confused about oils

[Anonymous]

We try to stay away from too much processed foods, which contain a lot of the "bad" oils, but I am confused about what oils to use when cooking, especially on higher heat. I know extra virgin olive oil should not be used on too much heat, but I have not been able to find "regular" (not extra virgin) olive oil at the store-- is there such a thing? I use organic Canola oil a lot of the time, which is supposed to be better than non-organic, but perhaps not as good as avocado or coconut. What do people use for med-high heat sauteing (e.g., for stir-frying, sauteing onions for Indian food, etc.)?

[Anonymous]

If I am sautéing I almost always use evoo. You're right, non-virgin olive oil can be hard to find. If I am searing something over super high heat I use canola or peanut oil.

I stir fry over super high heat, so use canola or peanut.

Indian food is not a specialty of mine, but I believe ghee is generally used- it's clarified butter that is sometimes cooked enough to give it a nutty flavor. You can easily clarify your own butter at home or buy ghee at a specialty store, but unless you're a stickler any of the oils above should work fine.

[Anonymous]

Filipio Berio (sp?) makes non-virgin olive oil. It's not cold-pressed organic, however. You can get it at Giant, Safeway, Target....

[Anonymous]

I use peanut oil for stir frying. It handles high temperatures well. There is plenty of regular olive oil at the grocery store: it will not have an 'extra-virgin' label. Canola oil is fine. I like to use sunflower oil too. I tend to stay away from the blended vegetable oil.
The coconut oil thing is amusing to me. Growing up in India, we moved away from coconut oil for cooking due to the saturated fat content. It seems to have made a comeback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I am sautéing I almost always use evoo. You're right, non-virgin olive oil can be hard to find. If I am searing something over super high heat I use canola or peanut oil.

I stir fry over super high heat, so use canola or peanut.

Indian food is not a specialty of mine, but I believe ghee is generally used- it's clarified butter that is sometimes cooked enough to give it a nutty flavor. You can easily clarify your own butter at home or buy ghee at a specialty store, but unless you're a stickler any of the oils above should work fine.

Ghee will give you great taste. But for everyday cooking most Indian families use oil as it is healthier.

[Anonymous]

I use Avocado oil for EVERYTHING that involves heat.

I NEVER EVER heat olive oil. If oil is heated too high, it turns into a trans fat.

I do use high quality OOV for cold applications, such as hummus, babganoush, SOME salad dressings (but normally Avocado oil for that too), and other Mediterranean dishes.

The only oils I have in my house are:

coconut oils for skin
sesame for flavor
OOV for flavor
Avocado for cooking

[Anonymous]

So what oil do you put in your brownies, cake, pancake, etc. batters when "recipe" or box calls for vegetable oil?

[Anonymous]

OP here, I use Canola for baking.

[Anonymous]

For high heat I use only ghee, coconut oil and even pork lard. (and we are not overweight)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what oil do you put in your brownies, cake, pancake, etc. batters when "recipe" or box calls for vegetable oil?

Avocado oil. The recipes call for vegetable oil because vegetable oil is a very mild, tasteless oil. So is Avocado oil. I would highly doubt a Betty Crocker box of brownies would call out for Avocado oil or any other such healthful oil...they don't exactly cater to the Avocado oil demographic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For high heat I use only ghee, coconut oil and even pork lard. (and we are not overweight)

Just because you have a diet high is saturated animal fats don't make you fat (odd comment).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what oil do you put in your brownies, cake, pancake, etc. batters when "recipe" or box calls for vegetable oil?

For sweet breads, cakes, and cookies: generally coconut oil or applesauce or a combo of the 2

[Anonymous]

I use regular olive oil for low or medium heat cooking (sautéing onions, for example), and canola oil or pork lard for high-heat applications like stir-fry.

[Anonymous]

I've read that the thing about EVOO turning into a bad fat at high temps is a myth, but don't recall where - seemed legit source, though, from what I recall. Many of the super good things about EVOO won't survive the heat, but it is no worse than other veggie oils when heated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use Avocado oil for EVERYTHING that involves heat.

I NEVER EVER heat olive oil. If oil is heated too high, it turns into a trans fat.

I do use high quality OOV for cold applications, such as hummus, babganoush, SOME salad dressings (but normally Avocado oil for that too), and other Mediterranean dishes.

The only oils I have in my house are:

coconut oils for skin
sesame for flavor
OOV for flavor
Avocado for cooking

I have never heard of avocado oil. Can I get it at a regular grocery store or do I need to go to a specialty market?