What oils are in your pantry? Are they the best cooking oils to use? Here’s what you should know from Chef Gerard Viverito, a culinary instructor and Director of Culinary Education for Passionfish, an NGO non-profit organization dedicated to educating people around the globe on issues of sustainability in the seas.

National Healthy Fats Day is March 21st.
 
 
THE 12 COOKING OILS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

In your mother’s kitchen, the only cooking oil may have been all-purpose vegetable oil, a blend of inexpensive oils. Then came the Mediterranean Diet and the attention paid to its heart-healthy olive oil.

Today, there are more than a dozen options for cooking oil. Don’t be stuck with mom’s ingredients. Use Chef Gerard’s handy guide to determine which cooking oils you need to add to your collection.
 
 
EVERYDAY HEALTHY COOKING FATS

Each of these healthy fats deserves a place in your pantry, says Chef Gerard. (Editor’s note: For higher-flame stovetop cooking, you should also check the smoke point of the oil).

 
SPECIAL OCCASION COOKING OILS

These oils have more limited uses, and often come with a higher price.

 
If you currently use sunflower oil, consider this:

 
 
GENETICALLY MODIFIED OILS

If you’re trying to avoid genetically modified foods (GMOs), put these oils on your “do not buy” list. More than 90% of these crops are grown using genetically modified seeds.

 
Give all of your current oils the “sniff test.” If they smell musty, they’re ready the recycling bin.

Replace them with “good oils.”
 
 
ALL OF THE COOKING OILS

There are more cooking oils, including the pricey-but-delicious hazelnut, pistachio, and walnut oils; and powerful dark sesame oil, which is delicious when used in moderation. Take a look at the different cooking oils in our Culinary Oils Glossary.

And check to see if your oil should be kept in the fridge. Some are very hardy and stay well on the shelf for two years; others, less so.
 
 
 
 
 
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[2] Coconut oil. The liquid form is called fractionated coconut oil. They are equally good for cooking, but differ in their fatty acid composition. Here’s the scoop (photo © Dr. Bronner).

[3] Avocado is a very healthy oil, and also has a high smoke point (photo © Olivado.

[4] Flaxseed oil is extremely high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (photo © La Tourangelle).

[5] Macadamia and avocado oils are both made in Australia. For the best flavor, look for first cold pressed oils (photo © Brookfarm).

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If you’re looking for a great gluten-free cookie, look no further than Soulfully Sweet.

You can tell that many, many test batches were baked to find the magic mixture that makes these cookies taste so good.

With the right mix of ingredients and technique, you can’t tell that baked goods are gluten free. Soulfully Sweet has pulled this off, creating crunchy, very flavorful cookies that easily pass for conventional gourmet cookies.

The best ingredients are not inexpensive, so don’t be dismayed that a box of eight cookies (2-1/2 inches in diameter) is $10.99, and you’ll want all eight flavors. They are a find for the cookie-lover on a gluten-free diet. Once you taste them, you’ll be happy to give up something else to fit them into your budget.

We loved every one of the eight flavors:

 
In addition to gluten-free, the ingredients are non-GMO, mostly organic* and “virtually” soy-free. The cookies are preservative free and all natural.
 
A taste is worth a thousand words, so head to SoulfullySweet.com and indulge your cookie passion.
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*The combination of gluten-free and organic ingredients is often hard to find and very pricey when you do find it. The cookies range from 84% to 90% organic ingredients. This brand doesn’t cut back on the absolute best-tasting gluten-free ingredients, and that, plus the small batch artisanal production, is why the cookies are so expensive.

Soulfully Sweet cookies in three of the eight flavors: Molasses Ginger, Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip. Photos courtesy Soulfully Sweet.

[2] Figs were the first fruit to be cultivated (photos #2 and #3 © Melissa’s Produce).

All of the plant-based food we eat first grew wild. When man transitioned from packs of nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled villages of farmers, they learned to cultivate the foods that were most important to them.

