Oil For Cooking

[itnicolson]

Sorry to disillusion you all, but as someone who worked in the edible oil industry most of his life here is some scientific facts:

Most palm oil used in Thailand is actually Palm Olein, which is the liquid fraction obtain by fractionation, where the hard saturated fats are removed as Palm Stearin, which can be used in soap making and other processes.

Palm olein as such is thus not so unheathy. If you want a healthy oil which you can fry stuff in try Rice bran Oil, which is reasonably priced in Thailand and has a similar composition of fatty acids as Olive oil, but has the advantage of a higher smoke point..

Olive oil and sunflower oil are basically salad oils and should not be used for frying, the later tends to gum up on frying and loose all its benefits. Soyabean oil and rapeseed (or Canola ) oil are fine for frying but produce dirty off flavours when cooked, unless they are very well refined.

Palm Olein has one magical propery that the UK Crisp manufacturers loved i.e the taste of sweet violets, (reminiscent of Walke'rs crisps and Smith's crisps), which is why most Thai food tastes good if the oli is fresh!!

Hope this helps clear up all the confusion!

[hawksway]

Palm Oil is used everywhere in Thailand and South East Asia, It's cheap, heavy in saturated fats and not at all healthy. Olive Oil is now available at all Big C, Makro and Tesco-Lotus stores but not normally ay 7-Eleven.

Use Rape Seed Oil if you can find it as being very low in Cholesterol. Sunflower Oil is low in Cholesterol and the next best thing. you will find it at the same places.

My Thai Wife avoids Palm Oil like the plague but is well enough educated to know about these things.

[123stop]

Palm Oil is used everywhere in Thailand and South East Asia, It's cheap, heavy in saturated fats and not at all healthy. Olive Oil is now available at all Big C, Makro and Tesco-Lotus stores but not normally ay 7-Eleven.

Use Rape Seed Oil if you can find it as being very low in Cholesterol. Sunflower Oil is low in Cholesterol and the next best thing. you will find it at the same places.

My Thai Wife avoids Palm Oil like the plague but is well enough educated to know about these things.

Educate yourself on the latest research: satuated fats, GMOs and omega3/omega6. You're living in the 70s. All that was driven by lobbyists and the corporate profit machine in America.

[123stop]

Palm Oil is used everywhere in Thailand and South East Asia, It's cheap, heavy in saturated fats and not at all healthy. Olive Oil is now available at all Big C, Makro and Tesco-Lotus stores but not normally ay 7-Eleven.

Use Rape Seed Oil if you can find it as being very low in Cholesterol. Sunflower Oil is low in Cholesterol and the next best thing. you will find it at the same places.

My Thai Wife avoids Palm Oil like the plague but is well enough educated to know about these things.

Educate yourself on the latest research: satuated fats, GMOs and omega3/omega6. You're living in the 70s. All that was driven by lobbyists and the corporate profit machine in America.

Most Thais still go old school, why don't you read up and enlighten her on unbiased current research. Both of you will benefit from this.

[mayday49]

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...

Palm oil has 2 different sources Palm kernel = super bad for yer tubes as this type is highly saturated and is the least expensive ... ever notice how many Thais have heart disease at 40 - 50 Years old ? ...the second source for palm oil is the fruit meat without any seed , this source is valued for it"s purity and is more highly refined and in some cases has a reddish colour .....saturated fractures are considerably lower than palm kernel extracts ...more info is available online from objective science reports rather than industry supported endorcements.....

[mayday49]

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

So you is a lard @ss ...

[watgate]

Whew my head is spinning. After reading all the replys I have another question and, mind you, I realize eating is very subjective, and everyone has their opinions about what is beneficial and good for you. With that said, as a bloke who is only in Chiang Mai for the winter months and is not privy to being able to prepare his own food due to his living arrangements, I would like some ideas as to how and try to eat healthy considering this bloke has to primarily eat out at various establishments. Actually, since I am single, part of the appeal of wintering in Chiang Mai is not having to cook everyday like I do when I am back in my country. I try to eat salads and was planning on eating at various vegetarian places which seem to be plentiful throughout Chiang Mai. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.I also will be going to the Holiday Inn and the other hotel off the super highway for their buffets on occasion because I found their selections to be quite appealing and seemingly healthy.

