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Which oils are best to cook with?

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#91

Post by jschwartzi »

lsniddy wrote: post #66
gilrain wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do mention canola (rapeseed) oil, and they also mention the temperature they are looking at (365F), so it can apply to whatever cooking methods heat oil to this temperature (frying, searing, etc). Use an infrared thermometer on your pans when heating oil, and you'll soon get a feel for what temperatures are produced by your usual methods.

fun fact about rapeseed oil, the process of refining it actually turns it rancid so it must be deodorized and bleached before sale.

That sounds terrifying except that I use it every day and it certainly doesn't taste rancid, so they must be doing something right.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#92

Post by chishaku »

scurvy wrote: post #76

To me, the largest problem I have with olive oil is the counterfeiting and adulterous nature of the industry and its infiltration by organized crime. I stick with ones made in California, but wasn't Costco busted for selling fake olive oil? I realize it's possible to get good stuff and probably avoid the bad, but I'd rather steer clear of the entire mess and use a better alternative.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/24/opinion/food-c...

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#93

Post by specialist »

chongli wrote: post #56
jwr wrote: post #22

Over the years I've learned to take advice like this with a large grain of salt. Every couple of years this sort of advice seems to get reversed. I still remember reading about olive oil being bad for frying because it was supposedly less resistant to high temperatures and decomposed into something not too healthy. It's been the same with eggs, coffee, and many other things.

That's because "olive oil" is not a monolithic substance, it is a category of substances. Extra light olive oil, which is clearer and lacking most of the flavour compounds and solids of extra virgin olive oil, is just fine for frying and sautéing.

And how. I had no idea.

After reading about counterfeit Italian olive oil, I tried California Olive Ranch. Good stuff! Then I pre-ordered some of their harvest reserve. Wow! Also makes for easy Christmas gifts.

Now I randomly pick a grower from this list. Mostly good so far.

CA Olive Oil Council https://www.cooc.com/2015-competition-winners/

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#94

Post by specialist »

scurvy wrote: post #76

To me, the largest problem I have with olive oil is the counterfeiting and adulterous nature of the industry and its infiltration by organized crime. I stick with ones made in California, but wasn't Costco busted for selling fake olive oil? I realize it's possible to get good stuff and probably avoid the bad, but I'd rather steer clear of the entire mess and use a better alternative.

Me too. That's how I learned about California Olive Ranch and then COOC.

I posted this link upthread:

CA Olive Oil Council https://www.cooc.com/2015-competition-winners/

I'd happily try other growers, like Texas, but haven't researched it.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#95

Post by Jedd »

brycemckinlay wrote: post #58
Jedd wrote: post #5

This is very frustrating... I've always known lard is healthy, but I also thought I'd always known you shouldn't heat olive oil (low smoking point).

This rule mostly applies to Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Refined olive oil (Which is what you'll get if you buy something just labeled as "Olive Oil") has a smoke point that isn't much different to most other oils.

Thanks for that clarification (I see it's come up a bit here, but nonetheless). I'm part-owner of several dozen olive trees, but sadly they're table varieties, not oil. I shall have to do some more investigation on this front ... though I'm likely to just embrace, even more, avocado, grapeseed, and macadamia oils, as well as lard -- that seems easier than keeping more than one good olive oil in the pantry : )

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#96

Post by andy_ppp »

mishkovski wrote: post #37
andy_ppp wrote: post #13

The answer to all of this of course is don't eat fried food. It's all very bad for you!! Try a nice salad instead, I can recommend any of the Ottelenghi cookbooks if you don't have any good ideas!

For most people not eating fried food is not an option. Fried food tastes great and we love it. Yes it is not as healthy as a salad but it is much more fun. Being healthy is only one part of the equation. Eating is a complex process and very important part of our lives which can be adversely affected by any type of limitations. Probably moderation is the key to a healthy and satisfying diet.

I'm only teasing with my comment of course, but some people seem to manage just fine avoiding fried food. You are right - it is socially the accepted norm to eat fried foods, very difficult to adjust that normality from a hacker news comment.

If you stopped eating fried food for 30 days I bet you'd think it was disgusting to go back to; it would certainly taste very weird after a break.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#97

Post by logicallee »

stdbrouw wrote: post #89
logicallee wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how would you describe the taste? I googled and saw that it's kind of like olive oil - if so it's interesting because I can't normally cook with olive oil. (precisely because of its low smoke point - i like the flavor though.)

Peanut oil can be somewhat nutty, but it's a very, very mild tasting oil. Precisely on that account, peanut oil is actually great on salads too, because it's not as overpowering as olive oil can be. No idea about avocado oil.

thanks, but of course I was asking about admiral's avocado oil preference! :) I've never tasted avocado oil.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#98

Post by maxerickson »

bluedino wrote: post #42
benihana wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> First the olive flavor dissapear even before it becomes frying temperature, second it is being replaced by a rancid taste that is totally awful due to the low heat resistance of olive oil It sounds like you're frying with extra virgin olive oil, which is better used as a dressing and not cooked with. Regular olive oil is what you fry with.

Which the article mentions: >> When it comes to cooking it doesn't seem to matter whether the olive oil is "extra virgin" or not. It's pretty obvious the people doing the article or the people who are doing the experiments have never actually cooked.

The research isn't about the culinary desirability of cooking with the various oils, it is about the amounts of some unhealthy compounds that are generated. That statement is made in that context, not in the context of whether extra virgin olive oil is desirable in a culinary sense.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#99

Post by DerKommissar »

baldfat wrote: post #82
gambiting wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I only ever cook with extra virgin olive oil. I really can't tell the difference :P

You need this: http://www.oreilly.com/free/cooking-for-geeks-2ed.csp Seriously your cooking can get a lot better aka will taste a ton better because your not cooking at the right temperature for most of your food. PS My wife said the same thing when we got married. She would now slap out of any one's hands if they even tried to use Virgin Olive Oil on anything besides salad dressings and hummus. PSS Food channel quic…

I agree in general, but in many parts of Italy they generally fry everything in extra virgin olive oil.

Re: Which oils are best to cook with?

#100

Post by baldfat »

DerKommissar wrote: post #99
baldfat wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need this: http://www.oreilly.com/free/cooking-for-geeks-2ed.csp Seriously your cooking can get a lot better aka will taste a ton better because your not cooking at the right temperature for most of your food. PS My wife said the same thing when we got married. She would now slap out of any one's hands if they even tried to use Virgin Olive Oil on anything besides salad dressings and hummus. PSS Food channel quic…

I agree in general, but in many parts of Italy they generally fry everything in extra virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil and Virgin Olive Oil have different smoke points. Are you sure it is Extra Virgin Olive Oil???
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