Fat used for frying

[seans_potato_business]

I'm wondering about the different times (edit: =occasions) when a different fat is used for frying. This recipe says to use two thirds margarine and one third olive oil. I'd like to know what difference one can expect in such as case as this, compared to using sunflower oil and olive oil. Will it be subtle?

 

[GB]

Are you just wondering about time? If so then the fat will not matter as far as the timing goes. It is the temp of the fat that will determine that.

 

[seans_potato_business]

I'm wondering about the taste. I tried it but I'm not sure if I can tell the difference yet.

 

[GB]

Certain fats will lend flavor and others will not. Butter and extra virgin olive oil have definite tastes while something like veggie oil or canola oil will have a very neutral flavor.

 

[BigDog]

Reading the recipe, I don't think the purpose of the oil is flavor, it's to raise the smoking point of the butter. The recipe seems to suggest high cooking temperatures, and butter will burn quickly at high temperatures. Adding a bit of oil prevents that. Unless you are using a stongly flavored oil, it shouldn't change the flavor much.

 

[seans_potato_business]

In this Sauteed Courgettes With Chives Recipe | Recipezaar , I use vegetable oil to saute the courgette. Thanks to the lemon juice, the end-result is great (according to my taste) to mix into a salad. Is the oil necessary? What's the purpose of it? If I could eliminate the oil and have the same or a similar end-result, I'd have a great, healthy dish, quite low on calories.

 

[ironchef]

When combining butter with oil, the solids in the butter (which is what burns) will burn well before the oil is at proper sautéing temperature, especially if you're trying to pan sear or caramelize something. For proper sautéing, your oil should be at least at light smoke before you add the food to the pan. At that point the butter solids will probably have burnt. If it's a light saute where you're not looking to get too much color in the food, then that's fine; you can go with just straight up butter or with a butter/oil mix. If it's not a lighter saute, the butter will burn regardless of if it's combined with oil. There's two ways around this:

1.) Use clarified butter.

2.) Start with oil only, then add butter near the end or to baste with.

 

[ironchef]

In this Sauteed Courgettes With Chives Recipe | Recipezaar , I use vegetable oil to saute the courgette. Thanks to the lemon juice, the end-result is great (according to my taste) to mix into a salad. Is the oil necessary? What's the purpose of it? If I could eliminate the oil and have the same or a similar end-result, I'd have a great, healthy dish, quite low on calories.

Fat is used not only for flavor, but for heat transfer i.e. the cooking process. If you try to saute it dry you won't get the same results. If you want to look for a healthier method, then either steam or blanch the zucchini.

 

[seans_potato_business]

Thanks for the insight

But if I blanch or steam it, it wont taste nearly the same (or at all, I'd imagine). Zucchini is usually pretty flavourless, right? It's that seasoning/lemon juice that does the trick, but I'm not sure it would be the same if I just added them at the end. I'll try it anyway.