# what is your standard cooking oil?



## boomchakabowwow (Jan 10, 2017)

i'm a home cook. no pro.

never really thought much about cooking oil until yesterday. we have been using coconut and grapeseed oil, until we ran out and i bought a bottle of canola oil. hmm..wife asked me,,"what is a canola?"

i googled it. and it brought me to reading about rapeseed and all about oils.

what do you use? i think the coconut oil is good and kinda fun to use, but it makes all my food smell like the carribean.


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## bkultra (Jan 10, 2017)

Avocado oil lately


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## WildBoar (Jan 10, 2017)

We use a lot of olive oil, some canola and some corn oil for cooking. For high-heat cooking it is typically canola. We have only done real deep frying a couple of times, and used peanut oil for that.

Various other oils get used here and there, such as for some salad dressings (i.e., walnut oil, grapeseed oil, etc.)


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## Matus (Jan 10, 2017)

Rice oil for mayonnaise (because of its neutral taste) and for anything that requires very high temps, olive oil for the rest.


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## MontezumaBoy (Jan 10, 2017)

What David said;



WildBoar said:


> Various other oils get used here and there, such as for some salad dressings (i.e., walnut oil, grapeseed oil, etc.)



I also use Virgin Olive Oil (generally been flavored along the way with various items) for low temp poaching of fish.

Stovetop use is either Avocado & Canola (depends on how high it is likely to go) ... probably 50/50 use of either though ...


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## panda (Jan 10, 2017)

Mix 3 parts canola, 1 part extra virgin olive


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## Noodle Soup (Jan 10, 2017)

Depends on what I cooking. Given how much Asian I fix, mostly peanut oil. But if I'm doing any kind of Italian it is going to be olive oil.


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## TimoNieminen (Jan 10, 2017)

Grapeseed previously, but I've been using a lot of mustard oil lately. So grapeseed where I want a neutral oil, and mustard where the strong flavour works.


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## Evilsports (Jan 10, 2017)

boomchakabowwow said:


> i'm a home cook. no pro.
> 
> never really thought much about cooking oil until yesterday. we have been using coconut and grapeseed oil, until we ran out and i bought a bottle of canola oil. hmm..wife asked me,,"what is a canola?"
> 
> ...



I'm largely olive or peanut for deep frying.

Speaking of canola, I live in the prairies of Canada and our landscape doesn't get much prettier than when the canola and flax is in full bloom. There are a few areas near me where you can drive for quite a long time without seeing anything but fields of bright yellow, at the right time of the year.


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## DamageInc (Jan 10, 2017)

For cooking fat, 99% of the time I use duck fat.

But when I use oil, it's mainly olive oil in combination with butter. I only really ever use neutral oil for deep frying and then it's either rapeseed or sunflower.


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## bkultra (Jan 10, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> For cooking fat, 99% of the time I use duck fat.



My new hero


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 10, 2017)

Coconut oil is kind of special - solid at room temp, and comes in two very different kinds, and hell expensive. Love it as a tadka oil (instead of ghee).

Peanut as the one go-to oil - 5 a liter, super heat stable and *does not degrade to something completely unpalatable if overheated*. Rice oil as an alternative if there is somebody around that even claims to possible be sensitive to peanuts.

Cheap canola/sunflower oil and/or Alsan Bio (a german brand of quality margarine, probably like Earth Balance in the US) for baking.


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## Noodle Soup (Jan 10, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> For cooking fat, 99% of the time I use duck fat.
> 
> But when I use oil, it's mainly olive oil in combination with butter. I only really ever use neutral oil for deep frying and then it's either rapeseed or sunflower.



On one of my trips to China, we spent about half a day killing and rendering oil from a duck. And then we cooked everything the rest of the day in that oil. And that was the one day I got "sick" in China so I've been kind of shy about duck oil since then.


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## guari (Jan 10, 2017)

Honest question, wasn't canola designed for internal combustion engines or is it a street myth?