[Ticketmaster]

Yeah, Thais mostly use palm oil because it's cheap and has a high smokepoint. Soybean oil is the second runner up. Neither of them are particularly healthy. Many posters have recommended olive oil because it is healthy. For Thai cooking it is no good because Thais cook at very high temperatures and olive oil has a low smoke point (it will burn). It's great on salads and for low temp cooking. Somebody recommended rice bran oil. Excellent choice; it is very healthy and has a high smoke point, but costs considerably more than soy and palm oils. For anyone interested in healthy oil choices and their smokepoints, here's a chart:

Cooking-Oil-Comparison-Chart_02-22-12.pdf

[Ulysses G.]

I try to eat salads and was planning on eating at various vegetarian places which seem to be plentiful throughout Chiang Mai. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

This is the best list that I know of with maps.

http://www.happycow.net/gmaps/searchmap.php?distance=25&list%5B%5D=vegan&list%5B%5D=vegetarian&list%5B%5D=friendly&list%5B%5D=store&address=chiang+mai&lat=&lon=&image2.x=24&image2.y=11

[elektrified]

Yeah, Thais mostly use palm oil because it's cheap and has a high smokepoint. Soybean oil is the second runner up. Neither of them are particularly healthy. Many posters have recommended olive oil because it is healthy. For Thai cooking it is no good because Thais cook at very high temperatures and olive oil has a low smoke point (it will burn). It's great on salads and for low temp cooking. Somebody recommended rice bran oil. Excellent choice; it is very healthy and has a high smoke point, but costs considerably more than soy and palm oils. For anyone interested in healthy oil choices and their smokepoints, here's a chart:

There is one brand of rice bran oil that is much more expensive than the others "Kings Brand". But the other brands cost only slightly more than palm oil. The problem is -- those brands sell out very fast and shelves are almost empty immediately. I see this as a good sign that Thais are becoming more aware of their health.

[kdw512]

Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Coconut Oil.

[femi fan]

Whew my head is spinning. After reading all the replys I have another question and, mind you, I realize eating is very subjective, and everyone has their opinions about what is beneficial and good for you. With that said, as a bloke who is only in Chiang Mai for the winter months and is not privy to being able to prepare his own food due to his living arrangements, I would like some ideas as to how and try to eat healthy considering this bloke has to primarily eat out at various establishments. Actually, since I am single, part of the appeal of wintering in Chiang Mai is not having to cook everyday like I do when I am back in my country. I try to eat salads and was planning on eating at various vegetarian places which seem to be plentiful throughout Chiang Mai. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.I also will be going to the Holiday Inn and the other hotel off the super highway for their buffets on occasion because I found their selections to be quite appealing and seemingly healthy.

Your head should be spinning!

If you like buffets, you should make your way to khun churns in nimminhaemin road soi 15. You get a lunchtime buffet for 129 baht, and such a lunch must be hard to beat anywhere in the world. Chiang mai is an outstanding place to stay or live in if one likes healthy and tasty food!

I reckon if you eat a plant-based diet out and about in town, a lot of it won't be cooked in oil anyway. But all the good stuff you're eating will more than balance out the bad bits that might come from a bit of cheapo nasty oil that may or may not be being used.

Read up on free radicals and antioxidants. Just learning about those two things and how they relate to each other gives an interested beginner a great lesson in how to eat and live healthy. The first are formed when we ingest toxins, and the latter cancel out the free radicals. You get your antioxidants from plant foods. If your body forms to many free radicals over time then illness and disease start stacking up.

Eating out in england is both expensive and dangerous in my experience. Eating out in chiang mai is cheap and very healthy! Find a bunch of places and just enjoy alternating between them. If you search 'vegetarian' in the forum you'll find plenty of recommended restaurants, and with the map of happycow that has just been linked you're armed with all the info.

Incidentally, i eat great breakfasts which i don't cook, and just need a sink to wash the plate and cutlery. Perhaps you can eat breakfasts where you live?

[junglechef]

Makro sells Alha One brand rice bran oil but is quite more money than soybean oil for example. I also buy light Olive Oil, which I believe conotates light in flavor not calories (oil is 100% fat at 884 calories per 100 grams) exactly for that reason so the dishes I use it in dont have a Mediterranean taste.

With all the stuff I've been reading lately on how tofu is not good for you (at least as of today) one might have to consider how healthy eating vegetarian is here also considering there is lots of deep fried items and all the mock meats must be highly processed, of course depending on what one orders. Somewhere like Pun Pun should be good though as they serve dishes with fresh organic ingredients.

