Q: All I ever hear about is how good olive oil is for you. But I have to admit: I’m just not that fond of the flavor. Are there any other healthy oils I could use instead?
JVW: What makes olive oil such an appealing choice for many people is that it doesn’t oxidize as easily as other cooking oils when subjected to heat. It also has a high antioxidant content, which helps fight free radical damage in the body. But there is another oil that actually beats olive oil in both categories: macadamia nut oil.
Macadamia nut oil can withstand significantly more heat than nearly any other cooking oil before it starts to burn and smoke. It also has significantly more antioxidant content than most other cooking oils: It contains approximately 450 parts per million vitamin E. Olive oil has approximately 100 parts per million vitamin E.
Perhaps the biggest drawback to macadamia nut oil is that it can be rather difficult to find. But now that many supermarkets are carrying more natural foods, you may be able to find it there. If not, check your local natural food store. If they don’t have it either, there are numerous Internet sources to choose from. Just enter “macadamia nut oil” into a search engine such as google.com and you’ll turn up dozens of retailers who will ship their products to you directly.
Macadamia nut oil can be somewhat expensive — typically $9.50 for 8.5 ounces, and $16.50 for 16.9 ounces, although these prices are approximately the same as a high-quality olive oil.
