Overhauling the pantry meant tossing a lot of things out, and making major updates to my grocery list. One of the first things I did was toss out oils that quickly turn rancid, and therefore include bleaching and deodorizing in their processing (yuck!), and which are also high in unsaturated fats, which turn out NOT to be so good for us.

Preferred Oils

• Butter, cultured and pastured
  
• Coconut Oil, expeller-pressed
  
• Sesame Seed Oil, expeller-pressed
  
• Olive Oil, extra virgin
  
• Pork Leaf Lard, pastured (if you can get it!)
  

Any butter is better than margarine, or other oil-based butter substitutes, but if you can get pasture-raised and/or cultured butter, that is best (and seriously delicious). Coconut oil is one of a few tropical oils that are naturally high in saturated fat, and stable (do not turn rancid easily). Sesame seed oil should be used in moderation, but is handy to have in the pantry. Pasture-raised pork leaf lard is full of vitamin D and other nutrients, and if you can get your hands on some, you can use it for sautéing, baking, you name it. I found two good posts on rendering lard, if you are interested—one is using a crock pot, and the other is on the stove top. I can get packets of pork leaf lard from my meat CSA farmer.

Don’t be shy about cooking with oils. We NEED the saturated fats and vitamins they contain in our diets! In fact, it is hard for our bodies to use the nutrients in our cooked vegetables without a saturated fat accompaniment. So, braise that kale in pastured butter!