[Patronus]

I read recently in Health Wire, that beside coconut oil then palm oil was good especially the red one, but normal palm oil was also OK for cooking.

Ricebran oil was not good

Change your reading habits.

Start by reading post 70.

[nontabury]

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...

Can you please provide a link to those reports that say palm oil is not bad for you.

[Bpuumike]

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

I will avoid palm oil wherever possible.

I agree 100%.

I love good olive oil as a dressing on almost anything but don't like to cook with it.

[timewilltell]

Maybe the most important thing is how much oil you use - less the better in which case does it all really matter in the whole scheme of things?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I will repost Ticketmasters excellent link with source page

http://www.eatingrules.com/2012/02/cooking-oil-comparison-chart/

and comparison chart

http://www.eatingrules.com/Cooking-Oil-Comparison-Chart_02-22-12.pdf

There is top rated Tea seed oil or Camelia oil for cooking which I have seen in the local stores.

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

[FolkGuitar]

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...

Can you please provide a link to those reports that say palm oil is not bad for you.

Sorry, but these were just parts of reports that I read while researching newest developments in food science rather than specific papers on palm oil. One of the major problems people face when dealing with 'what is healthy' is that often the information is out of date. Even six months can be too long in many cases. Another problem is the source, and its own agenda. Still another is that what is healthy for one person may be unhealthy for another. For years we've heard that we 'all' must reduce the amount of salt in our diets. Have you read what's come out in the last three months about this? A remarkable change... Now the AMA is saying that only those with conditions exacerbated by salt need to reduce. Same with the Omega-3 fish oil... complete change of opinion in just the last couple of months. Our knowledge about how various foods changes rapidly. If we don't keep up with it, but instead rely upon outdated information, we'd still be eating margarine.

But one other thing about 'oil.' Just how much of it do we really consume? Is it the specific oil we use that's the problem, or is it the AMOUNT of oil we consume that will do us in? If we could agree upon which is the very healthiest of oils for cooking, won't a diet of French fries, fried chicken, Thai-style omelets, fried fish, deep-fried whatever, etc., etc., etc., still be less healthy than someone eating steamed veggies, boiled fish, grilled chicken, etc., with just a spoonful of WD-40 in their salad dressing? Just how crazy do we have to get with our diets? If our medical checkup tests are in the 'normal' range, and we're feeling healthy and fit, do we really need to completely revamp our eating style?

Edited September 19, 2013 by FolkGuitar

[Gruntfuttock]

I have to keep my cholesterol down, so my (Japanese) wife uses Olive Oil or Canola Oil.

Gruntfuttock

[Addonvalue]

For me, my family and several of our friends, we've switched from rice bran, canola and other oils to Coconut oil. I was advised by a biochemist who has had great success treating people with cancers, and other hard-to-treat issues that oilve oil and coconut oil is best. But as olive oil is expensive here, your next best is coconut oil which could also be superior, according to this article from The Guardian.

"Coconut oil is slower to oxidise and less damaged and chemically altered by heat than other cooking oils. So it's arguably the healthiest oil to fry with.

Coconut oil is one of the best sources of heart-healthy medium-chain fatty acids, notably lauric acid, which enhances the immune system through its antiviral and antibacterial effects. These acids also stimulate metabolism, and some research suggests they can aid weight loss."

No need to get to virgin-oil-coldpressed type which retails at 550 baht per litre. Just get the market 'nam man buea' coconut oil (I've only found ONE brand on the market) which I can get for about 55-60 baht per litre (price fluctuates)

Also, cut out processed table salt which increases the production of cholesterol in your body (the body's own repair system -- Processed salt is 1/3 glass, 1/3 sand (both are anti-caking agents put in to make pouring more smooth) and 1/3 salt. so when glass goes in and is cutting the arteries, the body has to produce choleterol like a band-aid to fix the damage. So cholesterol increases! Your body needs salt -- use SEA SALT -- lots of minerals and electricity which yr body needs!

Hope this helps!

[CMSteve]

So what about taste? Does the coconut oil give a diff taste?

[xylophone]

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

Great article and reading, and "kinda" supports what I've been thinking for some time.

Thanks for posting this, much appreciated.

