What cooking oil do you use?

[Willie]

Avocado oil has been one of my favorites lately.

[patrickamory]

The vegetable oil I buy is marked as soybean oil.

 

Grapeseed oil is somewhat expensive - particularly for deep-frying.

 

Also I believe it is usually heat-extracted with hexane - something that should be avoided if I understand correctly?

[huiray]

In all honesty I don't particularly care about what goes into "vegetable oil", so long as it passes the sniff test and the "reading of the label".  After all, we are talking about "general purpose stuff", where the taste/characteristics of the oil are not the determining factor in an oil.  The amount of garlic, ginger, spices, whatnot that I toss into the hot oil when I make one of my dishes generally would not really affect the final taste of the completed dish - with the exception of olive oil tasting weird in many (if  not most) Chinese dishes, as others have also noted.  For that matter, DITTO butter in Chinese dishes, and I think this latter one is a really bad combination.  When the flavor/whatever of the oil matters, then I certainly use the appropriate oil - special EVOO for delicate salads, for example, which would be sullied by using generic "vegetable oil" or stuff leftover from deep-frying, etc etc.  If I am making a "stripped-down" simple dish with just oil, salt and whatever veggie I am frying even "vegetable oil" is suitable FOR ME, so long as it is indeed fairly neutral in taste/smell.  And, I am one of those folks who do not smell or detect anything wrong with canola oil for that matter.

 

I look for a decent monounsaturated fat content, low (or zero) trans-fat content, OK polyunsaturated fat content, and credits given for statements about specific grain/whatever oil derivation.  I don't have hang-ups about GMO stuff.  I really don't care if I live for 6 extra months or a couple of years more because I scrupulously avoided GMO/this-and-that/whatever stuff.  

 

YMMV.

[paulraphael]

And, I am one of those folks who do not smell or detect anything wrong with canola oil for that matter.

 

In a blind tasting, everyone is one of those folks. You could probably some badly refined canola oils if you tried hard enough. These can develop a fishy off-flavor when heated. They might have been common at one point, but I haven't encountered it in a long time.

 

FWIW, when I staged at a Michelin 3-star seafood restaurant in NYC, they used canola oil for sautéing everything. They used it by the gallon tin. The executive chef believed olive oil was too assertive to use on fish of that quality, unless it was part of a condiment. I'd happily use canola, but around here the high-heat safflower oils are cheaper and seem to work just as well.

Edited May 26, 2014 by paulraphael (log)

[Ryuuk]

I use Olive oil

[merstar]

I use extra virgin olive oil for everything.

[Porthos]

Olive oil

Butter

Pam

Corn oil for mayo

Occasionally EVOO

Vega table (soybesn) oil for baking

Edited May 26, 2014 by Porthos (log)

[Shel_B]

Butter, EVOO, Grapeseed oil mostly .... for most cooking using olive oil, I buy a reputable California oil, but one that's not too expensive.  I use the real good stuff mostly for finishing.

[Ozcook]

• Coconut oil (both refined and extra virgin)

Ghee

Butter

Olive Oil (refined, standard and EVOO)

Macadamia Oil

[lindag]

I use veg. oil for most things.  Olive oil, of course, when you want flavor.

 

Question:  Do you store any or all of your oils in the fridge? 

I have a second refrigerator so I store most of my opened bottles there; such as peanut oil.

Some oils, like grapeseed, seem to go rancid more quickly.

[Anna N]

I use veg. oil for most things.  Olive oil, of course, when you want flavor.

 

Question:  Do you store any or all of your oils in the fridge? 

I have a second refrigerator so I store most of my opened bottles there; such as peanut oil.

Some oils, like grapeseed, seem to go rancid more quickly.

Walnut oil, hazelnut oil and their ilk are in my fridge. The others are used up quickly so rancidity is rarely an issue. All are stored in a dark, relatively cool cupboard.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Sweet (Unsalted) Butter is the king of fats in my kitchen.  After that,

Sunflower oil, for frying and in some cakes and breads

Extra Virgin Olive oil, for dressing salads and other raw uses, and for some breads

A blend of Sunflower and Olive oil, for frying, some breads, and roasting

Maní del Monte (Plukenetia) oil, cold-pressed, for dressing salads

Apricot Kernel oil, for roasting potatoes with cinnamon, and some salads

Avocado oil, for salads and other raw uses

Linseed oil, as a machine lubricant

 

Are we counting things like bacon fat as well?  Because I use that when I'm frying things like potatoes.

