Fats & Oils Tier List

The seed-oil debate's main character — low sat fat, neutral taste, endless arguments.

The most studied fat on earth — MUFA-rich with polyphenols the refined oils lost.

The MUFA sleeper — out-monounsaturates olive oil and nobody talks about it.

America's default fryer oil — cheap, neutral, and heavy on omega-6.

Vitamin E champion of the oil aisle — this is the linoleic kind, not high-oleic.

Olive oil's high-heat cousin — similar MUFA profile, more neutral flavor.

The rare fat that brings fiber, potassium, and folate to the party.

Butter's lab-built rival — a fifth of the saturated fat, all of the processing debate.

Finishing oil, not cooking oil — the flavor is the point.

High-heat workhorse — neutral and MUFA-rich.

Olive oil's whole-food form — same MUFAs, plus the salt of the brine.

Iron, magnesium, fiber — the treat with the best alibi in the category.

Clarified butter with a high smoke point — great for searing, not for pouring.

Delicious, traditional, and 51g saturated fat per 100g. Cook with it, don't build on it.

A saturated fat that markets itself as a health food. The MCT story is oversold.