The Importance of Choosing Cold-Pressed Oil
When it comes to cooking oils, quality matters. The oil you use affects flavor, texture, and most importantly, what you’re putting into your body. Not all oils are made the same, and once you learn the difference between cold-pressed oils and highly processed seed oils, you’ll never look at that bottle the same way again.
Why Cold-Pressed Oils Are the Better Everyday Choice
Cold-pressed oils are extracted without high heat or chemical solvents. That means they hold onto more of the things we want, including:
Antioxidants
Natural flavor
Vitamins and phytonutrients
Healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated)
Because they aren’t exposed to harsh processing, they stay closer to their original, natural state.
This makes cold-pressed oils great for:
Salad dressings
Drizzling over roasted vegetables
Light sautéing
Marinades
Finishing oils
They give you a clean, fresh flavor and a healthier fat profile for everyday use.
Why I Don’t Use Refined Seed Oils
Refined oils such as canola, soybean, vegetable blends, and corn oil are heated, bleached, deodorized, and chemically treated during processing. This destroys nutrients and can introduce compounds our bodies don’t love.
You’ll often see these oils labeled as “heart-healthy,” but the heavy processing tells a different story. I prefer to use oils that require as little manipulation as possible to get them into the bottle.
Where Beef Tallow Fits In — My Choice for Deep Frying
For high-heat cooking, especially deep frying, I use beef tallow.
Tallow is simply rendered beef fat. It has been used for generations because it’s stable, clean-tasting, and gives food an unbelievable crispness.
Why beef tallow works so well for frying:
High smoke point — it handles high heat without breaking down
Clean, rich flavor
Naturally stable — no added chemicals needed
Makes the BEST texture — fries, chicken, donuts, anything you want crisp
Because cold-pressed oils are delicate, they’re not always ideal for deep-frying. Tallow, on the other hand, stays stable under heat, doesn’t oxidize the same way seed oils do, and gives you that old-fashioned fry-shop crunch.
This is exactly why I reach for beef tallow anytime I’m frying.
Using the Right Fat for the Right Job
There isn’t one perfect oil for everything — it depends on what you’re making.
Cold-pressed oils: everyday cooking, light heat, salads, drizzling, flavor
Beef tallow: deep-frying, searing, roasting potatoes, anything where crispness matters
What I avoid: heavily refined, chemically processed seed oils
Using higher-quality fats can upgrade your cooking without changing a single recipe. You get better flavor, cleaner ingredients, and cooking methods that actually support your health goals.