cooking oils...
Posted by teade on Mar 02, 2009 · Member since Apr 2008 · 625 posts
So, I've been meaning to attempt a different kind of oil.
I usually use olive oil or a vegetable oil (canola mixture)
I've seen peanut oil and sesame oil at the grocery store but they are much more than I'd like to spend... then again I don't use oil too often... I really want to try grapeseed oil (also too pricey)
I've also seen safflower oil. I don't know what or how good it is... I've heard that sunflower oil was really good for you, but what about safflower?
Anyone use this before?
Or anyone have any favorites? please share.
I absolutely LOVE tofu cooked in sesame oil. I know it can be pricey, but i'd say give it a shot. I actually found a thing of it (the only size i've ever seen sesame in) and it was 2.20 or something. Which was cheap compared to most around here.
I use olive oil for almost everything, even baking sometimes. I have toasted sesame oil I use for sauces and garnishing.
Grapeseed oil is great for stir fry and sauteing because you can get it wicked hot without burning.
Sesame oil is usually used just as a flavoring, not something you'd cook with all the time. It's expensive, but it tastes really good and I only use a few tsp at a time (great in Asian-style salad dressings or as part of a marinade or stir fry sauce). I also use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings and sometimes to cook Italian food.
For general cooking/baking purposes, I use rice bran oil. It's really tasteless and has a high smoke point, so it's good for frying at high temps or for deep-frying. It's also supposed to be pretty healthy, as far as oil goes. It's more expensive than the vegetable oil blends, but still cheaper than a half decent olive oil.
interesting! I never heard of rice bran oil... I'll have to check that out. I've been in need of a tasetless oil for those recipes that call for it...
Looks like everyone does like sesame oil... I might have to spring for it. Good ingredients=good food....
just look at that balsamic person.. haha.
Do you have a store with a bulk department? I get sesame, safflower, olive, and sometimes canola oil from the bulk area. I mainly use safflower (because it's the cheapest), but I use olive oil for some things, and sesame for flavor.
We use safflower as a general vegetable oil (for baking and frying). I like it better than canola--canola tastes plastic-ey to me or something.
I use olive oil when I'm not cooking something on high temperature.
I use coconut oil in some Asian dishes because I LOVE the flavor. Tofu fried in some coconut oil is so, so yummy! Granted, it's loaded in saturated fat, but it's good for a treat every once in a while.
Peanut oil isn't really that great. It's doesn't really taste that peanut-ey (or at least the cheap stuff does ::) ). I wouldn't waste your money.
Seasame oil is yummy, but definitely don't use it as your main oil in a cooked dish because it's expensive and doesn't have a very high smoke point in comparison to other oils.
FYI...there are 2 types of sesame oil. One is light in color and has a light nutty taste the other one is sometimes called Asian sesame oil or Toasted sesame oil and has a very strong distinct taste and is used sparingly in dishes. The light sesame oil has a smoke point of 420 so it is good for frying.
hmm, wow! thanks for so much information. I knew very little about the temperature of heating oils.
I think I will spend some extra dollars on some good oils... just two.. one for high temp and one for lower temp.. haha.
I like to use toasted sesame oil in combination with olive oil when stir-frying. The toasted sesame oil is so flavorful that you really only need about a teaspoon or so for every few tablespoons of olive oil, which is good because the toasted sesame oil is rather pricey.
Yeah, i sometimes do half and half sesame with olive or vegetable oil.
Still amazing ;)b
anyone ever use walnut or avocado oils? i have some and i wonder what theyd be good to use with.
Here they don't recommend you actually cook with grapeseed oil, only for salad. They say it breaks down. I don't actually know. Of course, having lived where I do for over a quarter century, IMO you can't improve on olive oil. (BTW if it smells like hazelnuts it's been adulterated with hazelnut oil.)
Back in the 70's it was all something called "safflower oil." Do they still use that?
I've seen safflower oil in the store and thought about buying it...
is it another name for hazelnut?... sorry, I might have misread
Back in the 70's it was all something called "safflower oil." Do they still use that?
I get sesame, safflower, olive, and sometimes canola oil from the bulk area. I mainly use safflower (because it's the cheapest)...
We use safflower as a general vegetable oil (for baking and frying). I like it better than canola--canola tastes plastic-ey to me or something.
I did a quick search on it, and didn't see anything negative. This is a summary from answers.com: "This flavorless, colorless oil is expressed from the seeds of the safflower, also called saffron thistle or bastard saffron. It contains more polyunsaturates than any other oil, has a high smoke point (which makes it good for deep-frying) and is favored for salad dressings because it doesn't solidify when chilled. Safflower oil isn't as nutritionally beneficial as some of the other oils, however, because it lacks vitamin E. See also fats and oils."
This page was good: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0860/is_n3_v52/ai_8562869
Oh, AND apparently you can rub it on for "perfect summer legs."
I get all of my oils at the asian grocery store....they're super cheap there....I just gotta big bottle of Sesame Oil for $2.59 - the same size bottle was $7 at Kroger. Its weird.
Asian store, good idea! I'll check there first... maybe I can get three oils and stay in my price range!!