evidence: Coconut Oil: A stable oil (doesn’t go rancid easily) that can be used for cooking at medium-high temperatures. It does have a pronounced coconut flavor, so it’s not considered a neutral oil, but many cooks like its natural sweetness in baked goods. The jury is out on whether it is healthy or not. A couple years ago, it was touted as being super-healthy. Now many nutritionists have dialed that back. Half of coconut oils saturated fat comes from medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs) which have the ability to increase good cholesterol (HDL). However, the other half are long-chain fatty acids that can raise bad cholesterol levels (LDL). I use it sparingly in some dishes, smoothies, and baking. However, I do use MCT oil (meaning they’ve extracted out those long-chain fatty acids) in smoothies and my morning bullet-proof coffee. [...] Vegetable Oil: This is an inexpensive blended oil with a neutral flavor. The problem is, you’re less likely to know what’s in it (usually a blend of corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, etc) so you have less control over the fats you’re ingesting. I don’t buy vegetable oil because of the presence of trans fats. It’s not a particularly healthy oil and there are better options out there.