# What kind of oil do you use?



## oivind_dahle (Jan 21, 2012)

In you pans?

Heard a lot of different things about oil, and the most healthy freaks I know say that I should use grape pine oil or coconut oil. What do you use?


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 21, 2012)

Cast iron? Nothing works better than bacon fat.


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## oivind_dahle (Jan 21, 2012)

Bacon fat can't be healthy?


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 21, 2012)

Oh yeah it can!

As the demonization of fat is cooling down, and people are starting to look at good and bad fats, pigs are coming out pretty well.

You can also use well rendered lard--but with bacon fat, you get bacon at the end.


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## kalaeb (Jan 21, 2012)

Anything in moderation...I use grapeseed due to the higher smoking point, but love bacon. In fact I am eating some thick sliced applewood smoked right now.


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## bcrano (Jan 21, 2012)

I'm Italian so mostly olive oil. I use grapeseed too but miss the flavor. A nutritionist friend also recommended walnut oil. And cold pressed she said was the healthiest of all. I would guess the relative healthyness would have to do with the amount of oil absorbed rather than the type in large part.


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## EdipisReks (Jan 21, 2012)

i've used lots of things over the years, but i've been sticking with olive oil for a quite a while, now. it works well, and i always have a variety on hand. i did use walnut oil for a sauté, the other day, and i use bacon grease in some dishes, especially beans, but mostly olive oil.


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## ajhuff (Jan 21, 2012)

I like safflower.


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## WildBoar (Jan 21, 2012)

Mainly olive oil, but safflower and canola on occasion. And bacon/ panchetta fat for some things.


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## mateo (Jan 21, 2012)

Peanut for high heat, olive oil for low, sometimes I fry in shortening, bacon and duck fat when they're there... oh and butter. Lots of butter.


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## oivind_dahle (Jan 21, 2012)

I bought some coconut oil today, gonna test it out 
Gonna do a lot of fish coming weeks, so I got to find that perfect oil


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 21, 2012)

Olive oil, though I should like to experiment a little.


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## joec (Jan 21, 2012)

It really depends on what I'm cooking as to which oil. Most things from salads etc it is olive oil, peanut for frying (including stir frying) and conola for general cooking as well as some frying also such as when I don't want the peanut flavor added. I use bacon fat or lard to season my cast iron regardless. I also keep a quart of Ghee (clarified butter) that I make myself and it has a smoke point of 485°F, 252°C. The Ghee also keeps for a very long time. It takes one pound of unsalted butter to make a quart of Ghee and some time.


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## kalaeb (Jan 21, 2012)

oivind_dahle said:


> I bought some coconut oil today, gonna test it out
> Gonna do a lot of fish coming weeks, so I got to find that perfect oil



I have never used coconut oIl, so this comment is pure speculation, but I would assume the smoke point would be very low and it would burn fast. Letme know how it works because it sounds delicious for fish,


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## SeanRogerPierce (Jan 21, 2012)

Canola oil and clarified butter. Everynow and then olive oil.


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## Andrew H (Jan 21, 2012)

Canola and olive oil. If you are doing this for health reasons why are you choosing coconut? Isn't it ridiculously high in saturated fat? (Like 5x olive oil?)


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## bieniek (Jan 21, 2012)

Why you need oil for beautiful fresh norwegian fish? 

Buy a steamer



Plus the oil wont help you if you overcook it!


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## cnochef (Jan 21, 2012)

Mostly canola oil, but bacon fat for particular things like fried eggs.

I also take pure (not extra virgin) olive oil and infuse it with fresh herbs, garlic and chile flakes. I use this for most of my Italian cooking.

For salads and cold food, I use Spanish extra virgin Arbequena olive oil.


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## oivind_dahle (Jan 21, 2012)

bieniek said:


> Why you need oil for beautiful fresh norwegian fish?
> 
> Buy a steamer
> 
> ...



I do fish in 5 different ways, one of them is crispy fried skin side.
Gonna test some coconut oil for that asian taste  

I found this article on coconut oil
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all


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## ManateeAndy (Jan 21, 2012)

Rapeseed and olive oil mostly, sometimes butter for certain things and peanut/sunflower for deep fat frying or when the other 3 don't seem suitable. Coconut oil has a relatively high smoke point, pain using it if you're in a cold climate tho lol.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jan 21, 2012)

oivind_dahle said:


> I do fish in 5 different ways, one of them is crispy fried skin side.
> Gonna test some coconut oil for that asian taste
> 
> I found this article on coconut oil
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all



Øivind, for high-temp frying, use refined coconut oil rather than the virgin stuff. The virgin oil is good to use as a substitute for butter in baking. It also is great for popping corn.

