What kind of oil do you use?

[oivind_dahle]

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?

 

[Eamon Burke]

Cast iron? Nothing works better than bacon fat.

 

[oivind_dahle]

Bacon fat can't be healthy?

 

[Eamon Burke]

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.

 

[kalaeb]

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.

 

[bcrano]

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.

 

[EdipisReks]

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.

 

[ajhuff]

I like safflower.

 

[WildBoar]

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

 

[mateo]

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.

 

[oivind_dahle]

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

 

[Johnny.B.Good]

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

 

[joec]

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.

 

[kalaeb]

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,

 

[SeanRogerPierce]

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

 

[Andrew H]

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?)

 

[bieniek]

Why you need oil for beautiful fresh norwegian fish?

Buy a steamer



Plus the oil wont help you if you overcook it!

 

[cnochef]

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.

 

[oivind_dahle]

Why you need oil for beautiful fresh norwegian fish?

Buy a steamer



Plus the oil wont help you if you overcook it!

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

 

[ManateeAndy]

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.

 

[Pensacola Tiger]

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

 

[bieniek]

Gonna test some coconut oil for that asian taste

Thats funny.

 

[oivind_dahle]

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).

 

[SpikeC]

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!

 

[EdipisReks]

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

maybe mineral oil is more your speed.

 

[SpikeC]

As the article referred to stated:

“There are a lot of claims that coconut oil may have health benefits, but there is no concrete scientific data yet to support this,” 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.

 

[SpikeC]

maybe mineral oil is more your speed.

On my cutting board, yes.

 

[mr drinky]

* 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.

 

[ecchef]

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

 

[Eamon Burke]

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.