The main difference between the two oils is the saturated fat content. Canola oil has a higher ratio of monounsaturated fat (a potentially heart-healthy fat) to saturated fat than many vegetable oils.
While plant-based fats are considered more heart-healthy than animal fats, canola oil is generally believed to be a healthier option because it is lower in saturated fat than vegetable oil.
Canola oil has a higher ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat, and free of trans fats, which is considered more heart healthy. While vegetable oil has 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, canola oil has only 1 gram. Vegetable oil tends to be the more cost-effective alternative of the two.
Best Everyday Use: Simply Balanced Canola Oil Spray
A healthier alternative to butter, canola oil is a kitchen staple for cooking and baking.
Our favorite traditional cooking spray is Pam Original Cooking Spray. It contains propellants and emulsifiers that help it perform well. If you often use high heat to cook or would prefer to use a cooking spray that contains just oil and no other ingredients, we recommend Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray.
Excessive exposure to CFC is harmful to your health and the environment so check those labels and looks for CFC-free brands. The Verdict: A spray here and there won't do you any harm, but don't get too trigger happy! Consider ways to incorporate measured amounts of real cooking oils into your daily routine as well.
Whether you fill a reusable pump or opt for commercial sprays, choose olive oil. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats, which are linked to healthier cholesterol ratios, according to an April 2018 article published by Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.
However in a study made by the European Commission, it was concluded that because of the very low percentages of propane and butane found in cooking sprays, they pose no toxicity risk. However, they do warn that any oil-based aerosols may carry a risk of flammability.
Although care must be taken in handling and processing of canola oil and other vegetable oils, canola oil is a safe and healthy form of fat that will reduce blood LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease risk compared to carbohydrates or saturated fats such as found in beef tallow or butter.
Works well: Low-fat, low-calorie cooking
If you're counting your calories, cooking spray is the way to go. A one-second spray contains about 7 calories and 1 gram of fat. By comparison, a tablespoon of butter and olive oil both contain over 100 calories and 12 to 14 grams of fat, respectively.
Canola oil is a type of vegetable oil, and both can be used interchangeably. They both have high smoke points and neutral flavors. You can almost always substitute canola oil for vegetable oil and vice versa, though some may opt for the potentially lower fat content of canola oil.
The best substitute for canola oil? Olive oil is well known to be a heart-healthy cooking oil (source). If you're making something savory like a salad dressing or sauteing, you can use olive oil as a 1 for 1 substitute for canola oil. It cooks similarly to vegetable oil.
Avocado, grapeseed, and extra virgin olive oil are three moderate- to high-heat oils ideal for cooking and baking that will give you greater nutritional bang for your buck.
It's cost-effective. There are definitely other neutral, high-heat oils that work well for frying—canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, and rice bran oil, to name a few—but they tend to cost a whole lot more than generic vegetable oil.
The refined oils that are most often used for deep frying include safflower and soybean oil, the latter of which is often labeled as vegetable oil. Decker says the most stable picks are high in a fat called oleic acid, and recommends using peanut or canola oil.
Canola Oil Disadvantages
Some studies show that a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 can raise your risk of certain diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimer's, obesity, and heart disease. Canola oil is also highly refined. This means it goes through a process that uses heat and chemicals to extract the oil.
However, cooking spray is highly flammable and even explosive, more so than mere cooking oil. So if you are outside with a grill or barbecue going, you are advised to keep the cooking spray away from any open fires.
Soy lecithin and dimethyl silicone are considered to be generally safe food additives, and the levels of propellants in aerosol cooking sprays are too low to be toxic, although they can be flammable, so don't leave them on a stove or near a heat source — and never spray them near an open flame.
Cookware manufacturers agree. According to Anolon, "The use of cooking sprays is not recommended for use on non-stick cookware as cooking sprays burn at lower temperatures and will damage the non-stick coating of your product. An invisible buildup will impair the nonstick release system causing food to stick."
Most commercial baking sprays are made with vegetable oil, which makes this a no brainer when it comes to using this as a replacement to grease your pans. All you have to do is pour some of your vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub it along the sides of the pan in order to make sure the whole thing is coated.
Cooking spray is oil in a can, but not just oil; it also contains lecithin, which is an emulsifier; dimethyl silicone, which is an anti-foaming agent; and a propellant such as butane or propane.
Not all fats or cooking oils are unhealthy. In fact, in their natural and unrefined state, fats can be healthy. When possible, Shanahan recommends avoiding or limiting these eight oils: corn, canola, cottonseed, soy, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, and rice bran oils, which may lead to inflammation over time.