Rick


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## bieniek (Jan 21, 2012)

oivind_dahle said:


> Gonna test some coconut oil for that asian taste



Thats funny.


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## oivind_dahle (Jan 21, 2012)

Thanks Rick.

No virgins for me 
Virigins are mostly used on my cold dishes, like salads and stuff like that. My father brings me virgin from his house in Italy 6 times a year. Im stuck to use that, but its often a great virgin (olive).


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## SpikeC (Jan 21, 2012)

I would think that coconut oil would be very bad nutritionally. I use mostly olive oil, and if I need higher heat peanut. I also have a jar of bacon grease in the fridge that gets used on occasion!


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## EdipisReks (Jan 21, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> I would think that coconut oil would be very bad nutritionally.



maybe mineral oil is more your speed.


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## SpikeC (Jan 21, 2012)

As the article referred to stated:

&#8220;There are a lot of claims that coconut oil may have health benefits, but there is no concrete scientific data yet to support this,&#8221; said Dr. Daniel Hwang, a research molecular biologist specializing in lauric acid at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California, Davis.


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## SpikeC (Jan 21, 2012)

EdipisReks said:


> maybe mineral oil is more your speed.



On my cutting board, yes.


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## mr drinky (Jan 21, 2012)

* Sciabica olive oil for most stuff
* Grapeseed when I need a high smoke point
* d'artagnan duck fat when I want flavor
* Clarified butter when I don't want smoke but butter flavor

k.


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## ecchef (Jan 21, 2012)

Coconut oil is about 85% saturated fat. Makes bacon fat look dietetic by comparison @ around 40%.


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## Eamon Burke (Jan 21, 2012)

ecchef said:


> Coconut oil is about 85% saturated fat. Makes bacon fat look dietetic by comparison @ around 40%.



Plus it tastes like coconut. My wife is crazy about coconut oil, including the health claims, but I just can't deal with making everything taste like coconuts.


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## Ratton (Jan 21, 2012)

I use Rice Bran oil. It has one of the highest smoke points at 490*, is very mild tasting and is great for stir frying and deep fat frying. Check it out! :cooking:


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## mano (Jan 22, 2012)

Olive and grape seed for high temps. 

Canola oil for my paper shredder and sometimes for higher temps.

Coconut for massages. Before I got married I went through a lot of it!


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## swarfrat (Jan 22, 2012)

Avacado

(what can I say, I'm from California)


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## Grunt173 (Apr 8, 2018)

I just read through 33 posts and finally,somebody had mentioned Avacado oil on post number 33.
I just bought my first bottle of Avacado oil yesterday and was trying to do a search on how and what to use it on. I realize that even post number 33 is dated back in 2012 but this might be interesting to kick start it again.I did read that it is good for your heart and eyes.


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

Low grade olive oil and rapeseed oil for frying, but only if I don't have any duck fat or bacon fat on hand. Currently have 6 kilos of duck fat in the freezer so it will be a while.

Occasionally I'll use coconut oil for Asian cooking.


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## RonB (Apr 8, 2018)

I remember when the food Nazis demonized coconut oil to the point that movie theaters stopped using it for popcorn. Theater popcorn has not been as good since. Now it's at or near the top of the list of healthy oils.

Just wait long enough and any oil you choose will be or have been healthy. I use peanut oil and olive oil mostly, but occasionally use bacon grease or butter.


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## Benuser (Apr 8, 2018)

Nobody using goose or duck??


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## Grunt173 (Apr 8, 2018)

Benuser said:


> Nobody using goose or duck??



Check out post 35. He does. I never ever have used duck or goose fat.I am not sure I would like it. My first try at eating duck was a disaster and haven't liked it since.


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## StonedEdge (Apr 8, 2018)

Frying...light olive oil, clarified pork fat, duck fat, coconut oil.

