Cooking Oil

[Jaymatheson]

Hi,

 

Looking for a decent cooking oil for stir frying that's healthy.  I've been using sunflower, canola and a mix of the two.  I thought extra virgin olive oil shouldn't be used for a stirfry but read that it can be done .... maybe.  Plenty other options out there.

 

Thoughts?

[pattayasan]

Ghee.  High flame point and nutritious. Never use seed oils.

 

https://omghee.com/blogs/news/health-benefits-of-ghee

[spidermike007]

Rice bran oil is as good as it gets. Easily available here, low cost, tastes neutral, and has a high flash point. Olive oil and coconut oil are also great but they lend a lot of flavor to the food so it depends upon your taste. For me olive oil is perfect for cooking vegetables and certain kinds of fish, but not much else. 

 

Sunflower also has a very high flash point but I've been reading lately that oil made from seeds is questionable from a nutritional point of view. Safflower oil is also very good. Avocado oil is also outstanding but it's very hard to find here. 

 

Rice bran oil wins hands down. 

Edited 19 hours ago by spidermike007

[redwood1]

24 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Rice bran oil is as good as it gets. Easily available here, low cost, tastes neutral, and has a high flash point. Olive oil and coconut oil are also great but they lend a lot of flavor to the food so it depends upon your taste. For me olive oil is perfect for cooking vegetables and certain kinds of fish, but not much else. 

 

Sunflower also has a very high flash point but I've been reading lately that oil made from seeds is questionable from a nutritional point of view. Safflower oil is also very good. Avocado oil is also outstanding but it's very hard to find here. 

 

Rice bran oil wins hands down. 

 

I agree 100%.....Rice bran oil is fantastic....It puts olive oil to shame.....Rice bran oil is the best cooking oil there is....

 

But I have made a improvement on it......I now use 50% beef tallow and 50% Rice bran when cooking.....This combo takes fried foods to another level of greatness....Its so great I doubt it can be improved on...

 

Believe it or not Beef tallow is loaded with nutrients..

 

Edited 18 hours ago by redwood1

[scubascuba3]

I use as less as possible, soybean oil

[redwood1]

36 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Rice bran oil is as good as it gets. Easily available here, low cost, tastes neutral, and has a high flash point. Olive oil and coconut oil are also great but they lend a lot of flavor to the food so it depends upon your taste. For me olive oil is perfect for cooking vegetables and certain kinds of fish, but not much else. 

 

Sunflower also has a very high flash point but I've been reading lately that oil made from seeds is questionable from a nutritional point of view. Safflower oil is also very good. Avocado oil is also outstanding but it's very hard to find here. 

 

Rice bran oil wins hands down. 

 

This brand of Rice Bran oil is very good..

 

[Yellowtail]

57 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

Ghee.  High flame point and nutritious. Never use seed oils.

 

https://omghee.com/blogs/news/health-benefits-of-ghee

Make sure it's pure cow's ghee. Makes great popcorn 

[pattayasan]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Make sure it's pure cow's ghee. Makes great popcorn 

 

How do you know?

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

 

How do you know?

How do I know it makes great popcorn or how do I know if it is cow's ghee? 

 

I know it tastes great because I have eaten it.

 

And it says on the can. If it just says pure ghee, it's vegetable. The cow always costs more. This is the brand I like:

 

[pattayasan]

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

How do I know it makes great popcorn or how do I know if it is cow's ghee? 

 

I know it tastes great because I have eaten it.

 

And it says on the can. If it just says pure ghee, it's vegetable. The cow always costs more. This is the brand I like:

 

That would be almost healthy popcorn.

[digbeth]

7 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

How do I know it makes great popcorn or how do I know if it is cow's ghee? 

 

I know it tastes great because I have eaten it.

 

And it says on the can. If it just says pure ghee, it's vegetable. The cow always costs more. This is the brand I like:

 

 

Would vegetable ghee be the same as shortening like crisco? or does it have the ghee smell? 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, digbeth said:

 

Would vegetable ghee be the same as shortening like crisco? or does it have the ghee smell? 

It is more translucent than Crisco, and (as I remember) does not smell like cow's ghee. It pops up good, but does not have the same butter flavor. I tried it and gave it to my mother-in-law.