I personally use sunflower 90% of the time for pan cooking, olive oil if it has Italian roots, butter for decadence and extra virgin olive oil for dressings. 

I use sunflower because that's what my mom used to use, so I'm happy to learn if there's a better option for high temp pan use..


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 10, 2017)

The canola plant, IIRC, was cultivated from a rapeseed variety that yielded an oil that wasn't very healthy to consume due to very high erucic acid content (like mustard oil, which also is not considered healthy in the west if consumed in quantity), and was indeed used for non-food purposes.

Canola/sunflower stuff is rich in PUFA - healthy but burns the easiest, so unlikely to END UP healthy if heated severely - you could be better off with an intact monounsaturate or saturate than with the ashes of a polyunsaturate. Let's mention the topic of O3/O6 PUFA ratios once but NOT start a health discussion


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## guari (Jan 10, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> Canola/sunflower stuff is rich in PUFA - healthy but burns the easiest, so unlikely to END UP healthy if heated severely - you could be better off with an intact monounsaturate or saturate than with the ashes of a polyunsaturate. Let's mention the topic of O3/O6 PUFA ratios once but NOT start a health discussion



Any layman recommendations to replace the sunflower? I do most of my cooking on carbon steel and cast iron, high temp sears then to the oven...

Not really sure if I should add some salt to that puffa!

Thanks!


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## Nemo (Jan 10, 2017)

I also avoid using PUFA in high temp cooking. It oxidises readily at high temp. Oxidised fats are not good for you. MUFA is harder to oxidise. SFA are harder again. FWIW, trans fats oxidise even more easily, which is probably why they are so dangerous.

Sunflower is mostly PUFA (unless it's the variety developed in Russia, I think, that is entirely MUFA and is often used to fry potato chips).
Canola is about 60% MUFA and 30% PUFA IIRC.

I use various fats for different things.
Olive oil is great in salads and for low temp frying.
Macadamia oil also good in salads and has a higher smoke point, so works for medium temp frying. I sometimes use instead of peanut oil because it has a mild nutty flavour but it's almost 100% MUFA.
Avocado oil is similar but has a slightly stronger flavour (Avocado is about 5-10% PUFA IIRC)
Coconut oil works well for higher temp frying. I use it a lot in stir fry.
Ghee/ clarified butter is good for high temp frying.
Butter is good because it tastes great. Burns easlily though (sometimes this is desirable).
Rice bran oil is IMO good for seasoning pans (high smoke point). It has a mixture of MUFA and PUFA. I occasionally use it for high temp frying but I do worry about oxidising the PUFA.


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## 99Limited (Jan 10, 2017)

I use EVOO the majority of the time. I like using coconut oil when sauteing shrimp and mild flavored fish. I use to use butter, but that was 150 lbs ago.


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## Nemo (Jan 10, 2017)

Also, don't confuse the smoke point with the point at which fats oxidise.

The smoke point is generally governed by the type and amount of impurities in the oil. Eg: virgin olive oil will smoke at a lower temp than refined olive oils, but both are mostly MUFA.


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## guari (Jan 10, 2017)

Nemo said:


> Also, don't confuse the smoke point with the point at which fats oxidise.
> 
> The smoke point is generally governed by the type and amount of impurities in the oil. Eg: virgin olive oil will smoke at a lower temp than refined olive oils, but both are mostly MUFA.





Nemo said:


> I also avoid using PUFA in high temp cooking. It oxidises readily at high temp. Oxidised fats are not good for you. MUFA is harder to oxidise. SFA are harder again. FWIW, trans fats oxidise even more easily, which is probably why they are so dangerous.
> 
> Sunflower is mostly PUFA (unless it's the variety developed in Russia, I think, that is entirely MUFA and is often used to fry potato chips).
> Canola is about 60% MUFA and 30% PUFA IIRC.
> ...



Wow. I'm even more perplexed now. Even less sure what to use now. Is there a pdf or a website that explains all of this?

