Contrary to belief, fats are important in the diet
Fats get a bad reputation in today's food world, at least in North America. Avoid Fat to try to stay slim seems to be the mantra of many. Now I will agree that eating too much fat and fatty food can be a big problem. However, fats are incredibly important in baking and very important in making cooked food taste better. I'm going to take the viewpoint that it is more important to understand fats and use them responsibly than it is to avoid them.
Indeed, getting a variety of unsaturated fats (omega-3,omega 6, omega 9) and others is vital for people's wellbeing.
So, I wanted to take a look at a few common "fats" that I see in an awful lot of cooking. Hard fats like butter and margarine along with some oils Canola, Sunflower and Olive oil. I'll be adding those on my list of foodstuffs in my quest for maximum nutrition for minimum cost. Indeed with the calories that are packed into oils I'm certain they can quickly add up to someone's 2000 calorie daily requirement!
Setting the bar for fat/oil prices
I always try to use Canola oil as it has omega 3, and omega 6 plus it is so much cheaper than other fats. I've successfully used it in biscuits and cakes as well as many other recipe's. But here is the quick price list for 2000 calories:
- Canola Oil -- $0.61
- Sunflower oil -- $0.74
- Margarine -- $ 1.58
- Butter -- $ 2.91
- Olive Oil -- $ 4.22
** In short pay almost 5 times more if you use butter instead of canola oil**
** Or pay a whopping 7 times more if you use olive oil!**
But here is a closer look at each one.
Today's Lineup
Butter
A staple of recipe's everywhere. Tasty and common everyone knows butter. Unfortunately its not really known to be inexpensive. It comes in at $5.97/lb (454g)
Which is :
- $1.31 / 100g
- $1.31 / 900 calories (9cal/gram)
- $2.91 for 2000 calories
Margarine
A poor man's butter or an alternative for those who want less animal product. I say less but there is still a little milk product in most margarines (but not much). At $8.99/3lbs (1280g) it is much cheaper than the butter
Cost :
- $0.70 / 100g
- $0.71 / 900 calories
- $1.58 for 2000 calories
Olive Oil
Now when it comes to liquid oils there are few as iconic as Olive oil. A staple in so much Italian cooking and it has a wonderful flavour to add to so many dishes. Unfortunately it has a price tag which reflects that! At $18.97 / 1L it is expensive. Even more so than butter
- $ 1.90 / 100ml (9cal/ml)
- $ 1.90 / 900 cal
- $ 4.22 / 2000 calories
Sunflower Oil
With Olive oil having a distinct flavour and hefty price tag many people look for less expensive alternatives. Sunflower oil and Canola come to mind in Canada. Palm oil is even less expensive in many places but not available to my knowledge in North America. At $9.97 for 3L it is actually fairly inexpensive.
- $ 0.33 / 100ml
- $ 0.33 / 900 cal
- $ 0.74 / 2000 cal
Canola Oil
If you look at my recipe's in #foodiesbeehive you will notice that I will use Canola in an awful lot of my recipe's. If it calls for oil I'll use canola. If it calls for margarine or butter I'll substitute canola oil. It may not be the best substitute all the item but it usually makes an OK substitute and with the price difference ... well at $8.29/3L it is hard to go too far wrong.
$ 0.276 / 100ml
$ 0.276 / 900 cal
$ 0.61 / 2000 calories <-- Second cheapest calorie source I've found (only raw flour was cheaper)
Take home message
If you are looking for the maximum nutrition for the minimum price there is a clear winner. Canola oil is so much cheaper in my town than the other options. It is not good for every recipe and there are times when the other fats and oils are necessary either for flavour or consistency. However, where you can make substitute I think it is worth the effort.
So, if you are a #foodiesbeehive person and wonder why I'm making my cakes and cookies with oil instead of butter....Now you know the reason.
Thanks for taking a look
And if you would be willing to give a little glimpse on the price of different fats and oils where you live that would be awesome!