Oil - what kind for general use?

[TheNoodleIncident]

need some oil advice....im going to Whole Foods, and they have pretty much every kind you can imagine

we use very little oil in our house, so the one bottle i get will need to be used for all general purposes....it needs to have a high smoke point since it will occasionally be used to sear steaks and other things, and will also be used to saute veggies and other stuff....i dont mind if it imparts some flavor, but it cant be over powering...id like one that is as healthy as possible.....it prob wont need to be used as a finishing oil (ill get some EVOO for that), but i may occasionally use it as a base for salad dressing and vinaigrettes (though not too often)

ive heard about grapeseed, safflower and other interesting ones....i want something different like that, but dont want to waste my money (not cheap, that stuff)

anyone use anything they really like?

 

[Robo410]

canola is a good neutral all purpose oil, with monosaturates like olive oil which are healthy. It is made from the rape seed, grown in Canada thus Can ola.

 

[Andy M.]

I agree. My all purpose oil is canola.

 

[TheNoodleIncident]

yeah, i actually have some canola on hand....was looking for something a little different....i love trying new things....

 

[mcnerd]

My favorite nowadays is GrapeSeed Oil and I'm hoping the price comes down eventually. Its more versatile that Olive Oil.

 

[Uncle Bob]

If you only use small amounts of oil... try the Safflower for something different...

 

[Andy M.]

Canola, corn, safflower are all good choices.

 

[Selkie]

For a high smoke point, almost nothing beats peanut oil. That is what I blend in small amounts with my all purpose safflower oil when I want to do things such as rub down a roast or chicken wings for a high temperature crispy crust. It does have a discernible flavor, so I only add it as I need it and not generally.

I will also keep coconut oil on hand to mix a tablespoon or so with my general purpose safflower oil when frying potatoes. It really adds a fine quality to them!

I use a safflower oil-peanut oil-seseme oil blend when cooking Asian dishes.

I use olive oil-garlic oil blend when basting the outside of chicken or turkey just before roasting.

For myself and the way I cook, there is no single answer, but safflower is the base for much of what I do.

 

[Wyogal]

I use canola and evoo. (rape seed is also grown in northern North Dakota, not just Canada, although most of it probably comes from there)

 

[acetone]

I use extra virgin olive oil 99% of the time. I use peanut oil or sesame oil sometimes for recipes, and coconut oil only if I'm trying to fry an egg.

I never use canola oil, mainly because I'm scared of it. I read many internet sources, and the majority of canola oil produced has been processed like crazy (thus, destroying the fragile omega-3's), and then added with chemicals for deodorization. The end result is an oil that has many chemicals that are bad for your health. The only kind I would buy are cold-pressed canola oil, but unfortunately, they're more expensive than extra virgin olive oil.

 

[Selkie]

My understanding about oils are, unless you are going to use olive oil on a salad or in making salad dressing, or anything where direct taste of raw oil is an issue, using extra virgin olive oil for things such as frying, is a waste. Regular olive oil serves very well for many applications without the expense of using extra virgin or even virgin olive oil.

For pizza dough, rissoto, sauteeing, basting pre-baked fowl, etc. regular olive oil has worked fine. But then, I have to be cost conscious.

 

[babetoo]

I use canola and evoo. (rape seed is also grown in northern North Dakota, not just Canada, although most of it probably comes from there)

me too on both

 

[SnickersMom]

I read the same things about canola oil. I use olive oil and grapeseed oil.

 

[Max Sutton]

canola oil

I use canola oil for cooking. Extra-virgin olive oil for salads,etc. is the only other oil that I use in my kitchen.

 

[jennyema]

I use extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil.

 

[Robo410]

I never use canola oil, mainly because I'm scared of it. I read many internet sources, and the majority of canola oil produced has been processed like crazy (thus, destroying the fragile omega-3's), and then added with chemicals for deodorization. The end result is an oil that has many chemicals that are bad for your health.

It is always wise to check various scare tactic internet messages at sites like snopes.com.(debunking urban legends) I have now seen 5 articles disclaiming this information. One always has the choice to believe what one likes, but canola is safe.

 

[linicx]

I like peanut oil. I use the xxx virgin olive oil for salad dressings. I do't use any oil very often, but when I do I fry and drain.

 

[philso]

as with many others, canola for frying & extra virgin olive oil for most everything else.

 

[Alix]

I never use canola oil, mainly because I'm scared of it. I read many internet sources, and the majority of canola oil produced has been processed like crazy (thus, destroying the fragile omega-3's), and then added with chemicals for deodorization.

Acetone, try to expand your research a bit. Canola oil is not only safe to use its better for you than many of the alternatives. (Corn oil for example) Canola oil is pressed like many other oils, and the color comes from the blossoms of the flowers which are bright yellow. Canola fields are gorgeous in the summer.

The "scare stuff" on the Net all has a purpose, please do check places like snopes.com and other reputable sources for a full spectrum of information. It sounds like you are getting scared about a lot of stuff unnecessarily and thats a tough way to live.

I use canola for anything that requires frying (higher smoke point) and olive oil for things like salad dressings and '"finishing" types of things. I've used grapeseed oil as well, but its too pricy for me to use regularly. Ditto sesame. So canola and olive are the two I use.

 

[CharlieD]

Our Sam's club sells extra light olive oil that is good for tasting and also for high heat frying, or so they say. I love it.
Personaly I do not like canola because it smells like fish oil to me if used in frying.