Thanks


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## bkultra (Jan 10, 2017)

guari said:


> Wow. I'm even more perplexed now. Even less sure what to use now. Is there a pdf or a website that explains all of this?
> 
> Thanks





https://www.centurylife.org/whats-the-healthiest-cooking-oil/


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 10, 2017)

So when we talk about prolonged heat load... Hours isn't really a realistic frying time. The few studies I have seen on this the oils were heated over 2-5 hour period. Perhaps some application for commercial fryers but ... At home I wouldn't be concerned


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## notontherug (Jan 11, 2017)

EVOO for dressings. Coconut oil, ghee or rendered bacon fat for cooking (depending on what I'm cooking) and peanut oil for frying. Ocacasionally safflower for homemade mayo. 

I never touch non-food items like canola, "vegetable oil", corn oil, soybean oil and the like


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## zetieum (Jan 11, 2017)

Olive oil for almost everything. I buy 30L once a year in while to a producer in south of France that I like.
Sunflower oil for mayo
peanut oil when deep frying and for the any recipse that my grand-mother used to do: she came from Algeria and made everything with peanut oil. 
Butter for certain ingredient that are so much better in butter, and for recipe requiring dark butter.
duck fat when I want that taste (potatoes for instance).
sesame oil for the taste when I cook asian style food.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 11, 2017)

@spoiledbroth given that ...


... some canola brands start to smell rather unpleasant even when just sauteeing...

... the oil for your deep fryer or frying pot or chip pan might easily clock in a few hours total...

... we all probably laugh at "do not heat over a 180°C" when there is a culinary reason to go higher....

... no one wants unnecessary rancid (burnt/pyrolized/oxidised) oil in their food without a good reason

I would say it is perfectly relevant to home cooking as well.


By smoke point, refined safflower, soybean and avocado oil should be the most heat stable. The last one is too expensive to fry with, the others... let's say your nose tells you a different story...


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## paulraphael (Jan 11, 2017)

I mostly use safflower oil, unless I'm looking for the flavor of olive oil. Very high smoke point, and no discernible flavor. It's also ideal for seasoning steel and iron pan surfaces, with it's high unsaturated fat content.

There are a few other oils I'd use just as happily, but where I live (NYC) safflower is usually the cheapest option. I understand that this can vary a bit regionally. 

Re: canola oil smelling bad ... I've experienced this, with some canola oils but not others. An unpleasant fishy smell. Maybe it has to do with the level of refinement. FWIW, when I staged at a Michelin 3-star seafood restaurant, they sautéed all the fish in canola oil. They had gallon cans of it piled high on wire shelves. I don't remember what brand.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 11, 2017)

@paulraphael fishy smell, exactly what I was thinking about.


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## guari (Jan 11, 2017)

Felt compelled to go ahead and order 4 litres of refined Avocado Oil. I didn't know sunflower didn't live up to high temps. 

Good thread.


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## woyuskinny (Jan 11, 2017)

Used to be grapeseed for neutral, and ovoo (but not a high end one) for everything else. These days's I've been using a lot more coconut oil, as I've been getting more into Thai curries. Whatever I cook, it's usually coconut oil that I use for coating steel/iron pans after washing.


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## Noodle Soup (Jan 11, 2017)

woyuskinny said:


> Used to be grapeseed for neutral, and ovoo (but not a high end one) for everything else. These days's I've been using a lot more coconut oil, as I've been getting more into Thai curries. Whatever I cook, it's usually coconut oil that I use for coating steel/iron pans after washing.



I'm not saying it isn't used but I've never found coconut oil common in Thai curries. Most places I've been in Asia, Thailand, China, Viet Nam, like to use corn or soybean oil because its cheap. And cheap tends to rule the day.


