Time to Give Canola Oil Some Love

[rotuts]

I mentioned canola here :

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/162161-cookbooks-2021/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-2295407

 

 

was not aware of this thread.

 

of note , all oils can be made by different methods.

 

some really really bad , but cheap.

 

perhaps that's USA Canola's method.

Edited April 24, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, Pam R said:

Good morning from the Can(ada)ola Capital! (It was first "engineered" right here at the university of Manitoba.)

 

The majority of oil in the supermarkets here are canola and you'd have a hard time finding a bottle of peanut oil around these parts. When I used to shop at the restaurant supply, the only oil they had in pails or 16 litre boxes was canola oil,  so it makes sense that most restaurants use it here (other restaurant suppliers have other options, but always lots of canola).

 

I have never had the fishy taste problem with canola, but this year a store substituted "vegetable" oil for the canola oil I ordered.  It was a soybean/ canola blend that was 100% fishy.  Had to throw it out. 

They process canola at a facility in Hamilton - when the wind is in the right direction it's a foul smell!

[gfweb]

3 hours ago, palo said:

Price?

 

p

The fishy smell

[Katie Meadow]

11 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

You are in good company. Most people here use peanut oil. 90% of the oil in supermarkets is peanut.

I guess I like the taste of peanut oil, so I use it for high heat stir-fry. But I don't consider Peanut oil a neutral oil, it definitely has flavor. For high heat cooking minus the peanut oil flavor I think Rice Bran Oil is a good choice. You could read about the pros and cons of the multitude of oils until your eyes cross.

 

I suspect that there are many people who use canola oil because it is very high in omega 3's. But it does have other negative qualities, even aside from the fishy taste that only some of us detect. If you want a good source of omega3's snack on walnuts. 

[rotuts]

I found this ref :

 

https://time.com/5342337/best-worst-cooking-oils-for-your-health/

 

""   Canola oil is derived from rapeseed, a flowering plant, and contains a good amount of monounsaturated fats and a decent amount of polyunsaturated fats. Of all vegetable oils, canola oil tends to have the least amount of saturated fats. It has a high smoke point, which means it can be helpful for high-heat cooking. That being said, in the United States, canola oil tends to be highly processed, which means fewer nutrients overall. “Cold-pressed” or unprocessed canola oil is available, but it can be difficult to find. ""

 

"""   in the United States, canola oil tends to be highly processed ""

 

perhaps in GB its processed ' cold pressed ?'

[weinoo]

This guy claims to be an expert...

 

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/04/13/ask-the-expert-concerns-about-canola-oil/

 

just a bit more...

 

http://www.centrafoods.com/blog/the-meaning-of-expeller-pressed-vs-cold-pressed

Edited April 24, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[weinoo]

I uses Spectrum for many of the oils I buy. Their organics are expeller pressed, or at least claim to be.

 

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

This guy claims to be an expert...

 

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/04/13/ask-the-expert-concerns-about-canola-oil/

 

just a bit more...

 

http://www.centrafoods.com/blog/the-meaning-of-expeller-pressed-vs-cold-pressed

 Interesting stuff!

 

I can't see that the different oil's nutritional levels are relevant when used to fry or saute because of the trivial amount of oil that sticks to the meat and is consumed.

 

And most of the residual hexane would be volatilized by frying unless it somehow binds to the oil to form a new compound at 375F.  I've never had a whiff of hexane when cooking FWIW.

 

The fishy smell I complain of is doubtless a fatty acid liberated from the oil triglycerides by heat.  Omega 3 FA are known for this and are present in canola.

https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/09/Source-Fishy-Odors-Identified.html

Edited April 24, 2021 by gfweb (log)

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I uses Spectrum for many of the oils I buy. Their organics are expeller pressed, or at least claim to be.

 

[weinoo]

American Pickers wants to see that!

[gfweb]

21 hours ago, Anna N said:

 
 

I was amused when I went through the link that I posted about the posh oil. I wondered who would be anxious to cite its use in a restaurant called The Petroleum Club. 
 

Having family in the oil bidness I've been in a number of Petroleum Clubs over the years. They are posh, but in a 1960s country club sort of way. Good steaks and Cobb salads etc.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I use canola oil exclusively for high heat frying.    I buy good stuff in small quantities, so it is fresh.    No fishy aroma.   Off-scent oil, IMHO, comes from stale oil,  held too long before or after purchase.   

[liuzhou]

54 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I use canola oil exclusively for high heat frying.

 

Rice bran oil has a higher smoke point than canola. 450⁰F v 400⁰F.

[Katie Meadow]

It is quite possible that some of us smell the fish while others do not, just a genetic thing like asparagus pee or cilantro tasting like soap.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

4 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Rice bran oil has a higher smoke point than canola. 450⁰F v 400⁰F.

I deep fry at under 400•

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

It is quite possible that some of us smell the fish while others do not, just a genetic thing like asparagus pee or cilantro tasting like soap.

 

Everything here smells like fried fish, but that may be that I have been frying fish.

 

[weinoo]

9 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I buy good stuff in small quantities, so it is fresh.    No fishy aroma.   Off-scent oil, IMHO, comes from stale oil,  held too long before or after purchase.   

 

Pretty sure that the freshness is of prime importance.  Especially once a jar (or can) of oil is opened. This is a warm kitchen/apartment, which only hastens the decline.

[rotuts]

i keep all oils in the refrigerator.

 

its cold , and usual dark

 

why not ?

[weinoo]

14 minutes ago, rotuts said:

i keep all oils in the refrigerator.

its cold , and usual dark

why not ?

 

Simple answer - no room when stocked up with my usual purchases.

[KennethT]

23 minutes ago, rotuts said:

i keep all oils in the refrigerator.

 

its cold , and usual dark

 

why not ?

 

7 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Simple answer - no room when stocked up with my usual purchases.

while I keep certain oils in the fridge - namely sesame oil because it's expensive and goes rancid easily and any created oils - like a garlic or shallot oil made from frying garlic (or shallot) in the oil, but otherwise, they're kept in the cupboard pantry - even though my kitchen, too, is kinda warm.  I find that cold oil is hard to use - I wind up putting a lot more in the pan than I would have meant to, and a large bottle takes a long time to warm up slightly so it's less viscous.

[KennethT]

But I, too, have never found a canola oil that didn't have that fishy smell - especially when used in cooking (rather than raw like in salad dressings).  Maybe every purveyor of canola that I've tried has old stock?  For my high heat cooking I use peanut oil (if I want that peanut flavor) or grapeseed oil which has a high smoke point and is completely neutral.  And, in my neck of the woods, is a lot less expensive than rice bran oil.

[gfweb]

Funny, I don't get much peanut flavor from peanut oil.

[KennethT]

11 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Funny, I don't get much peanut flavor from peanut oil.

I get my peanut oil in either chinatown or koreatown... those peanut oils are really peanutty, a lot less expensive than the mainstream supermarket brands, and come in gallon jugs which I like because I use it for deep frying.

[rotuts]

I decant my major oil :  TJ's Kalamata EVOO from Greece

 

into a much smaller squeeze bottle , that has a tight top and

 

I can squeeze what I need out of that.  it warms up if I take it out

 

and I get just the amount of what i want that way

 

then it goes back into the refrigerator.

[palo]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

i keep all oils in the refrigerator.

 

its cold , and usual dark

 

 

Are you sure the light goes out when you shut the door?

 

p