What kinds of oils do you use?

We currently use a combination of olive, rice bran, avocado, and sesame oil in our meals, depending on the application. Soybean oil is only found in our dishes featuring plantains, since we outsource these and have not yet found purveyors that cook plantains without soybean oil. 

Thistle's approach to cooking oils

Thistle opts for a variety of oils for a few reasons. One factor we consider when selecting oil is how the oil will perform during the cooking and plating of the meal; some ingredients require cooking, and we prefer to select an oil with a high smoke point. Choosing an oil with a high smoke point helps prevent the oil from smoking, which in turn releases damaging free radicals (and a burnt taste) during the cooking process. We also take into account how the oil will be impacted by cold temperatures. We deliver Thistle meals at a cold, food-safe temperature, and some oils coagulate at this temperature - this leads to an unpleasant appearance and texture with items like salad dressing. 

The various oils we choose to use also provide various nutrients and tastes. Thistle uses some oils that are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, like high-oleic sunflower oil, olive oil and avocado oil. To note, we opt for a high-oleic variety of sunflower oil as it mirrors the fatty acid profile of olive oil, containing, on average, 82% oleic fats. Rice bran oil, which has a high smoke point and remains liquid at colder temperatures, contains 2 types of vitamin E along with phytosterols, which help reduce serum triglycerides in the bloodstream. Sesame oil, which also contains phytosterols and antioxidants, appears to support lowered LDL and VLDL cholesterol.

Lastly, a common concern with our oil choices is how the omega 3 fat composition compares with the omega 6 fat composition. Thistle is mindful to use a mix of oils, containing a variety of each type of fatty acids. Thistle also includes plant sources of omega 3 fats, like sea vegetables and certain nuts and seeds. You can review ingredients of our meals on this week's menu here.

Oils in our outsourced products

• While we do not use sunflower oil, we do outsource some ingredients that contain sunflower seed oil (and the sub-ingredients for our outsourced ingredients will be included in the ingredients lists).
• Examples include:
  • Pinto "bacon" (vegan)
  • Crispy chickpeas and favas
  • Rightrice
  • Dolmas