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## WingKKF (Jan 11, 2017)

Peanut oil for deep frying and stir frying, butter for eggs. Can't stand "canola" rapeseed oil due to the slightly fishy smell (must be that omega whatever compounds). Don't mind using olive oil but its pretty expensive. I can even taste the soybean oil in some mayo. Tried coconut but for some reason didn't like it. I guess the taste doesn't go with the other food I'm cooking it with. I don't think there are perfectly neutral oils and it's how the oil tastes in conjunction with the ingredients and what you are used to tasting that determines your preferences for cooking oil.


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 11, 2017)

Canola =/= rapeseed to clarify.

And on behalf of all Manitobans I apologise -_- were responsible for the monstrosity here


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## daveb (Jan 11, 2017)

Grapeseed is my default when cooking. Peanut when frying or a blend. Have used Wesson when it was the only game in town. Someone recently left a lg bottle of avocado behind and I like it but probably won't replace it. Only use EVOO for low temp saute (base for sauces). I don't get the fishy smell so have no down side.


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## woyuskinny (Jan 12, 2017)

Noodle Soup said:


> I'm not saying it isn't used but I've never found coconut oil common in Thai curries. Most places I've been in Asia, Thailand, China, Viet Nam, like to use corn or soybean oil because its cheap. And cheap tends to rule the day.



I like to use it when cracking the cream for frying the paste. I feel it gives a head start over just cracking pure cream. Cracking pure cream yields coconut oil in any case, and this technique is very traditional in Thailand. I guess cheap doesn't rule my day. Put another way, I don't feel that a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil puts much of a financial damper on a meal for a few people. Funnily enough, I drenched some brussels sprouts and stringed russets in warm coconut oil and baked them the other night in a CI skillet. Really pumped in the umami and my 3yo hoovered the sprouts, which I think she'd not have otherwise!


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 12, 2017)

Is the elusive "light olive oil" actually ever found on shelves in the US, or would they rather sell you anything that ain't biodiesel as extra virgin?


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## Anim (Jan 12, 2017)

Virgin olive oil is the best):hungry3:


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## Noodle Soup (Jan 12, 2017)

woyuskinny said:


> I like to use it when cracking the cream for frying the paste. I feel it gives a head start over just cracking pure cream. Cracking pure cream yields coconut oil in any case, and this technique is very traditional in Thailand. I guess cheap doesn't rule my day. Put another way, I don't feel that a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil puts much of a financial damper on a meal for a few people. Funnily enough, I drenched some brussels sprouts and stringed russets in warm coconut oil and baked them the other night in a CI skillet. Really pumped in the umami and my 3yo hoovered the sprouts, which I think she'd not have otherwise!



I've certainly used coconut cream rendered to oil that way but basic stir fry oil used in the same dish was always something else.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 12, 2017)

@Anim not for all cuisines and purposes.


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## paulraphael (Jan 12, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> Is the elusive "light olive oil" actually ever found on shelves in the US, or would they rather sell you anything that ain't biodiesel as extra virgin?



That's a good question. Even the cheapest, crappiest olive oils here are usually labelled "extra virgin." Makes one wonder where all the 2nd and 3rd pressings of the olive oil go. We've long known that olive oil fraud is rampant, but it's hard to imagine how it could be this rampant.


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## paulraphael (Jan 12, 2017)

That all being the case about olive oils, I think you can buy a light olive oil for cooking based on the color / clarity and the price. If it's a light color and very clear, and inexpensive, it probably won't have a lot of flavor or too low a smoke point. So it will probably fine in spite of the inevitable "extra virgin" label. 

It's harder to buy high quality, flavorful olive oil, for raw dishes. The kind that SHOULD be labelled E.V.. You just don't know what you're getting anymore. It's easiest if you know some specialty shop that lets you taste them. In NYC Williams Sonoma used to have them set out on a bar, with pieces of bread (they stopped doing this ... I no longer have a reason to go into W.S.). If you can't taste the oil first, you have to trust other people's descriptions and take a gamble.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 12, 2017)

I'm not in the US, and it's uncommon here too... was wondering because it is oft mentioned in US literature and websites, eg as a solid and inexpensive performer for deep frying...


