TempoLife › Cooking oils explained: which for the pan, which for the salad

Cooking oils explained: which for the pan, which for the salad

All oils and fats are surprisingly similar in energy — one tablespoon is roughly 90–120 kcal. The difference is what they are good for, and how easily you pour too much without noticing.

TempoLife data line (2026-08-31): The busiest logging hour in August 2026 was 20:00, with 64 meal records. Method and limitations.

Updated 2026-08-31

Energy: everything is in one class

Oil and fat are the most energy-dense foods: about 900 kcal per 100 g. A teaspoon is about 45 kcal, a tablespoon about 90–120 kcal — and that holds for olive, rapeseed and coconut oil as well as butter.

These are general guides, not exact measurements — but the class differences are small.

Pan oil vs salad oil

For high heat, prefer oils that handle heat: refined rapeseed or avocado oil. Extra-virgin olive oil is best in salads and finished dishes, where taste counts. Butter is for flavour — in energy terms it sits in the same class.

A practical split: rapeseed or avocado for the pan, olive for cold dishes, butter for taste.

How much actually ends up in the food

A "splash" into the pan is often two or three tablespoons — 200–350 kcal nobody sees. Frying makes food absorb part of the fat; restaurant portions are usually larger still.

Oil is the most common invisible add-on energy — which is exactly why it deserves conscious dosing.

Fat is not the enemy

Fat is necessary: it helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins, plays a role in hormones and creates fullness. The problem is not the oil itself but that the amount is invisible to the eye.

The question is not "whether oil" but "how much oil".

Measure without a scale

Guides: a teaspoon of oil is about 5 g and 45 kcal, a tablespoon about 14 g and 120 kcal. Measure once with an actual spoon to see how much you really pour — it is usually the most useful 30 seconds of the week.

After that, eyeballing becomes a lot more accurate.

Oil in the diary

Log cooking fat as its own line — salad oil, pan oil and sauces together often carry as much energy by the end of the day as a whole snack.

A week in the diary shows honestly how much of the day's energy fat carries — and whether that is a place worth changing deliberately.

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