PrintWhat's the difference in oils?
I am a little confused on what is the best kind of oil to use for different kinds of cooking. Extra virgin olive oil, peanut, canola, vegetable, etc. And does anybody recommend a particular brand?
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10 Comments:
I recommend Spectrum brand Canola oil High-Heat cooking spray. It actually prevents sticking and doesn't burn off quickly like PAM.
Generally, I'll choose canola over vegetable (seems healthier) for high-hear stir-frys and olive oil for lower-heat sautees.
Toasted sesame oil, avocado oil and walnut oil are also "healthy" fats and are delicious in dressings.
bitchincamero at 2:49PM on 05/08/08
I would also recommend using grape seed oil, it's good both for high-heat frying/roasting and salad dressings or mayo.
brooke29 at 3:26PM on 05/08/08
I use alot of grapeseed oil and coconut butter both have a high smoke point and of course a good spanish olive oil
Markbb at 5:00PM on 05/08/08
When I cook, I don't really use oil. When I do, it's either olive oil or sunflower oil for non-Asian dishes. We'll use peanut oil for the random one time a year we actually deep fry fries, fish, etc. I have problems keeping sunflower oil from going rancid unfortunately...so it's been a 3-4 use and toss routine for me.
For Asian dishes, if I use oil, I use a very small amount of sesame oil for the essence. IMO sesame oil is a rather obnoxious oil and can't be used in the same amount as other vegetable oils. With 3 lb of food, I'll only use a teaspoon.
Sorry, I don't have a particular brand.
Cassaendra at 6:28PM on 05/08/08
Extra virgin is really a "finishing" oil - as is toasted sesame oil in Asian cuisine. The fruity flavor and aroma of EV is lost when it's cooked. It's best to drizzle really good EV on a finished dish vs. cooking with it. I use "pure" olive oil when cooking and whatever you do - don't buy the olive oil classed as "pomace." It's the bottom of the barrel.
I like canola oil or vegetable oil when cooking something where I don't want the oil's flavor to become part of the dish. Peanut oil is also a good, high smoking point neutral oil.
For instance, I made this beautiful gray snapper for breakfast one morning while we were in the Keys. (Neighbor caught it - you wanna talk fresh??) I made a conscious effort not to use olive oil instead opting for a neutral oil. I wanted the taste of the fish and the veggies (onions, peppers and tomatoes) to really shine through. I squeezed a lime on the whole thing and it would have been completely different had I used olive oil.
chiff0nade at 7:43PM on 05/08/08
A mild flavored olive oil is the day-to-day go to oil in this house for normal types of cooking.
We keep peanut oil around for deep frying and other particular preparations (though we eat Asian food about 85% of the time, we don't use peanut oil regularly).
Same with vegetable oil.
fuuchan at 11:44PM on 05/08/08
Spectrum has some pretty good info on oils (check out the menus on the left for more topics). As a brand they are pretty good (for one they label the heat range on each oil which is helpful) though I like to support smaller operations. There's some incredible California olive oils for instance.
It has taken me a long time to get some understanding. Some oils are for cooking while some are not. For instance, peanut oil is good for doing a stir fry but adding some sesame at the end adds a lot of flavor and aroma. Sesame isn't for doing the main cooking though.
I love peanut oil and coconut oil but it depends on what I'm cooking. Thai is great for both. And baking is good for both as they both add a lot of flavor (brownies and chocolate cake with peanut oil are amazing). Peanut has a lot of vitamin E too. However, peanut can be dangerous for those who are allergic so you have to be careful if sharing. Peanut oil is great for high heat such as deep frying.
"Vegetable" is just whatever happens to be around all mixed together.
I prefer a good sunflower oil for some basic and neutral stuff such as popcorn. For some reason I'm just not comfortable with canola even organic (which all my oils are now).
It really is fun to try some of the more flavorful oils such as walnut, hazelnut, and sesame.
Buy small quanities until you find what you like and are comfy with. Keep sealed in a dark place away from the heat of the stove; maybe even keep in the fridge and it will last longer. Light and temperature are the enemies especially when mixed with time.
Have fun.
Sieseye at 1:48AM on 05/09/08
For olive oil, we did a review on O Olive Oil, they have a pretty awesome product.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 11:13AM on 05/09/08
Just bought hazelnut oil... EXPENSIVE!
Steamy Kitchen at 2:21PM on 05/09/08
@Steamy Kitchen - yes it is, but sooooo good in a home-made mayo for shrimp salad! Or in vinaigrettes for all kinds of other salads, for that matter!
brooke29 at 3:06PM on 05/09/08