Dressings...extra virgin oo

Lubing my Arkansas stones...mineral oil or baby oil if there's nothing else at hand


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## StonedEdge (Apr 8, 2018)

oivind_dahle said:


> Bacon fat can't be healthy?


Animal fats (from properly raised and fed sources) are way healthier than any trans fats or hydrogenated wanna be oils. So there's that.


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

Benuser said:


> Nobody using goose or duck??



I like using cans of duck confit when I have a large amount of guests. I save the fat from the cans, filter it, then bag it and put it in the freezer. A small jar of goose or duck fat in Denmark is around 8 euros or so. A can of confit duck legs (15 euros) will yield more than the standalone jars. I'm nearly getting the duck legs for free.

I opened twelve or so cans at the end of last year, so I have a huge amount of duck fat in the freezer. I use it for nearly everything. Stovetop popcorn made with duck fat is fantastic.


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## chinacats (Apr 8, 2018)

Damn, for a minute I thought Oivind waa back.

I to enjoy avocado oil...along with peanut, coconut and olive.

...popcorn w/ duckfat!?! That sounds incredible!


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## Xenif (Apr 8, 2018)

Anything with a hot wok or asian base: peanut oil
Fav olive oil: Greek Kamalata
Butter, duck/goose fat and berkshire pork fat alway in the freezer


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

Benuser said:


> Nobody using goose or duck??


I do! Potatoes and potato products (like gnocci) are almost exclusively fried in duck of goose fat in my house. Once you go duck fat there's just no going back... 
Deepfrying is done in cows fat (ossenwit). 

Meats I either fry in their own fats (if I have any decent trimmings, for example when I take the skin off), butter, or when I need higher temperature to for example to get a good crust, clarified butter (bougth in Germany as butter schmalz). If I have any decent trimmings (for example when I take the skin off chicken thighs, or have decent trimmings off a chunk of beef) I often render them and fry in the rendered fats. Seems fitting to fry the meat in fats off the same animal.
Groundnut oil for stirfrying and other high temperature work.
Butter and occasionally olive oil (EV) for lower temperature work / veggies.
Might try lard / schmalz again; I must admit that I really liked how it left for example veggies very... non-oily (like EVOO does). 



StonedEdge said:


> Animal fats (from properly raised and fed sources) are way healthier than any trans fats or hydrogenated wanna be oils. So there's that.


Yeah there's several issues. First of all the scientific opinion on 'animal fats' and saturated fats has largely been reversed over the last few years. Another issue is that a lot of the things that make certain oils (like EVOO) healthy at room temperature aren't stable at higher temperatures and a health bonus becomes more of a health malus. That's an issue with a lot of the unsaturated fats in general; a lot of them actually don't do well at high temperatures.

There's also been a reappraisal of the 'general benefits of unsaturated fats'; there's more nuance to it. One example is how for example there's at least the idea that the ratio of omega3 to omega 6 is more important than was first realized, and adding more omega 6 (as found in most unsaturated fats) might make things worse instead of better. But this is really a field of science that's very much in motion, and nothing set in stone. What is certain though that a lot of the stuff that we took for granted 10/20 years ago was based on really terrible research and / science and is certainly worth calling into question. As a result a lot of the dietary guidelines in Europe have changed quite a bit in recent years.


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

BTW how an animal is fed has a huge impact on its fat composition. Grass-fed animals have far higher omega 3 content in their fats. Once put on a grain diet (often used to fatten them up before slaughter) the omega 3 content slowly lessens over time the longer they are fed grains.

Another interesting example is farmed salmon. They are actually given food supplements in their fodder to guarantee the omega 3 content in their feds that would otherwise be lacking in their farmed diet.


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## StonedEdge (Apr 8, 2018)

Jovidah, I know what you mean that there is little scientific concensus in the world of nutritional sciences and that opinions among experts constantly change. Long story short, we don't know as much as we think we do in terms of healthy/unhealthy fats and their long terms effects. 

For me though, if it comes from an American source I treat is as more or less false information. Too many huge agricultural/pharma lobbies actively sway nutritional sciences behind the scenes over there.


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

StonedEdge said:


> Jovidah, I know what you mean that there is little scientific concensus in the world of nutritional sciences and that opinions among experts constantly change. Long story short, we don't know as much as we think we do in terms of healthy/unhealthy fats and their long terms effects.
> 
> For me though, if it comes from an American source I treat is as more or less false information. Too many huge agricultural/pharma lobbies actively sway nutritional sciences behind the scenes over there.



