We've talked about why you should have more than one cooking oil in your kitchen, but this graphic breaks down the differences between them nicely. It shows you smoke points for common oils, and their most popular uses, all in one good-looking chart.


One of the biggest reasons you'd want multiple oils in your kitchen, especially more than just olive oil, is because different oils smoke at different temperatures, which means they lend themselves—and their flavor—best to different cooking methods. For example, ghee (clarified butter) or avocado oil both have high smoke points (well over 500 degrees F) so they're great for high-heat cooking, frying, and broiling in ways that sesame or pumpkin oil, which have lower smoke points (closer to 300 or 400 degrees F, respectively,) are not. Similarly, the chart shows you which types of oil are best applied in which types of cooking, regardless of their smoke points. For example, it notes that coconut oil is great for baking, sauteing, and frying, while your extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil may be better off used in dressings and to add extra flavor.


The graphic, made by the folks over at Chasing Delicious (who are responsible for a few other great kitchen graphics we've highlighted) tells the whole tale. Hit "expand" on the image below to see it in full size, or head over to Chasing Delicious at the link below to buy a print for your wall—you can get them in 8.5" x 11" ($18) or 11.5" x 17.5" ($24).

Kitchen 101: Cooking Fats and Oils | Chasing Delicious