# What low fat substitutes are there for cooking oils **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694 "2004-06-04T20:28:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/1 "2004-06-04T20:28:38Z")
I have heard you can use applesauce for baking things like brownies, but what if you want to cook General Tsao’s chicken or you want to fry something. Are there low(er) fat alternatives you can use for those recipes instead of huge amounts of vegetable oil, which has 14g fat per serving? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/2 "2004-06-04T20:35:34Z")
If you must fry food (especially deep-frying), make sure the oil is hot enough so that it cooks the food without soaking in as much. I don’t remember the actual temperature (350?) seeing as how I haven’t deep-fried anything in the past fifteen years or so… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/3 "2004-06-04T20:47:05Z")
Olive oil and sesame oil are good for you, right? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/4 "2004-06-04T20:52:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Olive oil and sesame oil are good for you, right? Olive oil has cardiovascular protective effects, but it’s not low fat. Essentially, it _IS_ fat, so the # of grams you use is the # of grams of fat you consume. I suppose one way to look at it is like this: I eat a low-fat diet; however, I still eat olive oil and avocados - both of which are very high fat. I do this because I eat a low-fat diet for health and both olive oil and avocados are very healthy for me, high-fat not withstanding. From a weight loss point of view, if I was trying to lean up or something (for a body-building show, for instance) I would have to eliminate both my oil and my guacamolie in the weeks leading up to competition. So, for clarity - why do you want low-fat Wesley - for health, or for weight loss? (Or both.) ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/5 "2004-06-04T20:55:30Z")
There really isn’t any substitute for deep-frying that is completely satisfactory. Some recipes try to substitue baking for frying (e.g., oven-baked “fried” chicken), but it is never quite the same. In the case of the General Tso’s chicken, your best move would just be to reduce the portion and add some vegetables to round out the recipe. Also, a nonstick pan can help you reduce the amount of oil you need for ordinary sauteeing. A bit of olive or canola oil isn’t bad for you and may actually have some benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/6 "2004-06-04T21:27:05Z")
weight loss is my goal. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/7 "2004-06-04T21:36:50Z")
You’re pretty much SOL with respect to frying. On the other hand, yoghurt makes a darn good substitute for oil in waffles, or mayonnaise in potato salad. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/8 "2004-06-04T21:50:21Z")
frying = cooking in fat no way around it. lowfat diet = no fried foods no way around it. try sauteing with smaller amounts of fat, at VERY high temperatures, to get a crispy browned thing going on, without the deep frying. But you’re looking at two things that are, by definition, mutually exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/9 "2004-06-04T23:02:58Z")
If you do use very hot temps be aware that some oils (olive being one of them) are not stabel at high temps and break down to nasty carcinogins. Peanut is one that is high temp stable. Also as a compromise between fryign and ‘oven frying’ you can spray pam on the breading that you will be putting in the oven. There is Olean, which is suppose to be undigestable oil, just passes through, perhaps helpful if your back door swings both ways. But I don’t know if it’s available by it self or if you will have to extract it from low fat pringels. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/10 "2004-06-04T23:11:52Z")
Deep frying is almost completely unnecessary. The only thing I’ve deep fried _ever_ were chips a couple of times the shop was closed or sold out of oven ones, and a couple of experiments with onion bhajis. And I had to google General Tsao to know what it was 🙂 Shallow frying doesn’t involve very much fat. And if you keep the pan hotter, and stir more often, you need less oil still. Even the 14g figure in the OP is still only something like a fifth of the daily recommendation, so presuming you’re not using too many other fat-conaining ingredients, and you’re not eating 6 meals a day, you’re fine. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/11 "2004-06-04T23:13:54Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > If you do use very hot temps be aware that some oils (olive being one of them) are not stabel at high temps and break down to nasty carcinogins. Peanut is one that is high temp stable. Is there any evidence for this? All I’ve heard ever about using olive oil at high temperatures is that it’ll mess up your cooking. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/12 "2004-06-04T23:31:42Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > using olive oil at high temperatures is that it’ll mess up your cooking. It begins to smoke and turn into plasma or something. If I have to fry to brown something, say French fries, I use cheap vegetable oil. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/13 "2004-06-04T23:57:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > If I have to fry to brown something, say French fries, I use cheap vegetable oil. Without question, olive oil won’t brown anything. But I though that the browning process itself created carcinogens 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/14 "2004-06-05T00:02:34Z")
Can the consumer purchase Olestra/Olean to deep fry with? That would likely have pretty good results. So, you may shit out a lung or two… Hey, more weight loss! ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/15 "2004-06-05T04:29:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Olive oil and sesame oil are good for you, right? I dunno about sesame oil (but, in toasted form, it tastes just wonderful.) Olive oil has a lot of monounsaturated fat, which is beneficial for the heart. It’s still fat, though, so it’s got just the same tendency to make you fatter. You can probably stir-fry in olive oil, but you certainly can’t deep fry with it (or fry anything at a high temperature) because it starts smoking at a low temperature. So trying to make your french fries with it is not gonna work. I don’t think there’s much of anything to be done about making General Tso’s Chicken healthy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/16 "2004-06-05T12:37:42Z")
You could also try other methods instead of frying. Steaming and grilling don’t add any fat, in fact grilling makes the meat lose a lot of fat. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/17 "2004-06-05T18:41:22Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > weight loss is my goal. Olive oil is so good for you, that - used in moderation - it should not stall weight loss and may even be beneficial. Ditto fish oils. I read in the paper today that Eskimo/Inuit people in their eighties have the supple veins and arteries of people in their twenties, due to the massive quantities of fish oils they consume. I am not trying to advocate a totally different diet (eg low carb) if you have decided, or been advised, on low fat; but if you want to lose weight, the best thing is a healthy, moderate diet, and of course the dreaded - at least in my view!! - exercise. And except in very specific dietary circumstances, low-fat is not a healthy or natural diet. Basically lean meat and fish, as many unprocessed whole foods as possible, and masses of vegetables, particularly green ones. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/18 "2004-06-07T14:26:19Z")
Don’t try to fry with sesame oil. It burns at very low temperatures, and the stink is unbelievable. :eek: Sesame oil is supposed to be used as a seasoning. You sprinkle on a little just before you finish cooking something. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/19 "2004-06-07T14:52:00Z")
> [@Bewildebeest](#): > > Don’t try to fry with sesame oil. It burns at very low temperatures, and the stink is unbelievable. :eek: > > Sesame oil is supposed to be used as a seasoning. You sprinkle on a little just before you finish cooking something. Quite right. It’s a condiment, a flavouring. It even comes in bottles that eke out a few drops at a time to show you it’s not cooking oil. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694/20 "2004-06-07T15:02:00Z")
Cooking an item in hot oil affects it in two significant ways; firstly, the hot oil transfers heat to the item, generally at a higher temperature than would be possible with water or steam (because the oil has a higher boiling point than water). Secondly, some of the oil remains on the food, providing taste and ‘mouthfeel’. Both of these effects are difficult to reproduce by other means; there are (I believe) devices that cook the food in a rapidly-circulating stream of very hot air - this (supposedly) produces a crispy surface texture. The flavour and mouthfeel is going to be harder to reproduce, especially on crispy battered items, because any water-based liquid you add after or during cooking risks turning the crispy bits soggy. I’m sorry to say that if you want to lose weight, you have to change the way you eat, even if only slightly (grilling and baking instead of deep frying, for example); unfortunate, possibly uncomfortable and maybe even unpleasant, but there it is. (Unless you want to try things like Olestra, but then you might have to change the way you wear underwear). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-low-fat-substitutes-are-there-for-cooking-oils/248694.md?page=2)