 

If you like buttered popcorn, popping in cow's ghee is the bomb.

[Luuk Chaai]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Rice bran oil is as good as it gets. Easily available here, low cost, tastes neutral, and has a high flash point. Olive oil and coconut oil are also great but they lend a lot of flavor to the food so it depends upon your taste. For me olive oil is perfect for cooking vegetables and certain kinds of fish, but not much else. 

 

Sunflower also has a very high flash point but I've been reading lately that oil made from seeds is questionable from a nutritional point of view. Safflower oil is also very good. Avocado oil is also outstanding but it's very hard to find here. 

 

Rice bran oil wins hands down. 

just an fyi..       for the truly health concious

Rice bran oil's nutritional profile stacks up pretty closely with vegetable oil's; ( aka seed oils !!! )

Most often, rice bran oil is extracted with chemical solvents like hexane, which is released into the environment26 during the extraction and recovery processes and reacts with pollutants to form harmful ozone. 

and it does wonders for your health !!!   ( NOT )

[save the frogs]

this debate pops up every few months.

some people have made their minds up that vegetable oils are safe to consume.

and the fear of saturated fats from butter is also etched in some people's minds.

good luck trying to change someone's mind on something.

 

[harryviking]

Best cooking oils are coconut oil, tallow and Gee! I guess tallow or gee are the best. I prefer tallow from beef or Coconut oil. Gee is the healthiest I guess, but will be a bit expensive in the long run. Whatever you do, stay FAR away from all the so called "Vegetable oils"!!! They are poison to your health. They are one of the reasons I do not eat Thai food outside of my own home. 

Edited 5 hours ago by harryviking

[Presnock]

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Rice bran oil is as good as it gets. Easily available here, low cost, tastes neutral, and has a high flash point. Olive oil and coconut oil are also great but they lend a lot of flavor to the food so it depends upon your taste. For me olive oil is perfect for cooking vegetables and certain kinds of fish, but not much else. 

 

Sunflower also has a very high flash point but I've been reading lately that oil made from seeds is questionable from a nutritional point of view. Safflower oil is also very good. Avocado oil is also outstanding but it's very hard to find here. 

 

Rice bran oil wins hands down. 

Just remember, seed oils were originally developed and used as lubrication for machines!  Then Crisco introduced an emulsifier into the oils and CRISCO lard was born!  Plenty of google sites citing best/worst, cautions.  Best to read several until you get one that you like.

[arick]

Low in saturated fats high and unsaturated fats.  For example grape seed is one of the best better ones for salads. Canola is low in saturated fat so better for cooking. 

Arick BSc Hons 

[Presnock]

A personal story of fact:  in the late 70's early 80's,  I lived in Madrid, Spain.  There was an outbreak of illnesses/deaths and the Spanish government could not figure out what was happening and causing this outbreak so eventually after several months, they sent samples of those who died (blood I guess) and they found that the cause was Olive OIl.  Before you are shocked, there are many levels of Olive oil, the lowest grade being used as a lubricant for engines/machines.  Some company though started bottling the lowest grade of olive oil and selling it as "COOKING" oil.  When the Spanish government ordered the stores selling this killer, local folks complained that they could not find the cheap cooking oil that they liked!  Just a note that I recall vividly!  BTW my wife uses Extra Virgin Olive Oil for cooking.

[Yagoda]

Here is a perspective from Siem Reap, with 4 Western style Grocery stores.

 

I wont buy the Olive Oil, especially if its bottled in China. In the States, and in Thailand, I use Filippi Berrio for sautéing ingredients in  Italian/Greek/Spanish/Turkish foods, or for Greek Salads. Its used sparsely and more for flavour

 

For pan fry or stir fry in the states: Peanut Oil. Stupidly expensive here so I use Sunflower Oil. I dont buy oils from China. I dont like the chemical nature of Rice Bran oil.

 

Everyday use: butter (New Zealand) and Ghee. Real Ghee. Like a Cheddar Cheese Omelet with Tomatoes cooked in ghee. Breakfast time.

[Polaky]

I also endorse ghee, I make my own, do not use seed oils ,they are extremely unhealthy, if you can't find ghee then Lard, remember when fish and chips use to taste great?, that was when lard was used exclusively. 

