Knowledge Base > Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

This event was on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Dan Marek in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to cours… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

I try to cook without oil as much as possible. In instances where oil is used what would be your suggestion for the healthiest?? What is your opinion on coconut oil?

— Carol Faulls

Answer:

So, let's see. Um, you know, there's a couple things in there so oil basically if you're trying to cook out without oil that's great. A lot of people doing a whole food plant-based diet try to avoid oil as much as possible primarily just because it's 120 calories per tablespoon no matter what kind of oil you actually use. I personally do use oil. I just don't use it in massive quantity very rarely. Will you see me deep frying something. In fact, maybe once or twice a year and I don't deep variety either. I'll put just more oil than I normally would in the bottom of a pan and fry it and flip it. I'm not actually submerging something in oil and those are usually like a lot to key or something like that and it's usually for the holidays. So it's something a little bit more decadent. Right? But when it comes down to cooking with oils, is there the healthiest ones not really because I mean they're basically none of them really have any kind of nutrient value to them because they've been Stripped Away to be able to make the oils what we know is just the fat. I personally like to use avocado oil. But other people are gonna tell you different things, you know, so I use like a spray version of the avocado oil, you know, if I don't have a spray thing, I'll just put like a dab into a pan and then wipe down the pan if I need a non-stick surface. I don't use it all the time though, right? So if I'm only gonna do that if I need specifically a flavor profile from it, like sesame oil or olive oil or I'll eat typically add the oil at the end of the dish to look at the flavor out of it. Coconut oil, you know again people like the flavor of it people say it's one of the healthier oils that's debatable at most, you know, start really think that if you're looking for flavor pick the flavor that you want and just, you know, don't overdo it with oil try to use as little as possible because really you're just talking about the calories that are coming from it unless it's the flavor, right? And most people when they say, oh, I like the flavor of olive oil, but they're cooking with it. If you go above 100 or 350 degrees, you know, losing the flavor. Anyways, it's actually better to add olive oil to Dish afterward if you're really like the flavor, which is fine. So yeah, there's not really the greatest answer for that one. That's just you know, if it's you're not trying to cook with oil. Use it as little as possible. I personally like to use avocado oil, you know out of all the different ones some people like, um, you know, all of coconut is one of those ones to people do like but don't have a whole lot of opinions on any of them because I don't use them very much except for like I said, just a, you know, a little bit of a DOT or spray down on something and that's pretty much the extent of what I use.
Dan Marek

Dan Marek

Director of Plant-Based Culinary & Dev

rouxbe.com