What Oil Is The Healthiest for Deep Frying?

[wysiwyg]

I am along the lines of Katie E and smag, only have olive and canola oils at home for cooking and I rarely fry stuff.
I love olive oil, specially the type that smells strongly and I am aware of all publications about the benefits and Mediterranean diets, etc. etc. However, I would not go to karenlyn's extreme of cooking and frying with olive oil. Not just because of the oil being burnt, but also the fact that the average Mediterranean probably excercises daily more than the average American with grocery shopping and use of public transportation.

To answer virgo152 question, I'd say that Canola is the safest bet when used in combination with a thermometer to control frying temperature. At least, that is what I do.

[tdiprincess]

Originally Posted by Jeekinz

Here's a good read on oils.

That was a very interesting read.
for frying I do peanut oil..
For everything else EVOO all the way...
and some stuff here or there veggie oil....
My fryer always has peanut oil...just make sure there's no one with allergies...

[Michael in FtW]

We've discussed the concept of "the best fat/oil" several times over the past 3-4 years ... and it really comes down to: the best fat to use depends .... (trust me - it's a whole seperate area of science).

Now, for the "can you do it in the oven" part of the question:

Oven-fried potato chips recipes

Oven-fried chicken (Buffalo) wings recipes

Now, I'll borrow a word from BBQ Mikey - "oxymoron". Oven-frying is a form of "roasting" - deep frying is "boiling in oil". Yep, you can do it - but the results will not be the same.

[karenlyn]

Wysiwyg-- you're right! People here definitely get out more, walk more, and are generally more active. So I'm sure that makes a difference. It's a little disturbing, actually-- everyone is so THIN! But they also eat a LOT of olive oil (and pork fat)... a very high fat diet. I don't. I almost never fry-- but when I do, I use olive oil. It's super cheap here, after all.

I really think there has to be something about olive oil that helps keep you thin. Not a scientific theory, of course... just a study in observation. Sure, people here are more active. But not THAT much more active. I think they probably eat as much or more fat here than in the States, yet everybody is (comparatively) thin. It's gotta be the diet. I certainly lost weight when I moved here!

Anyway, just my theory. Olive oil is wonderful! :)

-Karen

[black chef]

Originally Posted by karenlyn

Wysiwyg-- you're right! People here definitely get out more, walk more, and are generally more active. So I'm sure that makes a difference. It's a little disturbing, actually-- everyone is so THIN! But they also eat a LOT of olive oil (and pork fat)... a very high fat diet. I don't. I almost never fry-- but when I do, I use olive oil. It's super cheap here, after all.

I really think there has to be something about olive oil that helps keep you thin. Not a scientific theory, of course... just a study in observation. Sure, people here are more active. But not THAT much more active. I think they probably eat as much or more fat here than in the States, yet everybody is (comparatively) thin. It's gotta be the diet. I certainly lost weight when I moved here!

Anyway, just my theory. Olive oil is wonderful! :)

-Karen

stop looking at olive oil and START looking at one HUGE thing that's a major part of the american diet... one thing that's in almost EVERYTHING:

high
fructose
corn
syrup.

causes insulin spikes which trigger fat storage, etc.

[Russellkhan]

I like grapeseed oil for most frying which I don't want the flavor of the oil to come through, though I don't deep fry often and it is pretty expensive for use that way. If I did deep fry often I would probably go for rice bran oil. I've heard good things about it before - it's the oil used in the fryers at the last restaurant where I worked.

Oh, it's worth mentioning, deep fry oil can generally be reused, especially if you're only doing potatoes or other vegetables. This helps to offset the costs.

I don't use or recommend canola oil. I prefer oils made from foods I would eat.

[MexicoKaren]

I've learned alot from this discussion of oils. Problem is, some of them are not available to me here. Goodweed and others, what do you think about corn oil? That is the oil used most often here, and I really like using it. It doesn't have any residual taste - somehow, I can taste canola oil and don't care for it. I can also readily find sunflower oil, and of course, LARD. I guess we shouldn't even go there.............

[Russellkhan]

Lard is not as bad as it's cracked up to be - but stay away from the stuff in the supermarket - it's usually hydrogenated.

Corn oil isn't in my pantry, but not for any particular reason. I have a lot of oils already, more than I need, probably. I have peanut, EVOO, grapeseed, coconut, palm (both red & white), walnut, and lard. Sometimes I buy rendered duck fat from my butcher too.

[MexicoKaren]

How do I tell if the lard I buy here is hydrogenated? (I suspect it isn't.) The label says "manteca de cerdo" (fat from pork) "100% pura". It costs 8 pesos (about 80 cents) for a half kilo (1.1 pounds). There are two grades available - one is a little darker and has some tiny brown flecks in it, so it must be less rendered. I use it for flour tortillas and pastry crusts -it is wonderful stuff.

[Russellkhan]

Oh yeah, you're in Mexico. I have no idea of the labeling laws there. I also have no idea how the lard is processed there. Sorry.