What's the Deal with Oils?
Some are more suitable than others for sautéing; some are best for salad dressings. The first thing to consider is heat. If the oil is high in saturated fat, it can be heated with less damage to its structure than those lower in saturated fat. Get to know labels. The best oils for sautéing are peanut oil, high oleic sunflower oil, high oleic safflower oil, sesame oil, and for medium-heat cooking, olive oil (although don't waste your expensive extra-virgin olive oil on the sauté pan, reserve that for dressings.)
Walnut oil, grapeseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, avocado oil and almond oil all are best used in dressings, or other no-heat applications. When baking, most recipes call for "vegetable oil" which is a generic term that usually means the manufacturer has used the cheapest means possible to fill up the bottle. In cases where "vegetable oil" is called for, used Canola oil. It is low in saturated fat, so it is more heart-health friendly than other oils.
As for purchasing, it's best to buy organic oils if possible because most of the plants oils come from are routinely sprayed with pesticides, unless organic.
As for storing, if buying large quantities, make sure it is in an opaque bottle so that light does not penetrate, which can oxidize the fatty acids, making the oil go rancid and lose its beneficial properties. Keep lids tight to minimize contact with air. Oils should be stored in a cool, dry place: on the ledge above your stove is the absolute worst place. Unrefined oils, with the exception of olive oil, are best stored in the refrigerator.
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What is meant by "damage to its structure?" Is there a cellular mutation thing going on, or is it a flavor issue? Thanks!
A trick I learned from Marcella Hazan cookbooks is to cook with 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil -- the olive oil allows you to cook at a higher heat that you could achieve with butter alone, and without the 'browning' and smoke.
For a good, reasonable olive oil, get either Fairway's or Zabar's -- both are an excellent value!
Good going, Sara Kate!
Very nice it's good to see that people are useing different flavor's for there dishes..good info for the one's that are'nt chefs or cooks keep it up
avocado oil on popcorn is dreamy.
yum -- i love walnut oil on salad. such a fresh flavor.
aquarabbit -- do you pop popcorn in avocado oil or do you drizzle it on after? sounds good. plus i make popcorn constantly (only on the stove) so i like to try new stuff with it.
I see alot of "expeller pressed" Canola oil at Whole Foods and I am wondering what that means. At the same, I have heard that Canola oil is not that good for you and that olive is really the best, but to my mind it just tastes funny in some things.
Eggs fried sunny side-up in a little walnut oil. Yum.
amanda
Have you tried using a light olive oil for general cooking as opposed to an extra virgin flavourful olive oil?
I use canola & olive oil, but I prefer olive oil & keep 3 types, light olive oil for general cooking which has a less pronounced flavor, extra virgin olive oil for salads/drizzling on vegs & great organic extra virgin olive oil I bought in Portugal a few months ago, which I use on special occasions. The brand name is Romeu and it tastes bright & peppery!