The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Oils: Choosing the Right Oil for Every Dish

Oil is one of those everyday ingredients that quietly shapes how food tastes and feels. From our family roots in Guangzhou to running a takeaway in Barry, our experience has taught us that oil affects everything from browning and crispness to aroma and mouthfeel. That’s why this guide exists: a clear, approachable walkthrough for beginners that explains what each common oil brings to the table, how oils behave under heat, and which ones are sensible choices for frying, stir-frying, dressing and finishing. We’re not teaching cooking techniques here - just helping you make informed choices when you reach for a bottle.

Our menu describes food that is made fresh to order, and part of delivering consistent flavour and texture is choosing the right medium for the job. This guide is written to be a practical reference you can come back to: think of it as an explanation of how flavour, smoke behaviour and oil composition interact, so your home cooking or ordering decisions are clearer. We’ll cover toasted and light sesame, peanut, neutral vegetable oils (rapeseed, sunflower and blends), olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil, grapeseed, avocado, soya bean and rice bran oil - plus a compact comparison that shows which category suits which use.

How to think about smoke points and flavour (short primer)

Smoke point is often the first number people look for, and it does matter: it’s the temperature where an oil starts to break down visibly and produce smoke. Refined oils generally have higher smoke points than unrefined or cold-pressed oils, but smoke point alone isn’t the whole picture. Flavour intensity, fatty-acid composition and the way an oil reacts over time at high temperature (stability) are also important. For everyday choices, treat smoke point as a practical indicator of whether an oil will tolerate direct, sustained heat - and treat flavour as the guide to whether you should cook with an oil or use it as a finishing touch.

Toasted sesame oil (dark) - aroma-first finishing oil

Toasted sesame oil is intensely aromatic and functions more like a seasoning than a cooking medium. The seeds are roasted before pressing, which concentrates flavour but lowers heat tolerance; because of that, this oil is best drizzled over food at the end of cooking or mixed into cold dressings. Its aroma is rich and toasty, and very small amounts provide a powerful flavour lift. Treat toasted sesame oil like a finishing ingredient: a little goes a long way, and heating it aggressively will quickly blunt its character and can produce a bitter note.

Light sesame oil (untoasted) - milder and more heat-tolerant

Light or untoasted sesame oil is produced from raw seeds and has a subtler flavour and higher smoke tolerance than the toasted variety. It can serve where a gentle sesame background is wanted and some heat will be applied, but it still won’t match fully refined seed or nut oils for extreme wok temperatures. Use light sesame where a faint sesame presence is desired without overwhelming other aromas.

Peanut oil (groundnut) - high heat, mild nuttiness

Peanut oil has a relatively high smoke point and a mild, rounded flavour with a gentle nuttiness. Those properties make it a popular choice where high, direct heat is required and a neutral foundation is important. It browns quickly and helps achieve crisp textures on surfaces without imparting excessive flavour; that’s why it often appears in cuisine that uses flash-frying or intense pan work. If anyone cooking for groups has allergy concerns, note that labelling and local guidance vary, so check product notes before sharing food.

Neutral vegetable oils - rapeseed, sunflower and blended oils

In UK kitchens, “vegetable oil” typically means refined rapeseed (canola), sunflower or blends of seed oils. These oils are deliberately neutral in flavour, making them the practical choice when ingredients or seasonings should be the star. They usually have high smoke points, so they’re well suited to deep-frying, shallow frying and general high-heat work. Rapeseed is often the suggested everyday oil because its flavour is light and it behaves predictably under heat; sunflower and blends perform similarly. For home cooks wanting one reliable bottle, a refined neutral oil covers most tasks.

Olive oil - extra virgin vs refined, uses and limitations

Olive oil comes in distinct varieties and each has its place. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is cold-pressed and full of flavour; its character is fruity, grassy or peppery depending on origin, and it’s better used for dressings, dips and low-to-medium heat work where those flavours are welcome. Refined or “light” olive oil has a milder taste and a higher smoke point, so it can be used for some pan-frying, but it still behaves differently from fully refined seed oils. If you want olive oil’s flavour to stand out, reserve EVOO for cold uses or gentle heat; if you need a neutral frying medium, a seed oil will be more reliable.

Coconut oil - solid at room temperature and strongly flavoured

Coconut oil is frequently solid at room temperature in cooler climates and carries a distinctive, sweet-coconut note. Refined coconut oil is less strongly flavoured and has a higher smoke point than unrefined (virgin) coconut oil, but the saturated-fat profile and the taste mean it’s best used when that coconut character is desirable —-for baking or certain cuisines that pair with coconut. In more neutral, savoury styles it can compete with other seasonings, so many cooks keep coconut oil for specific uses rather than for everyday frying.

Corn oil - neutral and dependable for frying

Corn oil is a refined, neutral oil with a good smoke point and steady performance under heat, which is why it’s commonly used in large-scale food production. Its neutrality makes it a useful everyday frying oil if you prefer an alternative to rapeseed or sunflower. As with other seed oils, it won’t add much flavour, which can be an advantage when you want other ingredients to dominate.

Grapeseed oil and avocado oil - premium, high-heat options

Grapeseed oil and refined avocado oil are examples of oils that combine a high smoke point with a relatively neutral taste. Avocado oil, especially the refined kind, tolerates very high temperatures and has a mild, buttery mouthfeel; grape-seed oil is light, almost neutral, and is chosen where a clean frying oil is wanted. Both are more expensive than basic seed oils, so many home cooks use them for particular applications - for example, when a wide safety margin on heat is desired, or when a neutral finish is required in a premium dish.

Soya (soy) bean oil and rice bran oil - commercial workhorses

Soya bean oil is widely used in manufacturing and professional kitchens because of its availability and neutrality. Rice bran oil is another option valued for its stability and relatively high heat tolerance. Both are practical choices for frying at scale and for recipes where consistent, unobtrusive heat behaviour is important. They’re less likely to be the first bottle on a home cook’s shelf, but for bulk cooking they are sensible and economical.

How to choose an oil: a simple guide for beginners

If you want a compact decision rule, here are practical pairings: for very high heat - refined seed or nut oils with high smoke points (refined rapeseed, refined sunflower, refined peanut or refined avocado) are sensible; for general frying and everyday use - neutral refined oils are reliable and let seasoning dominate; for finishing and dressings - extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame oil add immediate flavour, so use sparingly; for baking and coconut-forward recipes - refined or unrefined coconut oil can work, remembering its distinctive taste and saturated-fat content. Keep in mind that flavour intensity and health considerations (for example, saturated versus unsaturated fat) may influence your pantry choices.

Storage and safety notes that matter

Store oil in a cool, dark place away from direct heat. Unrefined, aromatic oils deteriorate faster - buy smaller bottles of extra virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil if you don’t use them frequently. Reusing frying oil several times increases oxidation and off-flavours; if you re-use oil, filter it and store it properly, and replace it when it darkens, smells odd or smokes at lower temperatures than before. These practical steps keep oil flavours clean and reduce unpleasant tastes from degraded oil.

Compact comparison: which oil for stir-frying, deep-frying, dressings and finishing

• Stir-frying (fast, high heat): choose a refined oil with a high smoke point and neutral flavour to let seasonings shine.

• Deep-frying (sustained, very high heat): use a stable refined oil with a high smoke point for even browning and minimal breakdown.

• Dressings and cold sauces: use oils with clear flavour profiles - extra virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil - to add aroma and depth.

• Finishing (drizzle, garnish): toasted sesame oil or a finishing EVOO will deliver immediate scent and flavour without more heat.