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What Is a Fatty Acid and Why Is It Essential?

WITHOUT getting into words that we cannot pronounce, our bodies need fats, not only to store energy but to absorb vitamins and protect our vital organs from disease (unless you don’t consider your brain a vital organ). We naturally produce some of the necessary fats but others need to be obtained from our diet. The very base of our existence, our cells, are largely composed of such fatty acids making these, well, essential!

Coconut oil, refined/unrefined: Poor coconut oil has been typecast in the role of a nutritional bad guy for too long. Nonhydrogenated coconut oil is perfectly healthy consumed in small amounts. We like unrefined oil for its luscious coconut aroma and delicate flavor. It’s a favorite of ours when cooking Indian and Southeast Asian inspired cuisine.

Olive oil: There’s a reason people have been cultivating this stuff for thousands of years. Olive oil is so good for you, plus its rich, earthy, and fruity flavor is essential in cooking all things Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. We use extra-virgin for almost everything, but the purist might want to use cheaper virgin or blended oils for frying (even though people have been shallow-frying in good olive oils for as long as it’s been made, it can be used for longer or deeper frying. The key is to use low to medium heat, never, ever high heat!).

Grapeseed oil: A light, nearly colorless oil made from pressed grape seeds. We love it in salad dressing because it has the thickness and body of olive oil, but a neutral taste. While it isn’t an essential thing to have, it should be the first item you purchase once you’ve decided to broaden your oil horizons. It’s a bit pricier than canola oil, but not as expensive as olive oil and it’s available in most health food stores and, increasingly in regular old supermarkets.

Peanut oil: Another stock oil in our pantries, peanut oil is a must when cooking many things Asian, as it’s often that little touch of authentic flavor that missing from homemade stir-fries and curries. Its high smoke point also makes it perfect for frying.

Toasted sesame oil: We don’t usually use this oil to cook with, but it adds a fragrant sesame taste to finished dishes and salad dressings. Regular sesame oil can be substituted for toasted but the flavor will not be anywhere as intense.

PANTRY SUNDRIES

Why say “other stuff” when you could say sundries?

Dried Beans: It’s worth making a pot of beans every now and then; we keep on hand the usual suspects that are also listed in the canned section. They’re incredibly economical and the flavor is superior to the canned stuff. It’s helpful to buy them in bulk and store them in one-pound increments for quick and easy measuring and cooking. Quick-cooking beans such as lentils and split pea are an absolute, economical must for soups during those cold winter months when you’re saving up all your money to buy a sled or pay your health insurance. (For information on specific beans, see our bean-cooking section, page 42.)

Grains: Ditch that dusty old box of instant rice! We keep a variety of whole grains in airtight jars in our cupboards, and use them in lots and lots of Veganomicon recipes. (See page 37 for how to cook some of our favorites.)

Nutritional yeast: Not to be confused with brewer’s yeast or any other kind of yeast, “nooch” (as we call it) is great to add an umami (savory) taste to sauces or just to sprinkle on rice and beans. We don’t use it in too many Veganomicon recipes because it’s hard to find and people tend to love it or hate it. Most commonly, this mustard-colored yeast comes in flake form, and that is what we call for in our recipes. But sometimes you’ll find it in powdered form, which is just ground-up flakes. If you can only find the powdered kind, reduce every ¼ cup called for by a tablespoon.

Nuts: Always have slivered or sliced almonds and walnuts on hand for pesto and