Sauté, Roast or Bake? Choose the Right Cooking Fat

A pan of mushrooms, a tray of potatoes and a homemade pie all need fat, but they don’t need it to do exactly the same thing. Sometimes you want buttery richness. Sometimes you want an oil that coats vegetables easily, or a solid fat that helps pastry hold its shape. Choosing between cooking fats starts with what you’re making, not with finding one jar or bottle for every recipe.

A pan of mushrooms, a tray of potatoes and a homemade pie all need fat, but they don’t need it to do exactly the same thing. Sometimes you want buttery richness. Sometimes you want an oil that coats vegetables easily, or a solid fat that helps pastry hold its shape. Choosing between cooking fats starts with what you’re making, not with finding one jar or bottle for every recipe.

Start with what's on the menu. Olive oil can handle everyday sautéing and roasting, butter brings a familiar creamy taste, beef tallow adds a savoury note, and shortening has a useful place in baking. Here’s how to put those differences to work, from a quick supper to a weekend pie.

Start Your Sauté With the Flavour You Want

For vegetables, onions or a simple pan-cooked supper, Graza “Sizzle” Cooking Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 750ml is an easy starting point. Made with Picual olives, it has a mellow olive flavour and is intended for cooking. You can use it to soften onions for a sauce or toss zucchini slices in a warm pan without reaching for a different oil for each step.

For a buttery finish, stir a little into cooked mushrooms or warm vegetables. Rolling Meadow Grass-Fed Butter Unsalted, 250g is made from grass-fed cream and contains milk. Because it’s unsalted, you can season the dish yourself. Keep the butter refrigerated.

Keep the heat moderate when cooking with whole butter: its milk solids can burn and taste bitter at high heat. For mushrooms, you might cook them in olive oil first, then lower the heat and stir in butter near the end. You get that buttery finish without leaving it in a very hot pan throughout.

Give Roast Potatoes a Savoury Edge

Golden potatoes are a good reason to reach for Beretta 100% Beef Tallow, 375ml. Made from Canadian grass-fed beef suet, it brings a mild, savoury flavour to roasting and frying. The beef suet has been rendered into tallow, so you can spoon it straight from the jar into your cooking.

Use it when a savoury note belongs in the meal, such as potatoes alongside roast beef or a tray of root vegetables. It’s an animal-derived fat, so choose olive oil instead when you’re cooking for someone who avoids animal products.

Prefer the taste of olive oil with your roasted vegetables? Sizzle works here too. Whichever you reach for, give the vegetables a little attention before they go into the oven:

• Dry washed vegetables before coating them, rather than sending extra water onto the tray.
• Cut pieces to similar sizes so they cook more evenly.
• Leave space between pieces instead of piling everything into one crowded layer.

Follow your recipe’s temperature and timing, and turn the vegetables as needed. More fat alone won’t make up for an overcrowded tray.

Choose Butter or Shortening for Your Next Bake

Pastry asks more of fat than a sauté does. Cold pieces of butter help create flaky layers, while shortening can help a crust keep its shape. Rolling Meadow’s unsalted butter is useful when you want a distinctly buttery pastry and control over the added salt. Keep it cold when your recipe calls for cold butter; softened butter does a different job.

Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening, 680g offers a neutral-tasting solid fat made from organic palm oil. It’s useful for plant-based baking when you need shortening rather than dairy butter. Think pie crusts or a frosting recipe designed for shortening, where you don’t want a strong olive or savoury flavour.

Tempted to swap butter for shortening? Start with a recipe written for the fat you have. Butter contains water and milk solids as well as fat, so a straight swap can change how your pastry turns out.

Before you measure:

• Check whether the recipe calls for cold, softened or melted fat.
• Use the specified fat for a first attempt before experimenting with substitutions.
• Give pastry dough its recommended rest and chilling time.

If you’re changing several ingredients, our guide to vegan baking substitutes has more ideas for your next bake. If you're making a vegan pie, remember the filling and toppings too; they'll need to be free of animal ingredients along with the crust.

Stock Your Kitchen Around the Meals You Make

You don’t need all four fats to cook well. Start with what comes up most often in your week. A bottle of cooking olive oil may cover your regular vegetable dishes, while unsalted butter earns its fridge space if you bake often or enjoy a buttery finish. Tallow makes sense when savoury roasting is something you do regularly; shortening is worth considering when your baking recipes call for it.

At Natura Market, you can pick up olive oil for weeknight dinners and butter or shortening for your next bake. Try a different fat in a recipe you've been meaning to make, whether that's roast potatoes or a homemade pie.

Choose one recipe you’d like to make next, then buy the fat that suits its flavour and method. That’s a practical way to try something different without filling your cupboard with ingredients you won’t use.

Disclaimer: This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Its content is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare guidance. Please consult a qualified physician or healthcare provider regarding any medical or dietary concerns. Any topics or product claims mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always review product ingredients and nutrition labels to ensure they are appropriate for your individual needs.