which is more easily digested/absorbed/utilized by the body and does not seem to have a negative effect on blood lipids.

Are you confident that MCT's don't negatively affect blood lipids? It seems like there are as many or more studies saying it is harmful as not.

[quelsen]

Are you confident that MCT's don't negatively affect blood lipids? It seems like there are as many or more studies saying it is harmful as not.

which is why all tropical cultures dies out years ago ... oh wait... nevermind

[Artbuc]

which is why all tropical cultures dies out years ago ... oh wait... nevermind

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Evolutionary adaptation is geared towards getting a species to survive long enough to procreate. The fact that tropical cultures did not die out years ago has nothing to do the role of MCT's in CVD which typically won't kill you until you are well past your prime time.

[Lukey]

Please don't take this off topic guys

[PHaselow]

Are you confident that MCT's don't negatively affect blood lipids? It seems like there are as many or more studies saying it is harmful as not.

The original studies out there were done on HYDROGENATED coconut oil. Very different oil. Only pay attention to studies done on pure unadulterated coconut oil. Many times, the compounding variables make research completely invalid. That goes *both* ways: the positive and the negative results.

[quelsen]

Please don't take this off topic guys

sorry i missed part of the conversation.

moved to a PM

[PHaselow]

http://happinessgenes.com/wp/wp-cont...INGJOURNAL.pdf

Start on Page 3

And some info that can point you to research:

"Despite being rich in saturated fat, coconut oil does not appear to raise LDL cholesterol in humans. A study published in the June 2011 issue of "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that coconut oil consumption is associated with higher HDL or "good" cholesterol, but neither raises nor lowers LDL cholesterol. Additional research published in "Clinical Biochemistry" in September 2004 suggests that coconut oil may protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, reducing its tendency to accumulate on your artery walls.
Causes
Compared to other saturated fats, coconut oil may be less likely to raise your LDL cholesterol and contribute to heart disease because of its specific components. In addition to containing biologically active polyphenols, the fat in coconut oil consists largely of medium-chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently than most fats and transported directly to your liver. As a result, coconut oil may have a beneficial effect on your blood lipid profile rather than raising LDL cholesterol."


Read more: What Are The Effects Of Coconut Oil On Ldl Cholesterol Levels? | LIVESTRONG.COM

Of course, it is so difficult to do quality human studies on Americans because our diets suck. Can coconut oil save your blood lipids if you continue to eat like a typical American? Probably not.

CRAP. I was trying to post the link to the July/Aug 2012 edition of Well Being Journal. You can view it on line. Starting on page 3, there is a great article talking about the history of coconut oil demonizing... or look up literature by Bruce Fife, ND