Can You Fry With Flax Oil?

Flaxseed oil is made from flaxseeds, which come from the blue flower of the flax plant. Flaxseeds range in color from golden yellow to reddish brown. To obtain the oil, the seeds are usually cold-pressed, producing a very delicate oil, usually yellow in color. Flaxseed oil is more delicate than the other commercially available oils used for cooking. In fact it rapidly degrades in the presence of light, heat and air. Therefore, it is not recommended for frying.

Why Is the Oil So Delicate?

Flaxseed oil has a unique composition, compared to many other oils. Over 70 percent of the oil is composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids, notes Pennington Biomedical Research Center. This feature is what makes the oil very susceptible to degradation, as polyunsaturated oils are less stable than their monounsaturated or saturated oil counterparts. While being high in polyunsaturated fatty acids does make the oil very sensitive to light, heat and air, it is also this property that makes flaxseed oil so healthful.

What's So Bad About Frying?

When oil is subjected to high temperatures in the presences of light and oxygen, all the protective antioxidants, like vitamin E, are used up, notes Udo Erasmus, PhD, in his book "Fats That Heal-Fats that Kill." Then, in the absence of antioxidants, frying produces free radicals that result in many chemical changes to the oil. Frying and deep-frying produce trans-fatty acids as well as other dimer and polymer products that have unknown effects on health, reports Erasmus.

Best Served Cold

In order to keep flaxseed oil at its best, it must be refrigerated and kept in a dark container. In fact, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends only purchasing flaxseed oils that come in dark containers and that have been cold pressed in the absence of light and oxygen. Due to its tendency to degrade quickly, flaxseed oil should be purchased in small amounts that you can use quickly. Quantities of 250 mL are usually best, especially if they can be consumed in six to eight weeks, notes Erasmus. Enjoy flaxseed oil on salads as dressings, and avoid heating it.

Good for Your Health

Flaxseed oil is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3's. By virtue of being low in saturated fat, flaxseed oil is heart-healthy and may help with cholesterol. Flaxseed oil is the richest source of the omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid, notes Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine has funded flaxseed studies to examine its benefits on conditions like atherosclerosis, breast cancer and ovarian cysts. Some of the health benefits of flaxseed oil may yet be discovered.