To be honest a lot of the 'misinformed science' was done with the best of intentions... it was just shoddy science and maybe conclusions that went far beyond anything the data could support, but that doesn't mean there were bad intentions. The food industry mostly just went with it. Admittedly there are some large 'interest groups' that at least try to push certain trends; the pushing of soy-based products like soy milks and what nots are largely a result of efforts to get more money out of what used to be considered waste streams, or at least elements with a lesser economical value, but they mostly try to play into the 'scientific trends' rather than influencing all that much. From what I've seen the sugar and corn syrup industries have been guilty of this to a far larger extent.

But to be honest... the main reason the scientific state of nutritional science is so bad is that it's simply really hard to do within the ethical constraints one normally has. You simply cannot test these things in an experimental setting, so there's always a billion variables you can control. There's a lot of covariations and confounded variables that really muddy the waters and make it very hard to isolate the effect of individual variables.

Another issue is that within research settings things are often categorized together that aren't necessarily equivalent. For example when you just measure 'meat consumption', there's a pretty big difference whether one eats those in the form of steaks from free-range grass-fed biological fancy happy cows, or in the form of processed fast-food trash burgers filled with growth hormones and covered & bundled in complete trash. Yet in research it's often all thrown together. There's tons of more issues like these that plague pretty much every research done in this field, and for every hole you plug you discover 3 new ones, and it's simply impossible to take into account or compensate for all the different variables you can't control.


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## Paraffin (Apr 8, 2018)

Peanut oil is the one I use most. I like the (relatively) neutral flavor and high smoke point. Always used for wok cooking, or mixed 50/50 with butter for cooking eggs. Great for deep frying, or as a thin film for pan-searing steaks or fish with a little butter added at the end to finish. 

Olive oil for lower-temp cooking like sweating onions and garlic, or saute'ing vegetables. 

Saved and filtered bacon grease as an all-purpose flavor additive. 

Once in a while I'll use coconut cream for something like a curry or curry-like sauce. I buy cans of coconut milk and skim the cream layer off the top. Not too worried about health issues one way or the other, because I don't make curries that often.

My wife likes using canola oil, so we keep a big bottle of that. I never use it, not a fan of the taste and I don't see anything good about it except that it's cheap. She also cooks occasionally with commercial lard (Crisco), and would use chicken fat (schmaltz) for some of her Mom's Eastern European recipes, if she could find it locally. We don't go through enough chicken to hassle with rendering it ourselves.


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## Grunt173 (Apr 8, 2018)

So far,it doesn't look like there are to many fans/users, of Avacado oil.


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

Grunt173 said:


> So far,it doesn't look like there are to many fans/users, of Avacado oil.



In Denmark it's incredibly expensive.


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## Grunt173 (Apr 8, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> In Denmark it's incredibly expensive.



I see. lol,it might be expensive here in the States too but since my wife brought it home and won't tell me what she paid for it,I have no idea. Maybe she doesn't want me to know,do you think?


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## StonedEdge (Apr 8, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> In Denmark it's incredibly expensive.


In Canada, too


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

I know that all too well. Here it's around 7 dollars for 500ml for neutral avocado oil. I can get a liter of rapeseed oil for a dollar fifty. I'd rather get duck or goose fat if I'm paying much more than that.


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> In Denmark it's incredibly expensive.


Same here; that stuff is like 40 euros per liter. It's one of those typical hipsteroils that's only sold by treehugger-shops. It's the kind of stuff vegan delusionals throw on their salads along with agave syrup 'because they don't eat sugar'....

Makes me think... what part of the avocado is it even made of? If it's made of the pits, isn't just another case of selling what's essentially derived from a wasteproduct at top prices because gullible people don't know any better?
Kinda like grapeseed oil. The stuff is sold for top money in small bottles for cutting boards, cooking and what not... yet it turns out it's actually relatively cheap in bulk at the wholesaler (~3 euro per liter) because it's actually a wasteproduct from the wineindustry. They have all these grapeseeds and nothing better to do with them than squeeze them for oil...


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

The 7 dollars per 500ml is low grade neutral avocado oil. The cold pressed stuff is much more expensive. It's a damn scam.