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 12, 2017)

I know second and third pressings are mixed with canola oil here for a cheaper version of evoo used in commercial kitchens and I guess by uninitiated home cooks.

I'm not saying anything about the validity of evoo on Canadian shelves it's never really been my thing at home or at work strangely.


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## WingKKF (Jan 12, 2017)

I thought "Canola is a cultivar of rapeseed bred to be low in erucic acid" - according to wikipedia.



spoiledbroth said:


> Canola =/= rapeseed to clarify.
> 
> And on behalf of all Manitobans I apologise -_- were responsible for the monstrosity here


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## Casaluz (Jan 12, 2017)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for almost everything.. If you are interested in how to find quality olive oil, I would suggest to read the report from UC Davis on olive oils commonly found in markets, that can be found here: http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/research/files/report041211finalreduced.pdf


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## aboynamedsuita (Jan 12, 2017)

WingKKF said:


> I thought "Canola is a cultivar of rapeseed bred to be low in erucic acid" - according to wikipedia.



There's more to it than that. I'm from Manitoba as well and it was developed at the university here. 

As for what I use mostly coconut oil and/or cultured butter for sautéing and med temps, evoo for finishing or lower temp (when the tastes jibe), also avocado oil when higher heat would like to find some decent peanut oil for stirfrys. Also have organic lard and duck fat I should use sometime for frying with distinct taste.

For raw uses I like flax, hemp, coconut, evoo and something new I tried is called camelina oil (not camellia oil) it has a mild asparagus like taste and is great in salads, but apparently can also take heat well. Kinda pricey to use for frying though.


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 12, 2017)

Using rapeseed and canola as interchangeable is akin to not differentiating between a Roma and a San Marzano. Not the end of the world in most cases but not technically correct especially in the context of a discussion between foodies :wink:


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## daveb (Jan 12, 2017)

I meant to ask earlier in thread. But.

Well south of the border I've always been told that Rapeseed oil had some inherent marketing problems with the name. An entity called Canada Oil or something like that relabeled it and sold it in the states as Canola oil. It's one of those truths that I've never thought about nor questioned.

What's the true story?


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 12, 2017)

Basically rapeseed is the higher classification of canola.

Therefore as Roma is to tomato, so Canola is to rapeseed. And yeah I believe the actual name for that grain is rape leading to some obvious optical issues where marketing is concerned. But canola is genetically distinct from rape. Technically rape with enough erucic acid can be legally designated canola, which muddied the waters a bit I think. At least that's my loose understanding. Most of my family were farmers, quite a few still are.


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## GorillaGrunt (Jan 13, 2017)

I use a lot of different oils; the main one I haven't seen mentioned much is clarified butter. That's my go-to fat for eggs and for browning meats; it gives the majority of the flavor of whole butter but without the risk of burning or becoming beurre noisette. I sauté in it quite a bit too. EV olive oil for anything low temp or raw; I sometimes use it for braising. I also use whatever rendered animal fats I end up with -- bacon grease and beef tallow, and duck or goose fat when I have it (got about a quart from the Christmas goose!) especially for meats and potatoes. Sometimes I match fats, e.g. beef fat for burgers, goose fat for chicken, and sometimes I mix and match.

To the original question, though, if I had to specify "my" cooking fat, definitely clarified butter for the flavor and high smoke point.


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## Cashn (Jan 13, 2017)

At home : avocado oil for sautée, olive oil for raw/wanted taste and the rare time I feel like deep frying something, peanut oil. I do keep rendered jars of beef fat, pig fat, and some duck confit in the fridge/freezer for when I actually feel like doing something interesting. Beef fat rice with bulgogi for example. At work : canola and olive oil, butter when needed.


