Cooking oils...

[tapestrybabe]

i mean, i know seseme oil...
and i can tell the difference if someone
uses that over vegetable oil...
but i have no idea...
what the difference
is between like...
olive, vegetable, or corn oil and such...
like its all the same to me...

so whats really the difference??

[kasia]

i used to only use vegetable oil or corn oil, but after recently cooking with extra virgin olive oil, there's no going back. it just tastes so much cleaner and better.

from some cooking site:

Olive oil is an amazing thing. It is high in mono-unsaturated fats that are clinically proven to lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels and loaded with anti-oxidants and flavonoids that help the body in defense against aging and disease. But it can be a little confusing when you are trying to select one to use in preparing meals.

Extra Virgin olive oil is from the first pressing of the olives and are certainly the finest of the olive oils, it also has a lower acidity than subsequent pressings and contains higher levels of phytochemicals that are beneficial to our health.

Virgin olive oils are from later pressings in which heat and chemical extraction methods are used, they are also more likely to be from mixed regions or other countries.

Light olive oil refers to the color and flavor of the oil, it has a milder flavor and is more suited to everyday kitchen use rather than the darker, more heavily-flavored oils

[AliBabaIncorporated]

I love olive oil but the flavour doesn't quite mesh with some things. I keep peanut oil (and sesame oil and chili oil, but I guess that's not really for cooking oil, exactly) around too. But yeah, the first major lifestyle upgrade I made when I got a real job was my cooking: switched from corn oil and whatnot to some nice olive oil.

[kimpossible]

Main differences

*smoking point

The max temp the oil can withstand before smoking. For high heat cooking you need an oil with a high smoking point like peanut, canola or generic vegetable oil.

*fat content

Self-explanatory. The lower in saturated fats and cholesterol, the more heart healthy it is. The so-called 'tropical' oils like palm and coconut are high in sat fats and cholesterol, but as long as used sparingly when they are called for under special circumstances you should be okay.

*flavor

Oils like olive oil or [toasted] sesame oil have strong flavors and low smoking points. Sesame is mainly used for flavoring and to provide some fat. From time to time you can cook with it and experimenting will give you experience enough to know how much flavor it will impart. Personally, I only use it as a seasoning and to add fat. Olive oil comes in multiple types which I think is based on the extraction, which affects quality and taste. Extra virgin is first cold press, is the highest quality and usually has the most flavor. I think it also has the lowest smoking point. Pure olive oil may be extracted chemically, I'm not 100% sure, but I also believe it has a higher smoking point. At any rate, olive oil is very heart friendly and unless you're dealing with rather high heat, is fine to use for light frying as long as you either don't mind, or don't detect any flavor it imparts.

My preference is Mazola Just Right, a base of canola with some corn oil to boost Vitamin E content for high temp cooking, or Extra Virgin olive oil that I get at Costco for low-med temp pan fry. If I'm making something that requires a high sat fat oil, I use non-hydrogenated palm oil. It's a great substitute for hydrogenated vegetable oil or lard, if you don't want to use lard. Not perfect, but it'll work.

[nonamerasian]

Olive oil tastes the best.

[tommyhtown]

The max temp the oil can withstand before smoking. For high heat cooking you need an oil with a high smoking point like peanut, canola or generic vegetable oil.


I use peanut oil for that very reason because my mom sometimes makes me variety of rolls for me to keep in the fridge and fry them when I need them.

[FunK5KeeNJ]

i began cooking with safflower oil not only does it allow the food to come out great, but its alot more healthy too. =o)

[kpih]

LARD! Lard is the best! Choke! Cough! Chest pain!

[s1eve]

I think lard is still popular for cooking traditional Indian curries if i'm correct.

also, besides olive oil, you guys should try avocado oil which can be used for cooking or as a dressing as well as coconut oil which is becoming popular among the health conscious.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

I use peanut oil for that very reason because my mom sometimes makes me variety of rolls for me to keep in the fridge and fry them when I need them.
Avocado oil should be good too for high-temperature cooking. Smoke point is 250C, as compared to peanut oil which is around 220C. (For comparison, smoke point of olive oil is 150C, which is okay for stir-fry or pressure cookers, but not much hotter than that). Though in terms of flavour, don't know how well it would work with various dishes.

Of course, peanut oil has the advantage of being way cheaper and far more widespread. At least in HK, would probably have to go to one of the expat-oriented high-end grocery stores, or maybe a health food store. I doubt Park N' Shop will carry it.

[tommyhtown]

Never try avocado oil. I'll give it a go this weekend.

[asvenus]

wow avocado oil...hmmm...lard in India?? dunno about that one...its pig fat and is popular in countries like the UK...Indians tend to use a variety of different cooking oils depending on region, ranging from peanut, chilli, ghee(purified butter) being the most popular and sesame oils...i usually have olive oil sunflower oil...sesame or chilli if im cooking something that needs that kind of flavour...i hate veg oil it smells and tastes yukkie...

[s1eve]

^shit i was wrong. it wasn't lard, it was ghee that's used for indian cooking.

[Irezumi Kiss]

^shit i was wrong. it wasn't lard, it was ghee that's used for indian cooking.
Ghee wiz, s1eve!

:tongue:

So it's virgin olive oil that's the healthiest then? How about the organic kind? It's a tad pricier but if we're going health factor all the way...

[s1eve]

extra virgin olive oil 100% cold pressed is the healthiest. if you want to go even further with getting those essential fats, supplement your diet with flaxseed oil and borage/evening primose oil.

[asvenus]

awww steve its cool lad...we wont hold it against you...this time :wink:

[kasia]

i was deep-frying shrimp chips today, and i had nothing but extra virgin olive oil. a testament to prior posts in this thread, this does not work. the chips came out stale and black. i'm guessing it similarly wouldn't work if i used it to fry egg rolls or lumpia.

[s1eve]

ur, extra olive oil is not recommeded for deep frying. stick with vegetable oil for the deep fry.

here's a helpful link for you:

http://southernfood.about.com/cs/cookingbasics/a/deepfried.htm

happy safe frying!

[Irezumi Kiss]

I never would've thought about that. I thought cooking oils were all basically the same. What is it about the extra virgin olive oil that makes it bad for deep frying?

[kimpossible]

^The smoking point isn't high enough. Plus, the flavor is strong compared to more neutral oils, it's more expensive than neutral oils good for deep frying and it's the type of oil that you use more for direct consumption like pesto or insalata caprese.

[s1eve]

I never would've thought about that. I thought cooking oils were all basically the same. What is it about the extra virgin olive oil that makes it bad for deep frying?

I wouldn't say its bad, it just doesn't handle well at high temperatures. It has a lower smoke point then other oils. Also, this oil is relatively expensive. I would prefer to use either vegetable or canola oil for the deep fry.

^The smoking point isn't high enough. Plus, the flavor is strong compared to more neutral oils, it's more expensive than neutral oils good for deep frying and it's the type of oil that you use more for direct consumption like pesto or insalata caprese.

Damn, you beat me to the post! :smile:

[jo1to6]

I love olive oil but the flavour doesn't quite mesh with some things. I keep peanut oil (and sesame oil and chili oil, but I guess that's not really for cooking oil, exactly) around too. But yeah, the first major lifestyle upgrade I made when I got a real job was my cooking: switched from corn oil and whatnot to some nice olive oil.

You might want to try the extra light olive oil... it might work better for some things since it has very little if any flavor (as far as I can tell)... or maybe canola oil???

[applehead]

recently i started to use organic grapeseed oil.
and it's slowly replacing extra virgin olive oil at home.
it burns really easily though but it tastes fantasic.
great for sauteeing veggies.