Cooking oil or fat is an essential when preparing food. It does not just give an amazing taste but also contributes to our health. Below, we are cooking to look at best cooking fats/oil in Kenya and factors to consider when picking.
Whether you are doing shallow frying or deep frying, a good choice of cooking oil is a requirement, for a delicious dish. Some cooking oils are suitable for certain purpose only, for example, frymate is suitable for chapati and mandazi while Mpishi poa is good for vitoweo.
What is the difference between cooking fat and cooking oil?
While there is no major difference between the two, a slight difference occurs in the state at which they occur. Fats are usually solid at room temperature, oil on the other hand is usually liquid.
Note: Best cooking oil remains liquid even at very cold seasons.
Factors to consider when picking cooking oil and fats
In order to get the best, you will need to put in some considerations according to your use. Below are some of them.
Cholesterol level
The cholesterol level in cooking is highly recommend to be zero percent. Cholesterol is known to cause heart diseases hence cooking oil with even very little cholesterol is not recommend.
Most packed oil and cooking fats are usually cholesterol free, however, always check if it is indicated.
Type of cooking oil
Cooking oil will come in different types. This types are mainly classified according to their source.Vegetables oils are the most recommend aganist other types such as animal oils.
Vegetables oils are made from fruits and seeds. They are also suitable for most types of frying, most manufacturers in Kenya make this type of oils and fat hence they are largely available in the market.
Some of vegetables fats and oils include:
- Corn oil
- Palm oil
- Soya beans oil
- Olive oil
- Sunflower oil
- Rice bran oil and
- Cocoa butter oil
Nutrients and Minerals
Nutrients are important in our bodies and cooking fats and oils serve as a great source for this. The main nutrients in most cooking oil is Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
Some cooking fat also have other nutrients such as Omega 3. If you have a medical condition that requires a certain nutrient, it is important to check for it.
Note: Most Cooking oil and fat do not contain significant amount of minerals, you can hence consider other sources such as fruits for minerals.
Usage
This is one thing that should also keep ringing in your mind, as mentioned earlier, different foods and cooking methods may require different oil. For example, deep frying will need different oil from shallow frying, so is Vitoe to Chapati.
In most cases, the manufacturer will indicate the best user case, you hence do not need to stress yourself with so much research, the only thing you need to do is remember to check. Some oils are suitable for all foods.
Note: Most yellow color fat are suitable for chapati and mandazi together with other foods while white fat is suitable for Vitoweo.
Best cooking oil/fats
After seeing the considerations to make when picking cooking oil, below are some top brands that you can apply the above considerations to make a pick.
Elianto cooking oil
This is a product of Bidco Africa and is very suitable for its high quality. In fact, it is among the most few oil that does not solidify in cold season and very low room temperature.
Elianto is made from corn and is suitable for both shallow and deep frying. The available sizes include: 500ml, 1L, 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L and 20L.
Other cooking oil from Bidco Africa include: Sungold oil, Kimbo premium oil, Soyagold oil and Olivegold oil. You can visit their website for more details and prices.
Mpishi poa Cooking fat
This is quality product from pwani life ltd suitable for Vitoweo. The fat is white in color and contains Vitamin A and Vitamin D. The packaging is usually in good box like containers with available sizes including: 500g, 1kg and 2kg.
Other fat product from pwani include frymate(yellow in color).
Kasuku cooking fat
This is one of the oldest quality cooking fat in Kenya and is offered by Kapa oil refineries. The fat is white in color and is refined from palm oil which is rich in Vitamin A. Sizes available include: 250g, 500g, 1kg and 2kg.
Similar products from Kapa oil refineries include; Kapa ghee, Tilly cooking fat, sea gull cooking fat and Alpa cooking fata.
Rina cooking oil
Rina is another quality product from Kapa oil refineries and is extracted from palm. The oil is rich in Vitamin A and is suitable for both deep and shallow frying. Sizes include; 500ml, 1L, 2L, 2.5L, 3L, 5L, 10L and 20L
Related products from Kapa oil refineries include; Rinsun cooking oil, Captain cooking oil, Postman cooking oil and Olivia extra Virgin cooking oil.
Chipsy cooking fat
Bidco Africa offers this quality cooking fat still. The fat is yellow in color and contains Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. The sizes include 50g, 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 2kg, 4kg, 10kg and 17kg.
Other cooking fat products from Bidco include: Cowboy, Kimbo, Chipo and Mallow.
Above are some of the best cooking fat and cooking oil in Kenya, you will however find more brands in the market. If you find a suitable type, do not hesitate to pick it. Cheers!!