Nearly 60% Of People Use This Oil The Most When Cooking

We all use oil in the kitchen, whether in liquids, cooking sprays, or semi-solid spreads. Fortunately, things have come a long way since thick lards and hydrogenated oils loaded our foods with saturated and trans fats. As the American Heart Association (AHA) explains, we have much healthier options today that are actually good for heart health and contain monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, rather than their saturated or trans counterparts. As the organization revealed, the best options have a maximum of 4 saturated fat grams per tablespoon and tropical oils generally don't make the cut. 

Tasting Table conducted a survey to see how these things play out in real-life, modern-day kitchens and recipes. In particular, the goal was to pinpoint which oils people use most often when cooking. Are they the ones recommended by Healthline, the AHA, and other mainstream health advocates? See for yourself with the following Tasting Table survey results. Hint: One healthy oil lands squarely on top with almost 60%, and another favorite comes with mixed opinions by happy-health standards.

From a pool of 515 respondents, the Tasting Table survey resulted in a top-five list of the most common types of oil used in cooking. Most are compatible with recommendations by health professionals, with one tropical oil carrying varying perspectives. Here's how the oil splashes with everyday chefs:

Easily resting in the top spot of cooking oils is extra virgin olive oil, with 298 participants, 57.86%, favoring it above all other oils. Next in line is vegetable oil with 120 people and 23.3%, followed by canola oil at 11.26% with 58 responders. Coconut oil and sesame oil complete the top five, with 6.41% and 1.17% of responses, respectively. 

As you can see, the most prominently used oil by far is extra-virgin olive oil. Fortunately, health experts give their stamp of approval. Healthline notes the heart benefits of olive oil, along with other advantages. Olive oil has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties, and can help prevent type 2 diabetes and buildup of LDL (bad) cholesterol. On the flip side, one tropical oil landed on the most-favored list: coconut oil. The ADA points out large amounts of saturated fat but Healthline says that some of that fat contributes to good health.

So there you have it: Extra-virgin olive oil reigns supreme in kitchen court, with about 60% of chefs favoring it for frying, baking, and bubbling up daily goodness.