6 cooking fats to use instead of seed oils (ranked)
You’ve probably heard by now that seed oils are harmful. But between olive oil that we’re told oxidises into free radicals and butter that’s been demonised for decades, it’s easy to be confused about how to actually cook your food.
For decades, we were told that “vegetable oils” were a heart-healthy choice, a clean, modern upgrade from the animal fats of our ancestors. What the label didn’t say was that these oils are extracted under extreme heat and pressure, deodorised with chemicals, and bleached until they resemble something closer to plastic than food.
Canola, sunflower, soybean, grapeseed, corn, the line-up may sound wholesome, but in truth, these are some of the most inflammatory substances in the modern diet. The irony is that the fats we were taught to fear are the ones that have nourished human beings for millennia.
Let's dive into them
6. Olive oil
Let’s start with the one we all know, but rarely use properly. Olive oil is one of the oldest fats in human history, revered by the Greeks and Romans for both ritual and medicine. But modern confusion has reduced it to controversy… is it safe to cook with, or does it oxidise into free radicals?
Contrary to what we've often been told, high-quality extra virgin olive oil can, surprisingly, withstand gentle heat. Its antioxidants, particularly polyphenols and vitamin E, help protect it from moderate heat damage, though prolonged frying or roasting will still cause these delicate compounds to degrade.
Is it a suitable cooking oil? Ideally not. The sad reality is that most supermarket olive oils aren’t olive oil at all, at least, not entirely. In recent decades, investigations have revealed that up to 70% of “extra virgin olive oils” on the market are adulterated, diluted with cheap, industrial seed oils like soybean or sunflower, or blended with lower-grade olive oils that have been heat-treated and chemically deodorised to mimic the real thing.
The global olive oil industry has quietly become one of the most counterfeited food markets in the world, because true extra virgin oil is expensive and labour-intensive to produce. Blending in refined seed oils stretches the yield and masks rancidity, an economical trick that consumers rarely detect.
We rank olive oil last because, while it’s a far better choice than industrial seed oils, it’s not the most stable fat for cooking. And to make sure your bottle hasn’t been quietly diluted with the very seed oils you’re trying to avoid, look for dark glass bottles, a clear harvest date, single-origin labels, and that grassy, peppery finish.
5. Butter
Few foods have been as unfairly misjudged as butter. For decades, it was cast as the villain, blamed for everything from heart disease to high cholesterol. Margarine and seed oils were hailed as the heroes of “modern nutrition,” while butter was quietly pushed aside.
But look into any traditional culture, from the Swiss mountain villages documented by Weston A. Price to the Maasai of East Africa and you’ll find butter, or some form of animal fat, as a dietary cornerstone.
Butter is a rare source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and especially K2 nutrients that direct calcium into bones and teeth rather than arteries. It’s also rich in short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which nourishes the cells lining your colon and calms inflammation.
Butter is great for gentle cooking, for example sautéing vegetables, frying eggs, melting over steamed greens, or finishing meats. That said, it’s smoke point sits lower than most animal fats, meaning it can burn easily at high heat, especially when it still contains milk solids. Overheating butter not only dulls its flavour but can also damage its delicate compounds, turning it brown and bitter. For higher-heat searing or roasting, see the following....
4. Coconut oil
Coconut oil sits in an interesting place within an ancestral diet. It’s deeply nourishing, undeniably stable under heat, yet it’s also not something most of our ancestors would have ever encountered (unless, of course, they were from somewhere coconuts naturally grew). At Organised, we always come back to the principle of seasonal, regional eating, aligning our food with the land and climate we live in. So while coconut oil isn’t native to temperate regions, it holds a rightful place as a supportive, occasional fat, especially during colder months or for those needing quick, clean energy.
Coconut oil is made primarily of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of fat that bypasses normal digestion and goes straight to the liver for energy. This makes it uniquely supportive for metabolism, thyroid function, and brain health. Lauric acid, one of its main components, also has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, a built-in immune tonic.
Unlike seed oils, coconut oil is highly saturated, meaning it’s stable under heat and won’t break down into inflammatory compounds when used for cooking.
Perfect for stir-fries, curries, or baking. Its subtly sweet flavour complements roasted root vegetables and warming spices beautifully. You can even blend a teaspoon into coffee with raw milk for a creamy, energy-sustaining morning ritual.
3. Lard
Rendered from the fat of healthy, pasture raised pigs, lard is one of the most versatile and stable fats you can keep in your kitchen. Historically, it made flaky pastries, golden roast potatoes, and crisp fried chicken. Grandmothers kept jars of it on the counter, soft and white, ready for everything. Then came the industrial revolution, and with it, the rise of vegetable shortening and margarine. Lard became a casualty of marketing.
Good lard is one of the few natural sources of vitamin D. It also contains choline (vital for liver and brain health) and small amounts of selenium, an essential antioxidant mineral.
Unlike seed oils, lard remains stable under high heat, making it ideal for frying or roasting. The problem is that most commercial lard has been hydrogenated, a chemical process that introduces harmful trans fats. True lard is soft, clean, and faintly savoury, not chalky or greasy.
2. Ghee
Ghee takes all of butter’s best qualities, its fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2), its short-chain fatty acids, its naturally antimicrobial compounds and removes the proteins and sugars that make butter prone to burning. What you’re left with is a fat that can withstand higher temperatures without oxidising, while remaining deeply nourishing to the gut, brain, and hormones.
Because the milk solids are gone, ghee is also virtually lactose-free, making it an excellent option for those who are dairy sensitive but still want the nutrition and flavour of butter.
Use ghee anywhere you’d normally cook with oil searing, frying, or roasting or melt it over vegetables, eggs, or grains to add depth and richness. It also has a subtle caramel note that elevates both savoury and sweet dishes alike.
1. Tallow
If there’s a fat that belongs in the centre of every ancestral kitchen, it’s tallow. Rendered from the fat of grass-fed cattle, tallow is the most heat-stable cooking fat on earth.
For centuries, tallow was used in everything... frying, baking, preserving, even skincare and candle-making. British fish and chips were once cooked exclusively in beef tallow, the secret behind that unmistakable crisp.
Tallow is rich in stearic acid, a fatty acid that supports mitochondrial health, helping your cells burn fuel efficiently and maintain metabolic flexibility. It’s also abundant in fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K2), critical for hormone balance, bone density, and immune strength. Unlike polyunsaturated seed oils, tallow doesn’t oxidise under heat, it stays stable, clean, and nourishing. It’s as close as you can get to the fat that built us, biologically speaking.
Use tallow for frying, roasting, or making the crispiest potatoes you’ve ever tasted. A spoonful melted into stews or bone broth adds depth and nutrition. You can even use it as a natural moisturiser, its composition mirrors the oils in human skin.