[daoyai]

For me, my family and several of our friends, we've switched from rice bran, canola and other oils to Coconut oil. I was advised by a biochemist who has had great success treating people with cancers, and other hard-to-treat issues that oilve oil and coconut oil is best. But as olive oil is expensive here, your next best is coconut oil which could also be superior, according to this article from The Guardian.

"Coconut oil is slower to oxidise and less damaged and chemically altered by heat than other cooking oils. So it's arguably the healthiest oil to fry with.

Coconut oil is one of the best sources of heart-healthy medium-chain fatty acids, notably lauric acid, which enhances the immune system through its antiviral and antibacterial effects. These acids also stimulate metabolism, and some research suggests they can aid weight loss."

No need to get to virgin-oil-coldpressed type which retails at 550 baht per litre. Just get the market 'nam man buea' coconut oil (I've only found ONE brand on the market) which I can get for about 55-60 baht per litre (price fluctuates)

Also, cut out processed table salt which increases the production of cholesterol in your body (the body's own repair system -- Processed salt is 1/3 glass, 1/3 sand (both are anti-caking agents put in to make pouring more smooth) and 1/3 salt. so when glass goes in and is cutting the arteries, the body has to produce choleterol like a band-aid to fix the damage. So cholesterol increases! Your body needs salt -- use SEA SALT -- lots of minerals and electricity which yr body needs!

Hope this helps!

Well since the part you wrotw about salt is total BS we should take the rest of your "nutritional advice" with a grain of salt.

[Konini]

Lard or duck fat when cooking at home. A kg of pig fat from the local market for about 40 THB makes a couple of months worth of good clean oil with a high smoke point, no artificial stuff and tastes great.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Despite dozens of people trying, I refuse to feel guilty about eating anything that tastes sooo much better. I also use ghee for frying mushrooms.

[masuk]

Palm Oil = DEATH! Dead elephants, orang-utans, the list goes on and on.

I won't use it for this reason alone.

Thousands of sq kilometres have been cleared in Indonesia and Malaysia without a care for the environment.

[femi fan]

With all the stuff I've been reading lately on how tofu is not good for you (at least as of today) one might have to consider how healthy eating vegetarian is here also considering there is lots of deep fried items and all the mock meats must be highly processed, of course depending on what one orders. Somewhere like Pun Pun should be good though as they serve dishes with fresh organic ingredients.

Well, you hinted at it, but i eat mostly vegetarian and i never eat those meat-looking foods, barely eat any dishes with soy in them, and always make sure places i go to have dishes with lots of green colour in them! There are so many places in chiang mai you simply need never bother about those silly 'meat' dishes. If people really need to eat food that looks like meat, eat the bloody meat!

[femi fan]

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...

Can you please provide a link to those reports that say palm oil is not bad for you.

I can help!

"The high saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid content makes palm oil a very heat resistant and stable oil. It has a high smoke point of 437 degrees F. The high saturated fat and antioxidant content makes it extremely resistant to oxidation and free-radical formation."

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article%20red%20palm%20oil.htm

Positively good for you!

And heaps more research on it here:

http://coconutoil.com/palm_oil/

[femi fan]

Palm Oil = DEATH! Dead elephants, orang-utans, the list goes on and on.

I won't use it for this reason alone.

Thousands of sq kilometres have been cleared in Indonesia and Malaysia without a care for the environment.

I don't know why people say this about palm oil.

The one single thing that ruins the world's environment more than any other source is raising cattle. In america alone it uses up about half their total energy, half their water resources, and half their crops just to feed the cows so people can have their hamburgers. Not to mention all the forest clearing in other countries including the amazon to grow crops to feed the cows and to find homes for the cows.

So worry about beef if it comes to the environment!

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

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...

Can you please provide a link to those reports that say palm oil is not bad for you.

I can help!

"The high saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid content makes palm oil a very heat resistant and stable oil. It has a high smoke point of 437 degrees F. The high saturated fat and antioxidant content makes it extremely resistant to oxidation and free-radical formation."

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article%20red%20palm%20oil.htm

Positively good for you!

And heaps more research on it here:

http://coconutoil.com/palm_oil/

That's unrefined Red Palm oil.

Not very available in Thailand stores. Does anyone know where to buy it?

BTW the Tea Seed or Camelia oil which is rated very healthy for cooking is 200 baht per 500 ml at Tops.

Not sure about the taste as I haven't tried it yet.