My sister buys it. But then again, she also buys gluten free lentil pasta, drinks soy milk, and makes tofu burgers.


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## Paraffin (Apr 8, 2018)

Never used avocado oil, but a quick Googling reveals that it's made from the pulp, with the pit and skin removed. The pulp is pressed, and then run through a centrifuge to draw out the oil and water. Final step is recovering the oil floating on top of the water. 

So it isn't waste product. Considering how little "oil" is actually in the pulp, compared to some other sources, it might help to explain the high cost (along with hipster inflation). I'm still not very interested in trying it, since the oils I use are working fine. Not sure what I'd actually use it for?


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

Paraffin said:


> Never used avocado oil, but a quick Googling reveals that it's made from the pulp, with the pit and skin removed. The pulp is pressed, and then run through a centrifuge to draw out the oil and water. Final step is recovering the oil floating on top of the water.
> 
> So it isn't waste product. Considering how little "oil" is actually in the pulp, compared to some other sources, it might help to explain the high cost (along with hipster inflation). I'm still not very interested in trying it, since the oils I use are working fine. Not sure what I'd actually use it for?


Haha, looks like we were reading at the same time. Yeah sounds like they're actually using at least part of the flesh, so it's not a pure waste product. 
To be honest what really stands out to me is the high smoke point. If it was a lot cheaper I might give it a go for that, but at it's current price I just don't want to pay 5x as much for a few degrees extra. 
Other than that it _might_ be really healthy when raw (kinda like EVOO)... didn't dig too deep on that. But most of those benefits on vegetable oils tend to dissapear once you heat for frying anyway.


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## DamageInc (Apr 8, 2018)

If you are buying avocado oil for health benefits, you might as well just eat a damn avocado.


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## Jovidah (Apr 8, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> If you are buying avocado oil for health benefits, you might as well just eat a damn avocado.



Haha... yeah. Most likely eating the avocado would be healthier too. Lately it's become a trend to juicy and pulverize lots of fruits and veggies, which doesn't necessarily make it a healthier way to consume (from a glycemic point of view). 
Especially with fruits its mindboggling; there's such a wide choice in fruit juices these days which are promoted as 'healthy' but in practise are a lot closer to all the other diabetes-linked soft drinks. Kinda weird... considering how many fruits are basically already in a shape or form that's ready-to-consume. No need to juice it and put it in a bottle.


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## MontezumaBoy (Apr 8, 2018)

I use avocado oil a bit but generally for searing (typically at higher temps) given the smoke point is quite high ... flavor is neutral / cost is around $10 per 1 Litter, I think, although I am always looking for it on sale (that price is for cold pressed). Can't speak to 'benefits' - health, or otherwise, but nice to have an oil that can get super hot ... 

Other oils used, more generally, canola-peanut (sear/saute, Extra Virgin - myriad and for anything YUMMY duck fat ... which is either from the birds or I can get 2#'s for $15 locally / cheaper in quantities.

Try it and see if you like it ...



Grunt173 said:


> I see. lol,it might be expensive here in the States too but since my wife brought it home and won't tell me what she paid for it,I have no idea. Maybe she doesn't want me to know,do you think?


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## chinacats (Apr 8, 2018)

Yes, 2 reasons to use avocado oil are the high smoke point and the neutral taste


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## Grunt173 (Apr 8, 2018)

I'm reading a lot of good info here. I may just have to try some duck fat after all. I better start going to the store more often so I can see how much some of this stuff is costing me , that my wife brings home,like this bottle of Avacado oil.


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## Paraffin (Apr 8, 2018)

Okay, I can see a higher smoke point than say, peanut oil, being a theoretical advantage. But in practice I'm not seeing it, at least for the way I cook at home. I'm careful not to go near peanut oil's smoke point (around 450 deg.F) when deep frying, and even with a 30,000 btu wok burner, stir-frying doesn't really smoke the oil if you add food at the proper time. 

A higher smoke point would be overkill, not to mention horribly expensive if I used avocado oil the way I do peanut oil for high-heat cooking. As it is, I buy peanut oil in gallon jugs to save money, because refined peanut oil isn't exactly cheap either. Taste is another thing, but I don't notice any objectionable taste with peanut oil for high-heat applications like stiry fry or deep frying. It seems to be a good match for the type of meals prepared that way. 