This happened some 10,000 or 11,000 years ago, in the Neolithic Age (sometimes referred to as the Agricultural Revolution).

Man domesticated animals as well; and the stable food supply supported an increasingly large population.

The Neolithic Age is considered to be the final stage of cultural evolution among prehistoric humans: living together in communities.

Also called the New Stone Age, it was the period where man developed stone tools by polishing or grinding*, and began to develop crafts such as pottery and weaving.
 
 
THE FOUNDER CROPS

After 9500 B.C.E. the eight so-called “founder crops” of agriculture appear in the Fertile Crescent, the land in and around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

That area is now include Mesopotamia, and the Levant*, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The eight wild crops that were the first to be cultivated were:

 
Although archaeologists believe that wheat was the first crop to be cultivated on a significant scale, all eight crops appear “more or less simultaneously” in sites in the Levant [source].

*The previous age or period, the Paleolithic, was the age of chipped-stone tools. Following the Neolithic was the Bronze Age, which saw the development of metal tools.

†The Levant was a large area in southwest Asia: south of the Taurus Mountains, with the Mediterranean Sea as the western boundary, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia in the east. “Levant” is an English term that first appeared in 1497. It originally referred to the “Mediterranean lands east of Italy.” The historical area comprises modern-day Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. Among other popular foods, Levantine cuisine gave birth to baklava, balafel, kebabs, mezze (including tabbouleh, hummus and baba ghanoush), pita and za’atar, among other dishes that are enjoyed in the U.S. and around the world.
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Fig trees follow shortly; or, based on newer evidence, they may have been the first cultivated crop of all.

Scientists have found remains of figs in Jericho, near the Jordan River in what is now called the West Bank, an area formerly called Palestinian territories and the State of Palestine. They appear to be the earliest known cultivated fruit crop—and perhaps the first cultivated crop anywhere. The figs were dated to 11,400 years ago. As archaeologists continue to unearth new evidence, our knowledge will evolve.

For example, the latest findings show that the olive was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago, following figs as the earliest domesticated fruit.

Even with the advent of farming, other foods were still gathered wild, including lentils, almonds and pistachios, wild oats and wild barley. No food source was left uneaten!

Remains of dates have been found on a number of Neolithic sites, particularly in Syria and Egypt. This means that they were being eaten by man as much as 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, although we have no proof that they were cultivated that early. [Source]
 
 
WHAT ABOUT ANIMALS?

Sheep and goats were the first domesticated food animals, followed by cattle and pigs. Man’s best friend, the dog, was domesticated in the Paleolithic by hunter-gatherers, some 12,000 years ago.

HOW DID FARMING BEGIN?

People collected and planted the seeds of wild plants. Over time, the first farmers learned how much water and sunlight were needed for success. Weeks or months later, when the plants blossomed, they harvested the food crops.

 
In the Far East, domestication occurred separately, but at about the same time.

 
 
And the rest is [agriculture] history!

> National Agriculture Week (Ag Week) is the 3rd week in March.

> National Agriculture Day (Ag Day) is the third Tuesday in March.

[3] Chickpeas (they’re inside the green shell) were a founder crop. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

[4] Olives were one of the first cultivated foods (photo © Oleamea Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

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[2] Cherry, chocolate and cashew granola bars from Love And Zest. Here’s the recipe (photo © Love And Zest).

[3] Use Old Fashioned Oats, not quick oats, for granola bar recipes (photo © Quaker Oats).

It’s National Granola Bar Day. Even if you’re happy with the bars you buy, it’s the day to make your own custom recipe (ours is dark chocolate chunks, dried cherries and pistachio nuts, sometimes with a bit of coconut).

A delicious recipe and history of granola bars follow.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The year’s 90 snack holidays.

> The year’s 14 cereal holidays.
 
 
HISTORY OF THE GRANOLA BAR

Here’s the history of granola breakfast cereal, which was invented in the 19th century by Dr. James Caleb Jackson for his sanitarium patients. It was the first dry breakfast cereal, and the first to be eaten cold.

