I was wondering what kind of oil is predominantly used for cooking in Thailand. I have to watch my cholesterol and am interested in what oil is used for cooking. I do realize that if you eat at the street food carts, their is the inherent risk of the proprietor not replacing the oil in a timely fashion and continually using the same oil way beyond the point when it should be discarded for new oil. When I eat Pad Thai or various other dishes I would like to know the kind of oil that is used and is it beneficial, say like Olive oil, or is it known to spike your cholesterol and your LDL levels if eaten a lot?

Amongst the Thai's I know ... Palm Oil

Palm oil

I think that you will find that 90 + % would be as the others say Palm Oil

Unless you go to some ot the health food places and WATCH them pour the oil , I think you will find it to b be Palm.

If you think about it, if you are that concerned about the ways of life and traditions here in Thailand, as relates to cooking, you have a dual choice I would say........ do your own cooking or move to some place that you feel comfortable with.

Cooking is just one small part of the ways of life here vs back home in the west. One either accepts that and all the other perils to life as we would like it or ....... you don't

Gonzo

Good luck to you

Palm oil - which is extremely bad for your cholesterol. Cook at home with rice bran oil (cheap and healthy) or olive oil (expensive and healthy).

Sunflower oil in general, coconut oil every now and then.

Street shops would be palm oil as others have said but many homes use soy oil. It is lighter in flavor and has a cleaner taste. But if shelf stocking is any indication it seems to be about 70/30 with Palm being the majority.

As Gonzo says just take a look see and you most probably will see cheap palm oil. Some still use rendered chicken or pork fat but I imagine that is going the way of other traditional ingredients, being substituted for cheaper and easier ones. But watgate as your last words "if eaten a lot" are key, usually for stir fry, perhaps not curries, only a small amount of oil is necessary so find the vendor that cooks to your needs, watch them to see how much oil they use and even request that they only use "nam man ninoy" and once you find some to your liking build relationship and they will remember you and be happy for your patronage. Win win!

It may be of benefit to some to read the latest reports concerning the use of palm oil and health. Times change and medical opinions change. The latest reports are saying that palm oil is NOT as bad as was previously thought. Many are saying it's almost as good as olive oil. Strange, but true. For that matter, latest reports are also saying that Omega-3 fish oils aren't as beneficial as previously thought. It pays to stay current when it comes to health issues. Information based on readings from six months ago isn't current...

I always use Lite Olive Oil or Canola Oil.

I have always read that Palm Oil is pretty disgusting stuff, but who knows?

I also recommend rice bran oil. Now available at a sensible price.

I will avoid palm oil wherever possible.

It's not that simple.

Bad oils are those that have been heat processed. That is most of them. If it's mass produced, sold in clear plastic bottles and cheap then it's bad for your health. That is most of the oil used by most of the people.

Even oils like olive oil should not be used for cooking with because it has a low smoke point meaning it's molecular structure gets changed easily at lower heat temperatures and becomes bad for our health.

The very best oils to use for cooking are coconut oil made here in thailand, or ghee (clarified butter). Coconut oil is actually healthy, and it has a very high smoke point.

I think rice bran oil is not so bad especially compared to the standard mass-produced ones.

Bear in mind that eating lots of processed foods, foods with white sugar and white flour, will do your cholesterol levels no good at all.

I found coconut oil to be expensive for everyday cooking, anybody know where to find it at a reasonable price?

As for Canola it's high snoking point and neutral flavor makes it ideal in a culinary sense but my understanding is that it is a GM product,along with most other oils I assume nowadays, so it has another set of inherent risks

I found coconut oil to be expensive for everyday cooking, anybody know where to find it at a reasonable price?

We produce our own oil. Youtube has lots of how-to clips. Buying shredded copra at a local market a liter of oil costs us about 100 THB. I couldn't find a home oil press yet; I guess the pressing process by hands and cloth could still be optimized.

99.9% of oil used in the continual frying of food here is that which comes from destroyed forests and palm oil trees replanted . It is the reason for the smoke from Sumatra blocking out Singapore for a while last year, as more forest was wrecked.. Then there's the animals....

I use olive oil for the occasional bacon and eggs, and for frying, use sunflower oil which lasts much longer, and is a lot healthier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil

Rice bran oil,is what i use,its good for frying,stir frying,

and according to studies i have read does not have

any of the bad stuff like Palm oil, which is the most

widely used oil in Thailand ,just because its cheaper.

regards Worgeordie

It's not that simple.