The final issue is allergy pros and cons. A few people are allergic to avocados, and since the expensive stuff is cold-pressed, that might cause problems. From what I've been able to find out, _refined_ peanut oil -- the kind I buy in bulk -- is safe for people with peanut allergies, because the allergens are in the nut protein and not the oil. At least that's what I've read, YMMV, standard disclaimers, etc.


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## valgard (Apr 8, 2018)

StonedEdge said:


> In Canada, too



very, yet I use avocado, coconut, and olive oil the most. Have always pork fat I render for some Cuban dishes, toasted sesame oil, and peanut oil.


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## valgard (Apr 8, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> If you are buying avocado oil for health benefits, you might as well just eat a damn avocado.



I eat avocado aplenty, bought 10 at a time [emoji23], use the oil for the relatively high smoking point


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## mattador (Apr 9, 2018)

Rice bran oil or butter for frying and sauté. Olive oil or animal fat for more specialized stuff


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## minibatataman (Apr 9, 2018)

I'm Lebanese and we use olive oil as much as the italians do, it's on everything here. Peanut oil for high heat because it fries so cleanly.


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## Nemo (Apr 9, 2018)

Olive oil for low temp frying in Western food. Ghee for high temp. Coconut oil for Asian food. It's quite hard to get pure peanut oil here. I use a bit of avo oil but I think I'm not a huge fan of the taste (even though I love eating avocado).

In my view, at at least as important as the smoke point is the oxidation point. This is where the fats oxidise, potentially leading to the quite dangerous oxidised LDL. It occurs at low temps in polyunsaturated oils, higher temps in monounsaturated oils and higher temps again in saturated fats. Smoking can be the result of fat oxidation but it can also result from oxidation of impurities in oils which are not highly refined.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 10, 2018)

Avocado, Olive and peanut.

you pros know the applications


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## K813zra (Apr 10, 2018)

Olive oil if cooking medium to low heat and I want the flavor. Canola oil otherwise. I am cheap...


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## Bill13 (Apr 10, 2018)

Avacado, Peanut, clarified butter, Olive oil and bacon fat in that order. Using much less Olive oil than I used to, not that there's anything wrong with OO.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 11, 2018)

Use lite olive oil. Make two sticks worth of garlic butter(plenty garlic)in the frig. can add fresh Tarragon, white wine, shallots, Spanish saffron, lobster base. possibilities are endless with garlic butter.

I am a fish eater like to grill or cook Salmon in a skillet. Can eat it just grilled or with a sauce. For quality bottom fish steaming Chinese style is best fish is moist and you get the full flavor. I don't care for breaded fish serve that crap to the masses. Even cheap fish will fry in skillet with a ginger sauce.

Trying to eat more healthy having a couple Kirin Ichiban first press malt beers think about it later:O


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## Triggaaar (Apr 12, 2018)

Olive oil. I avoid processed oils.


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## Jovidah (Apr 12, 2018)

You realize that any olive oil that isn't extra virgin is also pretty processed?


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## Chef Doom (Apr 12, 2018)

I prefer the lard that gets left behind from liposuction clinics. Best fat money can buy. Fat women are walking around making their own liquid gold and actually pay to have it removed.


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## DamageInc (Apr 12, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> I prefer the lard that gets left behind from liposuction clinics. Best fat money can buy. Fat women are walking around making their own liquid gold and actually pay to have it removed.



When I got to the clinic, I ask the doctor if I can keep the grease after the procedure. Any good doctor well let you have it without extra charge.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 12, 2018)

oivind_dahle said:


> In you pans?
> 
> Heard a lot of different things about oil, and the most healthy freaks I know say that I should use grape pine oil or coconut oil. What do you use?



Depends on what/how I'm cookingusually either olive, grape, peanut, ghee or mustard oil. They all have different characteristics/tastes.


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## Chef Doom (Apr 12, 2018)

DamageInc said:


> When I got to the clinic, I ask the doctor if I can keep the grease after the procedure. Any good doctor well let you have it without extra charge.


Did you use it to make stir-fry chicken and vegetables? Or was it a soap making project?


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 12, 2018)

I'm losing my appetite with this thread:sad0:


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## Xenif (Apr 12, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> I prefer the lard that gets left behind from liposuction clinics. Best fat money can buy. Fat women are walking around making their own liquid gold and actually pay to have it removed.


