Canstar Blue’s vegetable & canola oil review sees Gold’n Canola, Coles, Crisco, Woolworths and Woolies Select compared on taste, cooking performance, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Gold’n Canola shined in Canstar Blue’s first ever vegetable oil review, earning five-star ratings for taste, cooking performance, packaging and overall satisfaction. It got four stars on value for money.
Frying up a plate of bacon and eggs? Or maybe you’re looking for a butter substitute. Vegetable and canola oils come in various blend combinations and can be used in a variety of ways, which is probably why more than a third (36%) of survey respondents usually get a top-up during their regular shopping trip. But which brands plate up best?
To find out, we’ve asked more than 500 Aussies about the cooking oil they’ve bought from a supermarket or grocer and used during the last three months. Respondents rated brands on factors including taste, cooking performance, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. So, what did we find?
Out of the five brands that received the minimum sample size of 30 responses to be featured in our first ever vegetable & canola cooking oil review, Gold’n Canola sizzled to the top, earning the only five-star rating for overall satisfaction. It also earned top marks for taste, cooking performance and packaging, with four stars for value for money.
Here are the best brands for vegetable & canola cooking oil in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s 2020 review:
Gold’n Canola successfully greased up Aussie consumers with its range of cooking oils, finishing off as the best-rated brand in Canstar Blue’s inaugural vegetable and canola cooking oil review. The majority of brands earned four stars, while Woolworths ended on three. Although a notable mention should go to Coles, which managed to beat this year’s winner and receive full marks when it comes to value for money.
From spreads to cooking oil, Gold’n Canola is described as an ‘everyday family brand’ which offers a source of essential Omega 3 nutrients through products created using Australian canola seed oil. It’s also said to contain 65% less saturated fat than butter. A 4L tin of Gold’n Canola can set you back $18 at the checkout.
Coles supermarket offers a few affordable home brand options of vegetable and canola oil. In addition to regular Coles Canola Oil and Coles Vegetable Oil, the brand also offers options like Coles Blended Vegetable Oil and Coles Canola Oil Cooking Spray.
The vegetable oils usually cost $2.25 for 750ml, $4.40 for 2L and $8.80 for $4L. Its canola range is available for similar prices, ranging between $2.25 and $8.80. Coles also offers a spray option for $1.85.
Crisco is claimed to be one of Australia’s leading olive oil brands, offering a range of canola, sunflower, vegetable and peanut oils approved by the Heart Foundation Tick program. Each bottle is said to be created using premium seeds such as Australian canola seeds, and has a natural source of Omega 3 which apparently contains less saturated fats than olive oil.
Products come in either 750ml and 2L bottles, costing between $3.80 and $6.
Woolworths Select is an offshoot of the supermarket’s own home brand line. Available for a more affordable price than most commercial brands, some products are claimed to provide a natural source of monounsaturated fat and don’t contain any artificial preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. Prices usually vary between $2.25 and $4.40.
Woolworths provides shoppers a cheaper home brand alternative for vegetable & canola oils. Similar to other brands, these come in 750ml, 2L and 4L bottles, although these are available for lower prices, ranging between $1.85 and $9.75.
Our survey found that one in three respondents use different types of cooking oil based on what they’re dishing up. But what exactly are Aussies looking for when they shop? It seems a handful have set their heart on what they consider to be a healthier option, with nearly one in five (17%) worrying about the fat content, but just 11% actually take time to read the nutritional information of their cooking oil.
Price also seems to be a deal breaker. Analysis of our research reveals value for money to be the biggest driver of customer satisfaction, ranking ahead taste and cooking performance. In this case, Coles might be your go-to option. But that’s not to say other brands aren’t worth considering, especially since most achieved a satisfactory four-star rating for the category.
For those who care about the consistency of their cooking oil, consumers tend to slide towards liquid oil instead of spray (40%). In fact, a whopping 73% of survey respondents said they prefer to buy a bottle or jar instead of cans or tins. Whatever you choose, we hope you find our ratings to be a useful side dish during your next grocery shop.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: Dusan Zidar / Shutterstock.com
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and used cooking oil (vegetable or canola) from a supermarket or grocer within the last three months – in this case, 529 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.