He actually invented “granula.” In 1881, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, proprietor of another sanitarium, copied his recipe; when Jackson brought a lawsuit, Kellogg changed the name of his product to granola.

Granola bars did not appear until much later, as a better-for-you snack. Most sources credit Stanley Mason (1921-2006) as the innovator. Mason was a tireless inventor. His more than 100 inventions also included the squeezable ketchup bottle, dental floss dispensers and disposable diapers.

He invented the granola bar in the 1970s by pressing loose granola to create a bar. This claim is disputed by Henry Kimball, who has a copy of a letter he allegedly sent in 1975 to an organization called the Idea Marketplace describing his granola bar invention [source].

Granola bars are dense, chewy cereal bars made from granola ingredients—oats, honey and inclusions like dried fruits and nuts. These days, chocolate baking chips, peanut butter and other ingredients not imagined by either Jackson or Mason, are often added.

Beyond the U.S., the granola bar goes by different names. It’s known as a flapjack in the U.K and Ireland, a muesli bar or cereal bar in Australia and New Zealand.

There are no “wrong” additions to a granola bar, although M&Ms and marshmallows seem to defeat the purpose of a nutritious snack. Here’s a basic recipe:
 
 
RECIPE: GRANOLA BARS

Ingredients

 
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*If you don’t like these ingredients, use more oats. For gluten-free bars, use gluten-free rolled oats.

 
More Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper or foil, leaving “handles” on two sides for lifting. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the oats, seeds and nuts and spread onto a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

3. STIR in the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the oat mixture, toss until the mixture is well coated, then add the dried fruit.

[5] Apple pie granola bars from The Baker Chick. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

5. COOL for 2 hours before slicing into bars. Use a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week, using parchment or wax paper to keep the bars from sticking. You can also freezer them for up to 6 months.
 
 

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Top: Mixed greens with apples and pecans.
Second: Shaved Brussels sprouts,
watermelon radishes on greens, topped with
feta from Good Eggs. Third: Edamame, diced
red bell pepper and black beans top greens
at Betty Crocker. Bottom: Thai celery salad
with sliced hot chiles and peanuts. Photo
courtesy Bon Appetit.

These were not free salads; they were overpriced sides. When we mentioned our disappointment to the servers, both mentioned the “limited selection” in winter.

Limited choices, NO. Lack of imagination or sheer laziness, YES.

There’s just as much opportunity to pack green salads with color and texture as any other time of the year.

It’s just as easy to balance the flavors and textures with something bright-colored, something crunchy, something tangy, something peppery and something sweet.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to sprinkle with colorful, crunchy pomegranate seeds or some mandarin segments.

And it doesn’t have to cost more: Use pricier ingredients sparingly and they’ll still add interest.

Here’s how to add interest to winter salads while Mother Nature is taking a nap.

 
START HERE TO BUILD YOUR WINTER SALAD

Pick something from each group, and no one will find your salads boring.

Salad Greens: Beyond Everyday Lettuce

 
Other Vegetables

You don’t have to add fruit to every green salad, although most people will enjoy the touch of sweetness.

Diced, sliced or segmented, you’ve got great choices:

 
Garnishes

 
Plus A Touch Of…

 
For The Dressing

We’re fans of vinaigrettes rather than heavier dressings (although we do have a weakness for a great blue cheese dressing).

Vinaigrettes are lighter, lower in calories (in that you use less), and most importantly, offer so much variety in terms of which oils and which vinegars you use.

Top: Quinoa, arugula, red onion and sundried tomato at California Pizza Kitchen. Second: Mesclun and burrata atop beets, garnished with cherry tomatoes and a jumbo garlic crouton, at Duplex On Third. Third: Spinach salad with apples, beets and sliced almonds from Butterball.

 
These options should keep you busy…until the spring veggies arrive, and beyond.