Since you have their consent does that also make it vegan ? [emoji10]


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## Grunt173 (Apr 12, 2018)

I think my thread just turned rancid.:fanning:


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## panda (Apr 12, 2018)

i'm a big fan of using blends (mixed yourself)
my go to's are 
3:1 grapeseed/olive
or
3:1 peanut/sesame


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Apr 13, 2018)

Paraffin said:


> ... From what I've been able to find out, _refined_ peanut oil -- the kind I buy in bulk -- is safe for people with peanut allergies, because the allergens are in the nut protein and not the oil. At least that's what I've read, YMMV, standard disclaimers, etc.



Unless you want dead guests / customers be real careful with that advice!

I don't know the medical truth to your statement, but my sister can usually tell if a restaurant cooks with peanut oil because her nose starts to itch / tingle as she comes through the front door. If she doesn't make an immediate exit, the next step is inhaler and epi-pen. I admit she is very allergic! (How allergic is she? One bite of a chocolate chip cookie made in a double batch with 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter led to a night in the hospital when she was in college.)


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## Paraffin (Apr 13, 2018)

Yet-Another-Dave said:


> Unless you want dead guests / customers be real careful with that advice!



Right, hence the disclaimers tagged at the end of the post. 



> I don't know the medical truth to your statement, but my sister can usually tell if a restaurant cooks with peanut oil because her nose starts to itch / tingle as she comes through the front door. If she doesn't make an immediate exit, the next step is inhaler and epi-pen. I admit she is very allergic! (How allergic is she? One bite of a chocolate chip cookie made in a double batch with 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter led to a night in the hospital when she was in college.)



A restaurant like that might be using cheaper unrefined peanut oil. Highly refined peanut oil has no protein content, and (again as I understand it, standard disclaimers etc.) it's the protein in peanuts that's the allergen. That's also why peanut butter can cause an allergic reaction, because it contains the protein. 

The FDA doesn't require highly refined peanut oil to be labeled as a "major food allergen" (source: Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), with a specific exemption for highly refined oils. The the FARE site (Food Allergy Research and Education) says this about it:



> *Highly refined peanut oil is not required to be labeled as an allergen. Studies show that most people with peanut allergy can safely eat this kind of peanut oil. If you are allergic to peanuts, ask your doctor whether you should avoid peanut oil.
> 
> But avoid cold-pressed, expelled or extruded peanut oilsometimes called gourmet oils. These ingredients are different and are not safe to eat if you have a peanut allergy.



Just passing this along for general information. The last line in the first paragraph above should be the operative one, for anyone severely allergic: ask your doctor about it.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 13, 2018)

the entire country of Thailand would kill a peanut allergy sufferer..that sucks.


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Apr 13, 2018)

Paraffin said:


> ... Just passing this along for general information. The last line in the first paragraph above should be the operative one, for anyone severely allergic: ask your doctor about it.



Thanks! That is interesting.

If you have peanut allergies you should know your tolerance and ask about ingredients. However, if you are cooking with peanuts or peanut oil in any context it isn't obvious (e.g. PB&J's are obvious  ) asking strangers to be sure would be a courtesy. Perhaps a life saving one.


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## Jovidah (Apr 13, 2018)

Yeah... you _really_ don't want to gamble with food allergies. I had a girlfriend who was almost killed because someone thought it was a good idea to throw some cashew nuts in a chicken-curry-salad.


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## Paraffin (Apr 13, 2018)

I'm familiar enough with severe food allergies. Before we knew he had developed a late-life allergy to iodine, one night I made my Dad a shrimp scampi with some huge, freshly caught shrimp. He started having trouble breathing, and I rushed him to the hospital. That was a surprise because he had eaten shellfish all his life. It just came on late, and triggered by a large enough quantity of fresh shrimp. I've got a son-in-law with a shellfish allergy, and another relative with nut allergy, but we've established that peanut oil is fine for him.

My personal take on this, is that it isn't necessarily my job as a home cook to consider any and all potential food allergies in the _absence of specific information_ from a family member or guest. If you've got a severe allergy, tell me about it and I'll avoid that ingredient. 

