Why You Should Always Stock Up On This Oil For Your Pantry

Stocking your kitchen with the right staples can be subjective based on your household's cooking and eating habits. But if you are wondering what the essential pantry ingredients are that will be used the most, start with cooking oils, specifically refined avocado oil. This highly processed oil is made by pressing the flesh of fresh avocados and has gained favor with athletes like Tom Brady. But celebrity endorsements aside, avocado oil has been touted as a highly versatile oil thanks to its neutral taste, high smoking point, and long shelf life. 

Avocado oil smokes at 510 to 520 degrees Fahrenheit and has the highest smoking point of the plant-based oils you can choose from. This means it is great for frying foods. But this isn't its only merit. Where coconut or sesame oil can be overwhelming and clash with other flavors, avocado oil has a velvety, buttery, and nutty taste that is quite mild. All of this is good news for your cooking and baking needs.

Because of its superpowers, avocado oil can serve as an excellent substitute for a variety of other oils. Avocado oil is going to taste just as good in place of canola oil when you are baking brownies and extra moist banana bread as it does in place of butter when you are roasting veggies. You can use it in place of olive oil in pasta dishes and vinaigrettes, as a pinch hitter for coconut oil in stir fries, and for drizzling and finishing dishes alike. 

Avocado oil is also considered a heart-healthy oil. It's rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. This means when you use avocado oil in place of saturated fat, you are potentially helping to reduce your cholesterol levels. This oil also contains prized antioxidants and has a high vitamin E content. When you combine these health benefits with its high smoke point and neutral taste, you realize it's the all-star cooking oil with lots of potential. That said, it can be expensive, so consider buying your avocado oil at Costco. And once you start stocking your pantry with avocado oil, you will wonder how you ever cooked or baked without it.