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## cheflarge (Jan 13, 2017)

bkultra said:


> My new hero



DIITO!!! :goodpost: lus1:


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## chinacats (Jan 13, 2017)

evoo, ghee, coconut, peanut, rapeseed...


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## Nemo (Jan 13, 2017)

Off topic (sorry), but CC, I gotta say, I love that dog (in your ikon). Is it yours?


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 13, 2017)

@spoiledbroth still, realizing "a roma or a san marzano, whichever, will make usable sauce or soup - a red water balloon won't" is 90% of the rent, no?


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## chinacats (Jan 13, 2017)

Nemo said:


> Off topic (sorry), but CC, I gotta say, I love that dog (in your ikon). Is it yours?



Thanks! She's my twelve year old puppy. Still kicks my ass in the mountains (hiking...she used to mountain bike with me too but age is finally catching up).


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 13, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> @spoiledbroth still, realizing "a roma or a san marzano, whichever, will make usable sauce or soup - a red water balloon won't" is 90% of the rent, no?



Totally


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## DDPslice (Jan 14, 2017)

EVOO and butter for eggs, peanut is really my go to. I found some squeeze bottles from a bakery shop and I love squeezing oil in a pan for some reason. I used to use coconut oil all the time for everything but now I'm almost stick of the stuff, best used for South Pacific Asian IMHO. My roomate has avocado oil but for how friggin expensive it was, we just use it for salads sometimes but on salads I mostly make dressings using sesame. I stopped using lard because I'm lazy and rather not but Whole foods would give me their trimmings and I would boil down beef fat. It was good but very distinctive flavor, made me feel like a cowboy. And the best for last. Bacon or sausage drippings, obviously not saving them up but sometimes I just throw on a slice or two of bacon just to use the fat. And to eat some bacon.


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## Marek07 (Jan 14, 2017)

@spoiledbroth - Thanks for the explanation regarding Canola vs. rapeseed oils. Like @daveb I thought the naming stemmed from a marketing problem encountered by the word rapeseed and blithely believed it for decades. Don't even think I've seen oil labelled rapeseed in Australia. 

Thanks to @paulraphael and @Casaluz for the links regarding olive oils. At least olive oils down here _seem_ fairly labelled - local and imported.


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## Artichoke (Jan 16, 2017)

Confused home cook here...

What are some of the best oils for high temperature use? (Specifically - searing sous vide proteins)

Clarified butter?
Bacon fat?

Thanks!


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## guari (Jan 16, 2017)

Artichoke said:


> Confused home cook here...
> 
> What are some of the best oils for high temperature use? (Specifically - searing sous vide proteins)
> 
> ...





bkultra said:


> https://www.centurylife.org/whats-the-healthiest-cooking-oil/



Take a look at the link. 

The short answer is refined avocado oil


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## daveb (Jan 16, 2017)

Grapeseed.


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## Nemo (Jan 16, 2017)

Interesting, all of the different responses here.


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## krx927 (Jan 17, 2017)

For me it is mainly extra virgin olive oil for everything that does not require high heat. I was lucky to find this one a few months ago.





It is absolutely amazing and by far the best olive oil I have ever tasted. No worries that it would be fake, you can taste it immediately. In generally I grew the taste for south Italian EVOO and don't really like the bitter varieties you get from elsewhere.

For anything high heat I always use refined sunflower oil.

In my country it is also very common to use cold pressed pumpkin oil to season salads. Not much other use for this oil except to put a bit into pumpkin soup when you serve it or spice an ice cream with it. This year I also got a few bottles of unrefined sunflower oil. After reading this thread I was checking smoking point of oils and I see this one has only 107C so no use for cooking. But is sure smells amazing, totally different oil than its refined variety.


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## guari (Jan 17, 2017)

krx927 said:


> For me it is mainly extra virgin olive oil for everything that does not require high heat. I was lucky to find this one a few months ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I used, just like you, to use sunflower for high heat, only to recently realise it is a very poor choice. 

Do have a look at the quoted link for info


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