The Only 3 Oils Mary Berry Keeps In Her Kitchen

There's a vast world of cooking oils out there — you can easily lose yourself in the rainbow of bottles, jugs, and sprays at the grocery store — seemingly made from every nut, veggie, and trending food. As one type comes into vogue and another type is demonized, were you to follow what social media has to say, you'd be swapping out oil just about every time you go shopping. Mary Berry is here to cut through the fluff though, and shares that she only keeps three oils in her kitchen.

After all, it's not her first rodeo — the beloved judge on "The Great British Bake Off" is the author of more than 70 (yes, 70!) cookbooks, and knows her way around a grocery store to say the least, having been a regular in the food writing and television spaces since the 1960s.

Berry says a good, high-quality olive oil, a more economical olive oil, and a bottle of sunflower oil are her regular go-tos and the only three types she keeps her pantry stocked with. She says these three types are trusty, and don't go rancid as quickly as trendier options like nut oils. They're choices she can reach for time and time again and the trio gets the job done, whatever she's cooking, without taking up too much room in her cupboard.

Mary Berry is all about keeping her oil selection minimal — she resists purchasing more niche options, knowing full well they won't be bottles she reaches for more than one or two times. Instead, she sticks to the well-worn favorites she knows she'll use time and time again, in a host of different recipes, baked goods, sauces, and dressings. Olive oils, two different types, make the cut.

Why the two different types? We're guessing that Berry views olive oil much like other cooking experts such as Martha Stewart, who preaches similar advice, to save money on your premium olive oils — reserving them for recipes where the flavor will be noticeable, and using a cheaper, workhorse bottle elsewhere. For example, if you're making a homemade salad dressing with many other components like vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and spices, the flavor of the olive oil itself won't be super noticeable amidst the symphony of other ingredients. Use your less expensive bottle here, and save the good stuff for drizzling on crusty bread, tossing with noodles for a special pasta dinner, or other settings where the rich olive oil flavor will be the star.

Berry similarly knows it's worth splurging on the high-quality olive oil — the taste will be much more pronounced and vibrant, though admittedly will cost many dollars more than the less expensive bottles. Both have a time and a place in your cooking.

For the third and final bottle of oil Mary Berry keeps on hand, it has to be sunflower. This pick might not be as familiar or mainstream as options like canola or vegetable oil, but Berry treats it as a must, likely for its versatility and wide range of applications. Sunflower oil is as it sounds, made from the seeds of the sunflower plant itself, and it's racked up some attention due to its potential health benefits (the oil is loaded with unsaturated fats). But we're betting Mary Berry especially loves it for its functionality.

Unlike olive oils — whichever type you use — sunflower oil should be your go-to for high-heat cooking, as it has a high smoke point, meaning it's safe to use when grilling, sauteing, browning, or in any other cooking applications — with one important caveat. Some studies have revealed that health-damaging compounds may be released when repeatedly heating sunflower oil, such as when deep frying. Feel free to cook with it without concern, even at high heat, but it's this repeated heating you want to proceed cautiously with. 

Flavor-wise, sunflower oil, much like its close cousin safflower oil, has a very mild taste, making it a no-brainer candidate to use in a wide range of dishes without them becoming overpowered by the oil flavor itself. Armed with these reliable workhorse oils, you're covered whether you're cooking, frying, baking, or making a flavorful oil dip.