Oils

[nicklord1]

What are the best oils to cook with from a health point of view

I use sunflower oil , olive oil and peanut oil and grapeseed oil.

All the best

 

[Jeekinz]

Health? I dunno. I only use olive and canola.

Peanut, but only if I'm planning on deep frying something.

 

[RobsanX]

Speaking of olive oil, the price here is through the roof! Is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[Uncle Bob]

My main three are Canola, Olive, and Peanut.

 

[buckytom]

we use olive oil for it's health benefits; evoo for most things, and light olive oil for frying. but boy did i wish that i had some peanut or canola or other oil last week when i made some fried platanos.

olive oil in fried plantains is disgusting.

 

[JoeV]

Speaking of olive oil, the price here is through the roof! Is anyone else experiencing this?

I buy EVOO at the local Big Lots store for $3.50 for 17 oz bottle. Tastewise, you really have to sample olive oil from the many regions it comes from, and there really a bunch of them. Due to regional availability for export, many will be much higher in price than from countries that press huge amounts each year. Really, the sky is the limit on prices, and for too many factors to list here.

 

[PanchoHambre]

I generally use Olive and Canola Oil.

Canola is a recent addition to my kitchen replacing corn oil for frying. Canola is also very affordable and I find it to be a great product.

I generally buy mid grade extra virgin olive oil... I find there is great price variation... I usually look for the lowest cost that is first cold pressed (The "Extra Virgin" designation really does not mean all that much in the US) and use it very liberally... when I get my hands on the lovely thick dark green thick stuff I don't cook with it but use it to drizzle and dip.

I never buy "light" or any other blended olive oil product I don't even understand a use for these.

I also sometimes use flavored oils like hot sesame or truffle to impart flavor to say tofu or risotto respectively.

 

[GotGarlic]

I generally use Olive and Canola Oil.

Canola is a recent addition to my kitchen replacing corn oil for frying. Canola is also very affordable and I find it to be a great product.

I generally buy mid grade extra virgin olive oil... I find there is great price variation... I usually look for the lowest cost that is first cold pressed (which really does not mean all that much in the US) and use it very liberally... when I get my hands on the lovely thick dark green thick stuff I don't cook with it but use it to drizzle and dip.

I never buy "light" or any other blended olive oil product I don't even understand a use for these.

I also sometimes use flavored oils like hot sesame or truffle to impart flavor to say tofu or risotto respectively.

I use light olive oil primarily; I also have EVOO, canola, corn, peanut and dark sesame oils. I use light olive oil for sauteeing, because it usually costs less than EVOO and when you cook with it, you can't really taste the special flavor of good EVOO.

I use a mixture of canola and EVOO for Italian salad dressing (my fave), so I can keep it refrigerated and it won't solidify; corn oil for Mexican cooking; peanut oil for Asian cooking and sesame oil for drizzling; and peanut or canola for frying, depending on the cuisine (peanut for Asian, canola for everything else).

 

[buckytom]

does anyone know if it's safe to store evoo that has cracked black pepper and added?

i love a good, green, grassy evoo with cracked pepper and salt in it for dipping bread. i'd like to see if the pepper could be infused into the oil, but i don't want to killl anyone trying.

 

[Jeekinz]

BT, you could simmer peppercorns in the evoo before hand. Super low heat though. I've had sucess with this using fresh herbs.

 

[buckytom]

great idea, thanks jeeks.

 

[black chef]

my number one oil = rice bran oil, esp. california rice bran oil.

all the good, none of the bad, high smoke point and a LOT less oil into your food.

all the restaurants and lots of chefs are switching over to rice bran oil.

check it out.

 

[mcnerd]

Just a common sense reminder that any oil with added ingredients, even peppercorns, should be refrigerated for safety reasons.

Provided from one of the food science extensions:
"Infused oils and oil-based mixtures of garlic, herbs or dried tomatoes can pose a health hazard if not kept refrigerated. There have been a number of cases of botulism poisoning traced to commercially and home prepared mixtures of garlic-in-oil that were not refrigerated. Refrigeration is necessary because all other conditions that favor the growth of C. botulinum are met: low acid environment with pH higher that 4.6, anaerobic conditions (oil), food and moisture source (garlic), not boiled before eating. Vegetables and herbs in oil. Less has been documented on the dangers of storing whole chilies, fleshy vegetables or herbs in oil, but they, too, are best made fresh with leftovers stored in the refrigerator for use within three weeks. Vegetables have a high water activity level which further encourages the growth of C. botulinum bacteria in an anaerobic environment. Even when dried, there is still the potential for risk, unless the vegetable has been acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower. Dried tomatoes in oil are less of a safety concern than other mixtures in oil because the pH of tomatoes is generally 4.6 or lower. In addition, by drying the tomatoes, conditions become even less favorable to growth of C. botulinum due to a decrease in water activity. Dried herbs in oil also are less of a safety concern because of their low water activity. However, to insure safety it is recommended that all tomato in oil and herb in oil products be stored at refrigerator temperatures."

 

[buckytom]

thanks, mcnerd.
the extensions need better writers, but i got the point. refrigerate.

 

[Lisar]

I use alot of olive oil even though it is outrageously priced. As for deep frying I use peanut oil and every day oil I use canola.

 

[Dumpandstir]

I am pretty cheap. I use corn or canola for everyday fry pan stuff. For the deep fat fryer I purchase the 3 gallon jug at sportsmans warehouse, it is a peanut oil blend for frying. My fryer in the house requires 1 gallon and the out door fryer requires 3 gallons.

I use olive oil for my pizza dough. I use the cheap stuff cause it gets baked. I do like the good stuff on some nice crusty bread, but alas that is a delicacy for me.

 

[radhuni]

I always use refined mustard oil and we are enough healthy.

 

[Robo410]

all oils and fats have the same calorie content per unit. The Mediterranean diet with high olive oil content and the French with a diet of varied fats and wine have both proven healthy enough in various ways.

Both Olive and Canola share monosaturates. Peanut and corn are good for frying.

 

[x-termin8or]

Has anyone here tried olive oil on their toast? With tomato and salt lol? Its kind-of a Spanish thing i think... but its very nice!

 

[mcnerd]

Good but I prefer mine on pizza.