Bad oils are those that have been heat processed. That is most of them. If it's mass produced, sold in clear plastic bottles and cheap then it's bad for your health. That is most of the oil used by most of the people.

Even oils like olive oil should not be used for cooking with because it has a low smoke point meaning it's molecular structure gets changed easily at lower heat temperatures and becomes bad for our health.

The very best oils to use for cooking are coconut oil made here in thailand, or ghee (clarified butter). Coconut oil is actually healthy, and it has a very high smoke point.

I think rice bran oil is not so bad especially compared to the standard mass-produced ones.

I've heard this before about coconut oil but for something that's made in Thailand I'm sure having a bugger of a time finding it.

I do my big box store shopping in Lampang city and can't find it at Big C or Makro. I come in to Chiang mai every 90 days to do my report so can you or anyone else on this thread direct me to an outlet in Chiang mai that sells it.

I appreciate the help!

all oils have spectrums of quality.

Cold processed Red Palm oil is thought be pretty good but heat processed Palm Kernel oil less so.

it's the same with most oils. Pick them on the quality side of the spectrum and avoid the cheap or poorly handled types.

Olive oil is questionable these days because of instability and loose rules about what other oils mixed to improve profitability. Canola and Soy oils are used to dilute olive oil. The fridge test is often used to determine if olive oil is pure. The oil should solidify with refrigeration. Most of the cheaper priced olive oils are diluted with cheaper oils and less desirable oils will stay liquid at colder temps.

Even pure olive oil is not a good choice for cooking because of heat instability.

I would guess most street vendors and affordable restaurants are sourcing low quality oils.

All Rimping stores have several brands of coconut oil. The prices are similar to those for olive oil (300 - 400 THB/ltr)

All the reports are coming in and much like the rest of life, it depends on what you want to believe. Whats reported good today by one group is reported bad tomorrow by another. Ya pays yo money and takes yo choice.....

One thing is beyond dispute....... Surgeon General report sezs living will cause death.....

Choose your path and enjoy your life while you have it. It dissapears quickly sometime.

Palm oil - which is extremely bad for your cholesterol. Cook at home with rice bran oil (cheap and healthy) or olive oil (expensive and healthy).

I suggest you read this before propagating myths:

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats

I use 10w40 motor oil.

I use 10w40 motor oil.

Bout time you manned up pal. I use WD40. Easy to spray on lightly, too much may be bad for your health.

It's not that simple.

Bad oils are those that have been heat processed. That is most of them. If it's mass produced, sold in clear plastic bottles and cheap then it's bad for your health. That is most of the oil used by most of the people.

Even oils like olive oil should not be used for cooking with because it has a low smoke point meaning it's molecular structure gets changed easily at lower heat temperatures and becomes bad for our health.

The very best oils to use for cooking are coconut oil made here in thailand, or ghee (clarified butter). Coconut oil is actually healthy, and it has a very high smoke point.

I think rice bran oil is not so bad especially compared to the standard mass-produced ones.

I've heard this before about coconut oil but for something that's made in Thailand I'm sure having a bugger of a time finding it.

I do my big box store shopping in Lampang city and can't find it at Big C or Makro. I come in to Chiang mai every 90 days to do my report so can you or anyone else on this thread direct me to an outlet in Chiang mai that sells it.

I appreciate the help!

I have seen large jars of coconut oil at the vegetarian society shop, that was awhile ago, not sure of now.

Is anyone using a centrifuge to extract or refine coconut oil?

Centrifuges have really come down in cost and can be used to make MCT oil (Medium Chain Trigleceride) from Coconut oil.

MCT is great source of energy which is easy to absorb without much energy or digestion. Supposed to help the body stay in ketosis and burn fat. Also considered a work around for malabsorption issues like diabetes to provide energy to brain cells etc and prevent cell starvation damage. Alzheimers is considered diabetes of the brain and MCT is gaining some credibility for dealing with it.

It's widely available and inexpensive in the US. Never seen it for sale in Thailand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-chain_triglyceride

I use my wifes firming oil Seems to make food a lot nicer to eat

A dash of sesame oil will give your stir-fry a nice flavor.

we use rice oil to cook & olive oil on salads

I use 20w/50 and find my big end runs very well!!!