[wolf81]

I use coconut oil, as I read it's not as unhealthy as many vegetable oils. 

[rwill]

Avocado oil is very good.  It has a high heat tolerance too.  But expensive, even more so here in Thailand.

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, Presnock said:

Just remember, seed oils were originally developed and used as lubrication for machines!  Then Crisco introduced an emulsifier into the oils and CRISCO lard was born!  Plenty of google sites citing best/worst, cautions.  Best to read several until you get one that you like.

Lard is lard. Crisco is a brand name, not a product.

 

Crisco vegetable shortening is what I think you are referring to. 

 

The original intent of a product does not really matter. 

[superal]

Apparently , olive oil and extra virgin olive oil , that is sold in supermarkets worldwide , is 80% fake . Don't always believe what you read on the bottles label unless there is traceability by "Blockchain " which is quite rare and that will be over 1000 baht a bottle . I have read that China produces fake evoo and exports it to Italy and Spain in large vats , where it is bottled , claiming to be evoo produced in those European countries .Buyers who are employed by supermarkets are mostly interested in a reliable supply and maximum profits . They rarely visit the product source of manufacture for the procurement  . However in the UK , Marks & Spencer's claim they do exactly that . Their foods are normally a higher class than most other supermarkets but it is also much dearer . 

[Yellowtail]

At the end of the day, unless you're eating a lot of oil, what oil you use will have very little effect on your heath. 

 

It is amusing that so many people go crazy about what their food is fried in but then eat a piece of cake with frosting that is shortening and sugar. 

 

 

[Tarteso]

Sorry guys..For cooking and salads. Even light can deteriorate the quality of this treasure. Quality and health have to be paid for. Extra virgin olive oil is the most stable oil to cook with and can be heated as high as 400° F (deep frying occurs at 350°-375° F). Even when heated past its smoke point, virgin olive oils produce low levels of harmful compounds due to the high antioxidant content in the oil.

Edited 1 hour ago by Tarteso

[redwood1]

4 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

just an fyi..       for the truly health concious

Rice bran oil's nutritional profile stacks up pretty closely with vegetable oil's; ( aka seed oils !!! )

Most often, rice bran oil is extracted with chemical solvents like hexane, which is released into the environment26 during the extraction and recovery processes and reacts with pollutants to form harmful ozone. 

and it does wonders for your health !!!   ( NOT )

 

Say what you will about Rice Bran oil.....But as far as vegetable oils go it is in my opinion the best one...I have tried them all.....And I am very sensitive to the inflammatory nature of most vegetable oils and use Rice Bran exclusively and Beef Tallow sometimes..

Edited 1 hour ago by redwood1

[KhunLA]

Many oils get a bad rap, some deserved, some not.  Seed oils for one, along with high saturated fat oils.   Just because you hear it said, doesn't mean it's true.  "Olive oil is good for you" as an example.  Better than many, probably, healthier than all seeds, questionable, and the 'science' doesn't agree.

 

I've returned to using Canola oil again, for some frying.  Depends what I'm cooking.  Add butter to most times, for flavor, as too lazy to make Ghee.  Use peanut oil for deep frying, (low temp & change frequently) though will probably change to Canola when that runs out.   Use EVOO, but sparingly.   Only use Coconut oil to make my chocolate.

 

Seed oil is a problems, as added to processed foods, especially if the 'hydrogenated' version.  Simple solution, don't eat that crap.   Some of the uncommon common sense most people don't have.

 

Use Beef & Pork Tallow for cooking same meats, depending on the preparation, and sometimes no oils, using the fat in the meat itself.  If lean, then will need tallow, or Canola & butter for Chicken breast, if frying.

 

Don't fear saturated fats, but use sparingly.  Get plenty for animal fats, in my diet, along with Omega 3, to counter excess O-6.

 

This is why I'm moving away from high saturated fat oils (@ 11:40) ... 

 

 

This vid specifically testing liver health with Canola.   Also mentioned in vid is Olive oil, with same results.  Canola being better on the liver and cholesterol. 

 

 

Types of fat in your oils ... 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by KhunLA

[madone]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

Avocado oil is very good.  It has a high heat tolerance too.  But expensive, even more so here in Thailand.

beyond stupidly expensive.