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Cooking with Rice Bran or Grapeseed Oil: Is It Safe?

By Caroline Barringer, NTP, CGP, HHC, CHFS
A professional chef recently contacted me at Immunitrition with a question about the smoke points of oils, as well as the safety of cooking with rice bran oil and grape seed oils in particular. She explained to me that the smoke point of an oil or fat is considered important to culinary professionals because they want to be able to cook certain foods quickly at high temperatures without the food burning or having an “off” flavor, which is a strong indication that the oil has gone rancid. Oils with higher smoke points may be important to a modern chef, but what they fail to understand is that the smoke point of an oil or fat has nothing to do with its health benefits or its safety for cooking at higher temperatures. Fats and oils are made up of all fatty acid types (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated), so we must first investigate to see what the predominant type of fatty acid a specific oil or fat contains to determine whether or not it should be exposed to heat, oxygen, light, or moisture.
As a rule of thumb, if the predominant classification of an oil or fat is polyunsaturated, then we should never cook with it, regardless of its smoke point. These oils are rich in omega 6 fatty acids and should only be consumed raw in small amounts. Keeping omega 6 fatty acids in a 1:1 ratio with your omega 3 fatty acids is best. Omega 6 and 3 oils, which are predominantly classified as polyunsaturates, are highly reactive. Lipid peroxidation and free-radical production quickly takes place when these types of fatty acids are exposed to ANY degree of heat – even very low heat. This is a big red flag for producing inflammation and irritation within our bodies. Eating a moderate amount of omega 6 is fine, but only from raw, organic, cold- pressed, and unrefined sources. Consuming a teaspoon each of an omega 6 fatty acid along with an equal amount of an omega 3 fatty acid per day packs a powerful punch. Stick with your saturates for cooking at higher temperatures – coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, lard, and tallow. For light, lower heat sautéing, using avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, and olive oil, is fine. More on these fats later…
Now back to grape seed oil and rice bran oil. Here is a fatty acid profile for both:
GRAPESEED OIL
- 71% polyunsaturated
- 17% monounsaturated
- 12% saturated
- 485 degree smoke point
RICE BRAN OIL
- 36% polyunsaturated
- 48% monounsaturated
- 17% saturated
- 490 degree smoke point
AVOCADO
- 10% poly
- 70% mono
- 20% saturated
MACADAMIA
- 10% poly
- 78% mono
- 12% saturated
OLIVE
- 12% poly
- 75% mono
- 13% saturated
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