Q:"I recall listening to an American cardiologist on television last year discussing hydrogenated fats. I understood from him that once you heat any fat it renders it hydrogenated… so cooking with good oils (unsaturated, polyunsaturated, etc) is of no significant benefit. And he advocated eating nuts in their natural state and not roasted, to be of benefit. Is there no benefit conferred to baking a cake with canola oil over butter?"
Stephanie
A: Caroline Gunn, director of Food Safety Services in Napier, responds: