# oil blend for searing?



## chiffonodd (Feb 23, 2015)

I've seen some recommend an 80/20 blend of canola to olive oil. I thought that olive oil had too low of a smoke point though? I've gotten best results (or so it seems to me) using grapeseed, but it ain't cheap. 

What do you guys prefer?


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## cheflivengood (Feb 23, 2015)

grape seed all the way for fish. Duck fat for poultry and beef.


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## JBroida (Feb 23, 2015)

grapeseed oil for me too for most things... i also use clarified butter for quite a bit. Animal fats are fun, but the smoking point is low, so better for larger items.


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## schanop (Feb 23, 2015)

Peanut oil or rice bran oil for less imparting flavour.


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## chiffonodd (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks guys, I've definitely had the best results with grapeseed I think. Would you stick with grapeseed to pan fry vegetables (e.g., breaded egg plant for egg plant parm or potatoes for latkes) or would you "downgrade" to canola given the quantity required? Or maybe you can't put a price on taste


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## panda (Feb 24, 2015)

coconut & peanut


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## scotchef38 (Feb 24, 2015)

Rice bran oil for me,good smoke point,neutral flavour and reasonably priced.


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## Adrian (Feb 24, 2015)

Grapeseed oil has a smoke point of around 400F I believe, which is not dissimilar to refined EV Olive (400-420) and rapeseed (Canola) (400F). I use groundnut for high smoke point (450) or corn oil (also 450 ish). Groundnut seems to impart less flavour. Rice Bran goes up to nearly 500 I believe, but can be a pain to get hold of where I am at a sensible price. 

I tend to use quite a bit of ghee (clarified butter) for light saute. I quite like adding butter or ghee to EV Olive if I want the oil taste to feature.


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## mikemac (Feb 24, 2015)

Interesting article on the subject:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html
Safflower (510) & Rice bran (490) with the highest smoking point...a bunch including clarified butter right behind at 450. Sort of interesting that they show peanut as 'neutral', but clarified butter as 'not'...


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## Bill13 (Feb 24, 2015)

It looks to me they call an oil "neutral" if it has been refined, see the note at the bottom of the chart. They also go into more detail before the chart.

Thanks for the link!


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## Dardeau (Feb 24, 2015)

It's all about the end result, clarified butter is you want one taste, lard if you want another, grape seed is good. Coconut oil makes badass popcorn.


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## chiffonodd (Feb 24, 2015)

mikemac said:


> Interesting article on the subject:
> http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html
> Safflower (510) & Rice bran (490) with the highest smoking point...a bunch including clarified butter right behind at 450. Sort of interesting that they show peanut as 'neutral', but clarified butter as 'not'...



+1 great resource


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## Mucho Bocho (Feb 24, 2015)

Safflower is my standard for general high heat sautéing and salad dressings. I like coconut and Ghee to sear beef. Duck fat with potatoes. Butter with eggs. Canola for shallow frying breaded foods. Peanut for deep frying. Ghee is the ultimate for popcorn IMHO.


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## Oaken (Mar 1, 2015)

I really don't enjoy the canola. I've never cared for the taste and the hexane is not something I want to injest.
[video=youtube;omjWmLG0EAs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omjWmLG0EAs[/video]


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## Roger (Mar 2, 2015)

Butter for eggs of course. Peanut oil is the best for deep drying in my experience. Coconut oil is also excellent for high heat but solid at room temperatures. I still have to test grapeseed but it's really not the same price and apparently it's not that stable compared to peanut. Peanut really excels in a deep frier. I could't believed the difference between peanut and "treated for high heat sunflower" witch is crap. The color stays very clean with the peanut, especially with a cold zone deep frier and with very frequent filtering of the oil. I have been using this bath for a bunch of items and the color is still gold and clear, where the sunflower ended up black like crap. 

It's not only about having the highest smoke point, it's about the overall chemical stability of the oil too.


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## daveb (Mar 2, 2015)

I keep Grapeseed, Olive and Sesame oils in my larder and there's usually clarified butter in the fridge. For searing I'll put some grapeseed on the product and sear in a dry pan or on the grill.


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## aboynamedsuita (Mar 10, 2015)

I typically use avocado, and to a lesser extent, coconut oil. I wouldn't mind using organic/pastured lard for an animal source too, but difficult to find a reliable source in the area at the moment. I usually baste the item with oil prior to cooking rather than add to the pan.


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## TurdMuffin (Mar 10, 2015)

Ive seen a few say coconut oil... ive always been under the impression it had a fairly low smoke point


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## aboynamedsuita (Mar 10, 2015)

Oaken said:


> I really don't enjoy the canola. I've never cared for the taste and the hexane is not something I want to injest.
> [video=youtube;omjWmLG0EAs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omjWmLG0EAs[/video]



+1 for staying away from canola. I could only stand about 30sec of the video. The "healthy because lower in saturated fat" purported health claim was one thing, but watching that steak being cooked (in a non stick pan!) was too much.


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