Kat Odell | Bloomberg News (TNS)
In the last six years, a popular and versatile pantry staple in America has suffered a significant decline in reputation.
Vegetable oil is essential for cooking a wide range of foods, such as fried chicken, roasted vegetables, banana bread, or popcorn. Around 20% of the American diet includes this versatile oil, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
However, vegetable oils, including canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, rice bran, and soy, are often produced from seeds, grains, and legumes that are barely edible and indigestible. These oils contain potentially harmful omega-6 fats, as noted by experts at the Cleveland Clinic. Renowned functional medicine doctor and author Frank Lipman recommends avoiding these oils at all costs.
Now, oils made from higher quality ingredients are becoming popular in restaurant kitchens and upscale grocery stores.
One of the most prominent new products comes from Zero Acre Farms in San Mateo, California. Co-founder Jeff Nobbs believes that cooking oil should not be a concern. In 2022, he launched a neutral-tasting, eco-friendly product made from sustainably farmed non-GMO sugar cane from southern Brazil. The oil is produced by adding proprietary algae cultures to raw sugar cane, where the algae consume the sugar, and natural fermentation converts it into oil. This innovative process has attracted investors, with Zero Acre Farms raising over $40 million from investors like Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition Ventures and Richard Branson’s Virgin Group Ltd.
While vegetable oils are criticized for their high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fats, which can cause internal inflammation, Zero Acre Farms’ product contains less than 3% of them. Instead, it is composed of 93% omega-9, a monounsaturated fat that is heart-healthy and heat-stable, making it even higher in “good fat” than olive oil and avocado oil. Additionally, it has a carbon footprint about 10 times lower than most vegetable oils and a smoke point of 485F. For comparison, olive oil's smoke point is around 400F, and canola oil ranges from 375°F to 475°F.
One of the top chefs currently using Zero Acre Farms oil is Kyle Connaughton of the three-Michelin-star kaiseki-style SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California. Connaughton states that their tempura has never tasted better or been more shatter-crisp since using this oil, instead of grapeseed and rice bran oils for almost all cooking. He highlights the superior flavor and the environmental and health benefits compared to other oils.
Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, New York, spent about a year studying the oil. He describes Zero Acre Farms as “fantastic” for plant-based options due to its “brilliant” neutral taste. Finding an oil that is good for both personal health and the environment and works well at very high heat is the equivalent of the holy grail for chefs, Barber notes.
Another supporter is New York’s Coqodaq, the popular fried chicken spot, where a menu section titled “Better Oil” highlights its advantages. Chef Seung Kyu Kim now uses it for all the fried chicken options at the 190-seat Korean restaurant.
Zero Acre Farms is not the only new option to vegetable oil that is getting attention. Recently, venture studio Squared Circles introduced Algae Cooking Club, supported by star chef Daniel Humm of New York's renowned Eleven Madison Park. The oil is produced from sugar-fed algae that is pressed to release oil, similar to the process used for olive oil, and has numerous health benefits including a 93% concentration of healthy omega-9 fats (surpassing olive oil which contains about 70%). It also has a smoke point of 535°F and has half the carbon emissions of canola and olive oils.
One thing these oils aren't is inexpensive. A 16-ounce bottle of Zero Acre is priced at $27. A 16-ounce bottle of Algae cooking oil is $25.
In Europe, Äio in Estonia is working to break into the US market in the next few years. The company uses patented technology to "brew" yeast and convert it into fat, for its vibrantly colored RedOil and its solid, butter-style Buttery Fat. "We want to provide a sustainable and nutritious alternative to unsustainable fats and oils," says co-founder and biologist Nemailla Bonturi. RedOil contains about 10% heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, is richer in polyphenols (plant compounds with anti-inflammatory properties) than spinach, and is just about as packed with antioxidants as blueberries.
But some chefs are opting for more traditional products to replace unhealthy vegetable oils. At New York's Korean tasting menu haunt Kochi, chef Sungchul Shim uses perilla leaf oil for both cooking and finishing dishes. The popular Korean ingredient is not only fragrant and flavorful but also contains notable amounts of omega-3 fats. Over in Brooklyn, chef Jay Kumar of Lore cooks with coconut oil from his native India. In addition to its unique nutty-sweet taste, coconut oil is said to raise HDL, or "good" cholesterol, and it promotes heart health.
Avocado oil is also increasingly popular in restaurant kitchens. With a notably high smoke point of 520°F and anti-inflammatory properties, it's the choice of Shaun Hergatt of New York's seafood-focused Vestry. Hergatt says he uses it to cook vegetables and seafood, as the oil doesn't burn easily and "keeps [the] purity of what you are cooking."
Will the new alternative oils become a staple of home kitchens? It depends on whether people will spend what is closer to the price of a fancy bottle of olive oil to fry chicken. Meanwhile, there's always those traditional oils: A good 16-oz. bottle of avocado oil retails for less than $12.
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