If it's so severe that you can't walk into a kitchen where peanut oil is stored, or there are peanuts in sealed jars, or if it's the celiac thing that can be triggered by small amounts of residual flour (I do a lot of baking), then I probably shouldn't be cooking for you at all. We'll meet at a restaurant, or your house. Luckily our circle of friends and relatives don't have any allergies that severe.


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## Juztian (Apr 15, 2018)

I usually just use Olive oil and Coldpressed Canola Oil, I quite luck that one of my colleagues family lives in Italy so I get really quality Olive oil from the family farm. For steaks I use clarified butter which is awesome.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 15, 2018)

Anyone tried Nanohana oil? It is used in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. I watch Trails to Tsukiji on NHK channel. They eat the plant in the bud stage similar to broccoli and high in nutrition. The oil is said to be good for salad dressing and Tempura. Just checked the Japanese grocery store here has it going to buy a bottle.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 15, 2018)

After reading more seems to be Japan version of rapeseed oil. Yellow flower plant golden cold pressed oil.


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## Chef Doom (Apr 15, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Since you have their consent does that also make it vegan ? [emoji10]


Depends on your definition of "animal" &#128514;


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## Chef Doom (Apr 15, 2018)

boomchakabowwow said:


> the entire country of Thailand would kill a peanut allergy sufferer..that sucks.


That's how America use to weed out the week. Now we have this weird obsession with lengthening the life spans of the sickly.


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## Noodle Soup (Apr 18, 2018)

It would be interesting to know how many Thai's die each year from peanut allergies. Seems like everyone in the US has endless allergies these days.


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## Bill13 (Apr 19, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> That's how America use to weed out the week. Now we have this weird obsession with lengthening the life spans of the sickly.



LOL!


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## Chef Doom (Apr 19, 2018)

Noodle Soup said:


> It would be interesting to know how many Thai's die each year from peanut allergies. Seems like everyone in the US has endless allergies these days.


Only people in developed western countries develop silly allergies to peanuts and eggs. We think we are so smart with our vaccines, pesticides, and antibiotics, yet it is such a mystery that we are slowly losing our ability to eat the very food we grow. It's all part of Agenda 21


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## Jovidah (Apr 19, 2018)

Actually peanuts aren't native to Europe, so it's not that weird if western populations have a higher degree of intolerance to them. And not all allergies are more prevalent in western poulations. For example lactose intolerance is far more common in parts of Asia where there's less of a milk-drinking tradition.


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## Chef Doom (Apr 19, 2018)

Half of the things you eat aren't native to most people. Lactose intolerance is not necessarily an allergy as you can't die from an episode of intolerance. 

On a serious note, the real reason people have so many allergies is that we forgot how to prepare foods. We roast peanuts instead of boiling them. We don't deseed and deskin tomatoes, and non-nixtamalized corn is shoved into everything you eat from chicken and beef to cereal. Not to mention antibiotics destroys the very helpful bacteria you need to break down and absorb.


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## Paraffin (Apr 19, 2018)

Someone mentioned clarified butter earlier in the thread. It's been a while since I used that, but I made a batch the other night to cook some fresh Halibut steaks in a hot cast iron pan. Served it with some leftover homemade orange sauce from a Chinese meal earlier in the week, and it was dee-licious! 

Normally I'd do that in peanut oil and toss in a pat of butter at the end for a flavor kick, but I think this is a go-to method now. At least when I have time to make it, and keep a batch on hand. I forgot how hot you can get clarified butter in a pan.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Apr 19, 2018)

@Chef doom they are nowadays considering Pad Thai an unhealthy food in the west ... has protein (tofu, shrimp, peanuts), veg (garlic chives, lime, radish, beansprouts), and ... well... calories from starch and oil and sugar ... that only sounds unhealthy for very lazy days 

...

If I run out of peanut oil, I consider not even getting up unless I feel like going to buy some  So versatile - the stuff isn't icky raw but takes thermal abuse like nobody's business (hard to burn, and if you do, it doesn't taste or smell up the place like a dumpster fire).

Coconut oil (both refined and unrefined), mostly if something saturated/room-solid is needed, and for tadka.

Alsan (a german margarine) as a baking fat - the stuff is just great for that.

Toasted sesame, chili-infused (chinese style), mustard, olive each for their intended purpose.

Everything else I can usually deal with running out of


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## Bacon king tone (May 7, 2018)

Butter butter butter, haha I work in a French kitchen


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