Cooking Oil - Who Knows?

[mamypoko]

I've just returned from upcountry and am wondering if someone can fill me in on the lack of cooking oil in stores. I've tried Big C, Carrefour and Lotus - all nada.

TIA

[ukrules]

I was in the 'Gourmet Market' supermarket in the basement part of Siam Paragon doing some shopping last week and the entire cooking oil aisle was fully stocked.

I didn't need any but deliberately looked as I've read about shortages. They had palm oil as well.

It's not cheap down there, perhaps this is why they had lots of it.

[nowork114]

Stock up for the upcoming Thai - Cambodia war?

[Jaivin2011]

Just got back after trying Villa at Ari, Big C Saphan Kwai, Tops at Central Lardphrao, Tops at Union Mall, Tops at Esplanade, Carrefour Lardphrao, Fresh Mart at Mall Bangkapi and all the fresh marts and convenoence stores...................NO COOKING OIL.......store manager at Big C said not to expect any cooking oil till late next week! What the hell..............someone must be deliberately be hoarding them....what are useless govt.

[lazygourmet]

Time to use real stuff: butter and olive oil!

[RogueExpat]

....what are useless govt.

Fail to comprehend what the Thai government has to do with world crude oil prices, which have caused bio based fuels to become more profitable than selling the same stuff as cooking oil....

[robblok]

Time to use real stuff: butter and olive oil!

Rice bran oil is good too some say even better.

[xylophone]

Yes Rice Bran Oil is very healthy, has a high flash point and doesn't impart any "flavour" to the food being cooked. Never use anything else. More expensive at around 90 baht a bottle, but well worth it.

[edwardandtubs]

Sunflower oil is available at Carrefour and it's only about 50 baht. Why buy crappy, unhealthy oil like palm oil just to save a few satang per meal?

[SantiSuk]

Agree ^. Palm Oil leaves a slightly sticky unpleasant residue on my stir fries IMO. Soya bean oil ok, but I'll try Sunflower Oil next to see if I can detect any improvement as we go up the price ladder.

[elshaheen]

It's a plot by Thai woman cooks throughout Thailand. When the invasion comes from where ever, they will take up woks and fling their woks of cooking oil at the enemy before they reach the capital.

No, all the major stores in Thailand that sell food products, such as Big C, Tesco / Lotus, Villa Market, Foodland, Carrefour, and etc. I went into Tesco / Lotus and Carrefour on Rama 4, and their shelves were completely stocked with all types of cooking oil. I would suggest when you are coming to Bangkok, have someone write what you need in Thai; present your list to someone at Customer Service stand. They will find someone to assist you.

Higher scale markets such as Villa have more “healthier” choices to choose from and it is considerably more expensive, even water.

[mamypoko]

It's a plot by Thai woman cooks throughout Thailand. When the invasion comes from where ever, they will take up woks and fling their woks of cooking oil at the enemy before they reach the capital.

No, all the major stores in Thailand that sell food products, such as Big C, Tesco / Lotus, Villa Market, Foodland, Carrefour, and etc. I went into Tesco / Lotus and Carrefour on Rama 4, and their shelves were completely stocked with all types of cooking oil. I would suggest when you are coming to Bangkok, have someone write what you need in Thai; present your list to someone at Customer Service stand. They will find someone to assist you.

Higher scale markets such as Villa have more "healthier" choices to choose from and it is considerably more expensive, even water.

Thanks...live in Bangkok...finally got oil yesterday...more healthier is alway more better

[Laughing Gravy]

It's a plot by Thai woman cooks throughout Thailand. When the invasion comes from where ever, they will take up woks and fling their woks of cooking oil at the enemy before they reach the capital.

No, all the major stores in Thailand that sell food products, such as Big C, Tesco / Lotus, Villa Market, Foodland, Carrefour, and etc. I went into Tesco / Lotus and Carrefour on Rama 4, and their shelves were completely stocked with all types of cooking oil. I would suggest when you are coming to Bangkok, have someone write what you need in Thai; present your list to someone at Customer Service stand. They will find someone to assist you.

Higher scale markets such as Villa have more "healthier" choices to choose from and it is considerably more expensive, even water.

Thanks...live in Bangkok...finally got oil yesterday...more healthier is alway more better

It probably has something to do with the lack of forward planning and thinking past today. A concept that is rare here. It is not only cooking oil that is low in the big stores at times. I just but it down to the culture and 'Mai Bpen Rai' attitude. The Mrs. has had the same problem with the cooking oil and says that many Thais are blaming the government. I would suggest that people always have an extra bottle of the essentials as an emergency. Well that's my rule with a bottle of JD.

[harvestmoon86]

I'm in Cha Am and there was absolutely NO cooking oil at the supermarkets yesterday. I can't offer an explanation, but I assumed it was just a fluke. Now I feel silly for thinking that.

[neverdie]

I was lead to believe from a newspaper article that the low levels of cooking oil was as a direct result of industrial action taken by certain companies in the cooking oil game here in LOS due to them not being so happy with the Thai govt and legislation that affects the price of cooking oil in LOS (Or something like that, given I was trying to understand what was going on in translation).

Sorry if this is a bit vague in explanation but my care factor wasnt that high, I try to avoid food bathed in oils.

[Grawburg]

There should be an over-over-overabundance of cooking oil as I have seen the vendors on my street recycle the same cooking oil to fry chicken every day for a year it seems.

[soundman]

I was lead to believe from a newspaper article that the low levels of cooking oil was as a direct result of industrial action taken by certain companies in the cooking oil game here in LOS due to them not being so happy with the Thai govt and legislation that affects the price of cooking oil in LOS (Or something like that, given I was trying to understand what was going on in translation).

Sorry if this is a bit vague in explanation but my care factor wasnt that high, I try to avoid food bathed in oils.

Yes, the Thai Government strictly controls the (end retail) price of everyday essentials such as energy, petroleum, sugar, bottled water, cooking oil, raod toll etc. You cannot put the price of these items up without government approval, even if your costs are rising (past your breakeven).

In the case of palm oil, I believe the raw material price has now been exceeded by the Diesel price (and nationwide demand could possibly be exceeding current supply), so many growers are selling the palm fruit to to the oil companys for more money than they were previously getting from the cooking oil manufacturers.

If you want to get to the bottom of the matter - ask Deputy PM Suthep. I am led to believe he is the one who pretty much controls the market....

[GarryP]

Cooking oil is a price controlled product and the price was fixed by the gov't at no more than Baht 38 a litre. The big cooking oil companies claimed that supplies were limited and the cost was so high that if they supplied at Baht 38 they would be losing money. There were claims of hoarding, but probably just waiting for the gov't to up the price (hey that's hoarding isn't it?). The gov't has since raised the ceiling for cooking oil to 47 Baht a litre. Lo and behold, suddenly there are supplies.

There are also shoratges of refined (white)sugar which have been ongoing on and off for quite a while. But that is supposed to be bad for you too.

[lopburi3]

Actually there is a serious shortage of supplies even at 47 baht and that is the reason supermarket shelves are empty (as of yesterday at my large Lotus in Bangkok - no cooking oil of any kind). The wet market price is about 70 baht so you buy at the controlled supermarket price of 47 (when they have) and sell at 70 for a quick profit. If you need you wait and get in store when they have it or pay black market the higher price.

As with any controlled price item there are serious shortages - sugar is a very common example with purchase often being limited. Train loads of palm oil used to be sent across the border (under the seats - removed just after crossing border) and it seems this is happening again - and the Malay price is about 45 baht so it is not going to be sold at anything close to 47 baht in Thailand.