Which cooking oil to use?

[KVJ]

Looking for advice on a reasonably healthy cooking oil for my family to use. We use a hell of a lot of it so price is also a factor - I think olive oil is probably out of reach unless somebody knows of a reasonably priced brand.

Is the regular Palm Oil sold in Thailand really as bad as is they say?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

[iancnx]

Palm oil stay clear of that. For a high temperature oil go for an expensive sunflower oil or at least Soya.

Go to Makro. You can buy bulk Italian everyday olive oil 'Sabroso' in a clear plastic 5 litre bottle for @1000 baht. It will burn at high temp though!

[Lite Beer]

Light Olive Oil if you can afford it.

From what I have read Canola Oil is the next best option and not too expensive.

http://authoritynutrition.com/canola-oil-good-or-bad/

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/canola-oil

[AyG]

Only extra virgin olive oil has polyphenols which are reportedly good for the heart; with other kinds of olive oil these have been removed during the processing.

However, EVO is not suitable for deep frying (can't get it hot enough), and has a distinctive taste making it unsuitable for Thai cuisine.

In my opinion, sunflower oil is the way to go. Light, almost neutral taste. Good for stir frying and deep fat frying. Only slightly more expensive than soybean and palm oils.

[sirocco]

for frying, rapeseed oil or sunflower oil.

To return to the pan, olive oil, it's tastier.

Ditto for salads, olive oil and nuts, but the latter is more expensive.

But never, never palm oil.

Now, if your door -Sheets comes before your health !!!!!

Have a nice day.

[lopburi3]

Cook brand sunflower oil is easy to find and also on large size.

[KVJ]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. There's a lot of conficting information out there so it's been hard to get a good fix on it.

[iancnx]

Only extra virgin olive oil has polyphenols which are reportedly good for the heart; with other kinds of olive oil these have been removed during the processing.

That maybe true, but for a cheaper oil (we are in Thai) Sabroso at Makro is a really good option in my view. Any kind of olive oil is better for you than the other stuff especially Palm.

[iancnx]

Incidentally those who love fried street food, tread carefully, it is ALL cooked with Palm Oil!

[sirocco]

Yes, and in addition it is all black, have overcooked, therefore carcinogenic.

[Lite Beer]

Palm Oil? Not even fit for motorbike engines.

[h90]

Palm Oil? Not even fit for motorbike engines.

but good for diesel

[h90]

we either don't use oil.....you can do many things surprisingly without oil...like fry an egg or pork. Where it does not get hot, extra virgin olive oil.

Where oil is needed we make pork fat ourself. But it is expensive.

[WitawatWatawit]

Don't forget rice bran oil. Many pundits put it right up there with olive oil. Easily found these days and not too expensive, although the OP might feel it is given the quantity he uses.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

This is interesting and helpful oil comparison chart.

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

[KVJ]

Great chart. Thanks.

[isawasnake]

I have been buying a cotoliva brand, and it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means, they take the oil from a different part of the plant? it is about the same price as the sabroso from makro mentioned above, but you can buy it at big c and in a 1 liter bottle (200 baht). i actually find the taste to be pretty good though. i am sure it costs way to much for its low quality, but i wont spend 4 or 500 baht on a liter of olive oil, just wont.

I will pick up one of those sabrosos though, i just never get to any makros.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I have been buying a cotoliva brand, and it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means, they take the oil from a different part of the plant? it is about the same price as the sabroso from makro mentioned above, but you can buy it at big c and in a 1 liter bottle (200 baht). i actually find the taste to be pretty good though. i am sure it costs way to much for its low quality, but i wont spend 4 or 500 baht on a liter of olive oil, just wont.

I will pick up one of those sabrosos though, i just never get to any makros.

Olive oil is tricky.. especially the inexpensive stuff.

i think by Italian law Olive oil can be 40% canola or other oils and still be called Olive oil.

On top of that Olive and Canola oil are heat and light sensitive and probably damaged from the long transport distance from Italy to Thailand.

Add to that the probable poor handling of Thai retailers and it's possible a lot of Olive oils sold in Thailand are not very healthy to consume.

[kurnell]

Don't forget rice bran oil. Many pundits put it right up there with olive oil. Easily found these days and not too expensive, although the OP might feel it is given the quantity he uses.

