Want to know what to do with coconut oil? How to substitute one kind of fat for another? Wish you always knew what to do with your fats and how to adapt recipes to avoid the industrial fats that you’re just not into anymore?
For more on how to cook traditional foods and use traditional fats, see GNOWFGLINS Fundamentals.
Use the Fat: What Fat for What Common Uses?
Solid fats
Use for pastries, biscuits, tortillas, crackers, and recipes that call for butter or shortening. You should be able to substitute anything on this list at a ratio of 1:1.
- Butter
- Coconut oil (solid below 76 degrees)
- Lard
- Tallow
- Palm shortening – non-hydrogenated (although I haven’t used this myself)
- Substitute 3x as much ground flax meal for about 1/3 of the fat in a quick bread recipe.
- Do NOT use: Crisco or shortening, margarine (Why?)
Liquid Oils for Baking
Use in any recipe that says “oil” or “vegetable oil”. Most baking recipes can handle any of these choices.
- Melted coconut oil (not sure how to melt it easily? See here.)
- Melted butter
- Refined sesame oil
- Substitute 3x as much ground flax meal for about 1/3 of the fat in a quick bread recipe.
- Grapeseed? More research needed. Some say to use it seldomly because of health concerns.
- Do NOT use: corn, soybean, “vegetable” oils (Why?)
- Use SELDOMLY: canola, sunflower or safflower oils (Why?)
Liquid Oils for Sautéing and Cold Uses
- Use in low-heat sautéing and cold applications like salad dressing, on veggies (not for baking): Extra Virgin Olive Oil, unrefined sesame oil (Can you Saute in EVOO?)
- Use in higher heat sautéing and when you don’t want the flavor of EVOO (eggs?): Virgin Olive Oil, Lard
High Heat Cooking/Frying
When the smoke point might be too high for EVOO or even butter, try:
- Ghee
- Tallow
- Refined coconut oil (use the code STEWARDSHIP to get 10% off)
- Peanut oil (although I haven’t actually done this)
Wiki actually has a nice breakdown (based on the medical community’s current recommendations and long-entrenched ideas). It includes the smoke points of all the fats, if you’re interested in that.
Simply eat more salmon, walnuts (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!), whole eggs, real butter and full-fat dairy to get those healthy fats into your system.
Printable Chart
If you can’t see the image above, click HERE for the printable chart.
And if you’re wondering how to get MORE fat into your diet, read Cheeseslave’s 100 Ways to Eat More Fat.
I’ve learned so much studying a Fat Full Fall with you all this season. This is the last post in the series! If you missed any, do go back to the beginning.
I am a guest lecturer and partner with GNOWFGLINS eCourses, so I will earn commission from any sales made starting here. Of course, the courses are also an awesome way to learn to cook real food, so I’d gab about them anyway.
Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network. 
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
sandra says
Hi 🙂 I had been wondering what I should use for deep frying – I will be trying to change to peanut oil. Of course, in the supermarket all oils (except olive of course) are refined oils… The organic grocery shop that I sometimes go to has a wide range of virgin and extravirgin oils such as peanut, canola, sunflower, sesame, almond, grapeseed, flax, soy…. There must be some health advantage to consuming these virgin oils instead of the refined versions in the supermarket.
Lori Ann says
We live in China and use peanut oil for almost everything — as liquid oil in baking (oatmeal bars, granola, banana bread, apple muffins) plus all our sautéing and frying. I’m not sure whether it’s healthy, but it’s just about the only thing available besides soybean oil.
Katie says
Lori,
Peanut oil has monounsaturated fat, which is pretty good! 🙂 Katie
Mairzie says
What are the health concerns regarding grapeseed oil? I’ve heard only good things about until very, very recently. I’m open to new information! Thanks for this post.
Joan says
Actually lard is SOOO bad for you! Anything that stays solid at room temperature–try to avoid! Extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil is liquid at room temperature and has an extremely high smoke point. Use it if you have to sautee anything. The best way I have found to increase heathly Omega-3 oils is to blend cold-pressed FLAX SEED oil into low-fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt (Quark also is good for this). I use a hand-held blender stick and blend it into the most AMAZING creamy custard. About 45 seconds. The oil mixes with the sulphur and protein in the milk product and is more effectively absorbed by your body. Blend it until there is no oily residue in the bowl. Add some honey, fruit and a little cereal grain and you have a delicious high protein, healthy oil breakfast that will definitely keep you going till lunch time. And kids LOVE it! Do 1 tablespoon FLAX SEED oil to 2 tablespoons of yogurt/cottage cheese. Just be sure to use cold pressed FLAX SEED oil that is keep refridgerated. Thank G-D for the hardworking farmers!
Katie says
Joan,
Ah, we eat so much butter, coconut oil, and palm shortening around here, you’d be shocked. No one has gained any weight, and in fact I’ve lost cellulite. It’s all in WHICH research you choose to put your faith in. I’m going with the age old traditional fats. Flax is good, too, but it has its limitations, many of them.
Did you know lard is over 50% monounsaturated fat, the same fat in avocados?
Click on the links in the post to read more…you might have a paradigm shift!
🙂 Katie
Angela says
THANK YOU for this post! I am trying to cut out as many processed foods as I can from our house and this is some helpful information.
.-= Angela´s last blog ..Sewing Skills. =-.
Amy says
This was a great post. I forwarded it on to some friends. Thanks for all the work you put in to your blogsite!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..More Information =-.
Susie's Homemade says
That is a great tackle! Thanks for breaking it down:-)
.-= Susie’s Homemade´s last blog ..Tackling Extreme Chocolate Cupcakes =-.
Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home says
Good reference post, Katie! I’m going to RT this for my reader’s reference!
.-= Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home´s last blog ..Nourishing Crockpot Carnival: My Crockpot, My Friend =-.
Amy says
Paula, I would recommend not using safflower oil. Weston A. Price foundation recommends not using safflower oil. The reason is that safflower oil is high in omega 6’s.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..More Information =-.
karen says
I used non-hydro shortening for biscuits this weekend—-we could not tell the difference. (there wasn’t a side by side comparison ’cause I’m not making two versions of breakfast) I’ll let you know how my Christmas cut-out cookies turn out.
Paula says
Don’t forget lard for high smoke point. It takes a lot to burn this, ask me how I know LOL.
What do you think about safflower oil that says “expeller pressed”? I’ve been using that in place of vegetable oil when baking. I don’t use it often, but I have been using it.
.-= Paula´s last blog ..Old Glory =-.
Katie says
Paula,
Added the lard to the frying list, thank you! Safflower oil is just high in omega-6s, see this post and some of the comments for more: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/10/19/food-for-thought-are-polyunsaturated-oils-healthy/. Expeller pressed would at least be better than high-heat pressed. But. For baking I’ve like the coconut oil and melted butter, although it is nice to have a liquid oil on hand, I understand!
🙂 Katie
Greta @ Mom Living Healthy says
Thanks for this wrap up! I’ve learned a lot about fats from your posts this fall.
.-= Greta @ Mom Living Healthy´s last blog ..Homemade Pizza Night =-.
[email protected] Daily Round says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I printed it out and put it in my Kitchen Binder.
.-= [email protected] Daily Round´s last blog ..Baking Day =-.