Eating & Drinking: Giving Seed Oils the Slip --- From canola to sunflower, cooking oils we've long relied on are now considered unhealthy by some. But how do the alternatives perform in the kitchen? We put them to the test.

“America loves a dietary villain: saturated fat, salt, carbs, sugar and now, seed oils. That's right:

 

The seemingly innocuous vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower and grapeseed oils that have long stocked our pantries are moving up the list of public-health enemies.

 

According to consumer insight firm Tastewise, 62% of consumers say they are avoiding canola and vegetable oils. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called seed oils "one of the worst things you can eat." Many nutritionists disagree, but that has not stopped restaurants and food companies from offering alternatives.

 

The salad chain Sweetgreen has replaced seed oils across most of its menu. Steak 'n Shake boasts that its fries are now cooked in beef tallow -- once a dietary villain itself. Meanwhile, startups Algae Cooking Club and Zero Acre have launched "clean" oils produced with algae for restaurants and home cooks.

 

The furious debate and new high-tech options prompted me to put algae and other seed-oil alternatives to the test and figure out if, and when, to use them.

 

The New Guard

 

"Algae oil" doesn't exactly sound appealing. This is perhaps why Zero Acre calls its product "cultured oil" instead. Either way, the production process is the same.

 

Single-cell microalgae contain oil. Inside a fermenter, microalgae are fed sugar, causing the cells to multiply and the oil to accumulate. The oil is then pressed and refined without the chemical solvents that are commonly used -- and considered by many to be unhealthy -- in seed oils. The result: a versatile oil that is extremely high in healthy monounsaturated fat.

 

Both Algae Cooking Club and Zero Acre oils contain 93% monounsaturated fat compared to somewhere between 70 and 75% for avocado and olive oils.

 

The fermented oils are very low in polyunsaturated fats, which helps prevent the oils from going rancid. This is also a benefit for seed-oil skeptics, who worry that polyunsaturated fats can transform into dangerous compounds when oils are used at high heat.

 

Zero Acre boasts that its oil tastes "nutty." Algae Cooking Club, which counts three-Michelin-star chef Daniel Humm as a founding partner and culinary director, calls its product "buttery." In truth, I didn't detect nutty or buttery flavors in either one. Both oils offered a clean, neutral flavor -- precisely what you want in an oil that might be used in a range of applications, from baking a cake to searing a steak.

 

The Old Guard

 

While these high-tech oils are intriguing, alternatives to seed oils have long existed.

 

Avocado oil, one popular substitute, is also refined for a neutral flavor and can be heated to very high temperatures (over 500 degrees).

 

Refined olive oil also is widely available but often overlooked thanks to years of proselytizing about the flavor and health properties of extra-virgin olive oil. Sometimes labeled "light" or "extra-light," refined olive oils offer the same high level of monounsaturated fats as extra-virgin olive oils but are far less expensive. Their smoke point is relatively high, around 410 degrees. Neither olive nor avocado oil is made using chemical extraction.

 

Testing, Testing

 

With little difference in flavor, the best way to put seed-oil alternatives to the test was ultra-high-heat cooking. I bought some thick, marbled rib-eye steaks, seasoned them with salt and rosemary, and set to work searing them in avocado, extra-light olive oil and the two fermented oils.

 

All worked beautifully, with no notable differences or lingering flavors. The same went for basic salad dressings and baking. I used Zero Acre to make my birthday strawberry layer cake, and I can assure you no one complained.

 

The Upshot

 

If you are intrigued by fermented oils, for their high-tech production or environmental claims, go for it. Algae Cooking Club even offers chile- and mushroom-infused versions for pops of flavor.

 

But those oils can come at a price: Zero Acre's is $30 per 16-ounce bottle. Compare that to $13 for extra-light olive oil.

 

For me, the big reveal of my tests was less-expensive extra-light olive oil. It makes a healthy, affordable swap for the seed oils I've long used for searing, frying and baking.” [1]

 

1. OFF DUTY --- Eating & Drinking: Giving Seed Oils the Slip --- From canola to sunflower, cooking oils we've long relied on are now considered unhealthy by some. But how do the alternatives perform in the kitchen? We put them to the test. Black, Jane.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 21 June 2025: D14.