Your great grandmother cooked with hog fat, her daughter with Crisco, your mom with butter or canola, and you cook with olive or avocado oil. Why have cooking oils and fats changed, and what are the consequences for your meals and your health? We have all heard of saturated and unsaturated fats, but what does that really mean and how does impact cooking? Moreover, it’s not just technical; fat plays important roles in science, culture and history. Learn everything you wanted to know about fat but were afraid to ask.

Ernest Miller is a chef, historian, educator, consultant and speaker who teaches classes in museums, schools and kitchens throughout Southern California. He is the Corporate Chef for Coast Packing, co-leader of Slow Food Los Angeles, a certified sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers, and lead instructor for the Master Food Preservers of Los Angeles County.