 

I keep the specialty oils in the fridge, and the remainder in my cool pantry.

[huiray]

Question:  Do you store any or all of your oils in the fridge?

 

Currently, the oils I have in my refrigerator are:

Walnut oil, black truffle oil, black sesame oil, normal sesame oil, toasted sesame oil.

[rotuts]

TJ's Grape Seed  for non-flavored uses

 

TJ's Kalamata EVOO for flavor and salads

 

"On Sale" store brand lower shelf for Brownies that go to the Library.

 

all opened oils live in the refrigerator.   the Kalamata gets decanted into a small squeeze bottle that then gets used

 

it gets 20 seconds in the Micro to get to Squeeze-ablitiy then back in the refrigerator.

Edited May 27, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[huiray]

Duck fat. I render down the carcass of 2 ducks every time I'm getting low.

 

I picked up a 1 lb small tub of rendered duck fat from my local butcher for $9.99 last week.  Clean, fresh, clear, clean-smelling stuff on melting some.

 

How much is duck fat if one were to buy it in your area?  (I don't mean the branded-jackeduppriced stuff from places like Williams-Sonoma/etc etc)

[Shalmanese]

I picked up a 1 lb small tub of rendered duck fat from my local butcher for $9.99 last week.  Clean, fresh, clear, clean-smelling stuff on melting some.

 

How much is duck fat if one were to buy it in your area?  (I don't mean the branded-jackeduppriced stuff from places like Williams-Sonoma/etc etc)

 

2 ducks costs barely more than 4 duck breasts so I essentially treat the rest of the duck as free. From 2 ducks, I'll get 4 breasts, 4 legs, duck fat, duck stock & cracklings.

[huiray]

2 ducks costs barely more than 4 duck breasts so I essentially treat the rest of the duck as free. From 2 ducks, I'll get 4 breasts, 4 legs, duck fat, duck stock & cracklings.

 

Thanks, but I was really asking about what duck fat would cost if one bought it in your area (San Francisco)...i.e. un-branded, rendered duck fat in a tub.

 

ETA: Other eGulleteers - what *would* it cost in SF, or in your own area, for this - when available?  Again, it would be for un-branded duck fat in a tub.

 

What about chicken fat?

Edited May 27, 2014 by huiray (log)

[mgaretz]

Primarily I use EVO, except for stir fry and popcorn, when I use peanut oil.  Occasionally I will use Rice Bran oil, especially if I need a high smoke point.  Unsalted butter for eggs and mushrooms.

 

Someone else mentioned that in their area vegetable oil was rapeseed oil.  Rapeseed oil is more commonly known as canola oil.  I used to use that, but don't use it fast enough before it goes bad, so I stopped keeping it around.

Edited May 27, 2014 by mgaretz (log)

[SobaAddict70]

it depends on whim

in descending order:

olive oil for most applications

unsalted butter

bacon drippings

schmaltz

ghee for Indian food

grapeseed oil or nut oils (hazelnut, walnut, almond) for some vinaigrettes

that's about it

[GlorifiedRice]

Rotuts? Kalamata EVOO? Hows that taste?

[Shel_B]

Rotuts? Kalamata EVOO? Hows that taste?

 

TJ's Kalmata olive oil is pretty durned good.  It recently scored very high in an olive oil tasting, and tested out as unadulterated.  For the price, it's a bargain.

[LaneL]

In the kitchen I work in mainly everything using oil is 75/25 soy/olive mix. Exceptions being all eggs are cooked in clarified butter, and some pickups are clarified>whole butter to finish.

[rotuts]

GF:  love the kalamata.  at TJ's but in a square bottle.  does not say TJ's on it

 

in a recent review of what's true olive oil and what's adulterated, this one was one of the few that was 'pure' and tasted good

 

but ive been using it for years

 

try it.  you can take it back but won't

[Ashen]

grapeseed is my go to neutral oil..  High smoke point and little  added flavour 

 

If for whatever reason we are out of grapeseed, I usually also have a bottle of organic refined  Avocado oil   around also. (decent price at costco)

 Even higher smoke point than grapeseed, but it does  have enough flavour that I don't consider it a neutral oil. 

[SylviaLovegren]

EVO and butter.  I also have containers of pork and beef fat that I use and sometimes chicken fat.  Wish I could find a neutral oil for some things.  Can't stand the fishy odor of hot canola.  Can't use peanut oil because we have a peanut allergy in the house.