Local Thai brand is cheap

[AyG]

it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means

Olive pomace oil is oil that is chemically extracted from the olive pulp that's left over after making olive oil. The oil is then heated to boil off the solvent.

[h90]

I have been buying a cotoliva brand, and it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means, they take the oil from a different part of the plant? it is about the same price as the sabroso from makro mentioned above, but you can buy it at big c and in a 1 liter bottle (200 baht). i actually find the taste to be pretty good though. i am sure it costs way to much for its low quality, but i wont spend 4 or 500 baht on a liter of olive oil, just wont.

I will pick up one of those sabrosos though, i just never get to any makros.

Olive oil is tricky.. especially the inexpensive stuff.

i think by Italian law Olive oil can be 40% canola or other oils and still be called Olive oil.

On top of that Olive and Canola oil are heat and light sensitive and probably damaged from the long transport distance from Italy to Thailand.

Add to that the probable poor handling of Thai retailers and it's possible a lot of Olive oils sold in Thailand are not very healthy to consume.

Well most of the problem is oxidation. So as long as the oil is in glass (also don't get UV light inside the glass) and never opened it should be save for a long time. Once opened the problems start to accelerate.

Keeping it in the fridge (side effect it get hard) slows that down. Second solution is to buy small bottles instead of big ones.

[transam]

Canola oil.

[laolover88]

Most cooking oil is rubbish. We use sunflower as the best of the worst. But it is not the cheapest. Palm Oil is an ecological disaster. Read Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller. If Olive Oil is adulterated to that extent, you may be sure that the rest is worse

[prestburypark]

Coconut Oil is the health oil of the moment back in the UK, and it aint bad for general use.

[AyG]

Most cooking oil is rubbish. We use sunflower as the best of the worst. But it is not the cheapest. Palm Oil is an ecological disaster. Read Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller. If Olive Oil is adulterated to that extent, you may be sure that the rest is worse

It's a non sequitur to assume that all oils are adulterated because olive oil widely is.

Olive oil - particularly extra virgin olive oil - is a premium product and is often adulterated. There'd be no money made in adulterating palm oil, or other low-grade oils of that ilk.

[transam]

You old un's, remember mum cooking chips in beef dripping...............

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I have been buying a cotoliva brand, and it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means, they take the oil from a different part of the plant? it is about the same price as the sabroso from makro mentioned above, but you can buy it at big c and in a 1 liter bottle (200 baht). i actually find the taste to be pretty good though. i am sure it costs way to much for its low quality, but i wont spend 4 or 500 baht on a liter of olive oil, just wont.

I will pick up one of those sabrosos though, i just never get to any makros.

Olive oil is tricky.. especially the inexpensive stuff.

i think by Italian law Olive oil can be 40% canola or other oils and still be called Olive oil.

On top of that Olive and Canola oil are heat and light sensitive and probably damaged from the long transport distance from Italy to Thailand.

Add to that the probable poor handling of Thai retailers and it's possible a lot of Olive oils sold in Thailand are not very healthy to consume.

Well most of the problem is oxidation. So as long as the oil is in glass (also don't get UV light inside the glass) and never opened it should be save for a long time. Once opened the problems start to accelerate.

Keeping it in the fridge (side effect it get hard) slows that down. Second solution is to buy small bottles instead of big ones.

There is air in the bottles of olive oil right? It's not vacuumed sealed or filled with nitrogen.

It's my understanding oxidation is occurring albeit slowly compared to after its been opened.

[Aforek]

I ( or my girlfriend ) cook with sunflower oil ( bought in CJ ), but for the health, I eat a teaspoon of olive oil every day: I buy Casino extra vierge olive oil in Big C market, it's cheaper than Sabroso and it's mediteranean, too

[h90]

I have been buying a cotoliva brand, and it is not really olive oil, it is olive pomance oil. i am not even sure what that means, they take the oil from a different part of the plant? it is about the same price as the sabroso from makro mentioned above, but you can buy it at big c and in a 1 liter bottle (200 baht). i actually find the taste to be pretty good though. i am sure it costs way to much for its low quality, but i wont spend 4 or 500 baht on a liter of olive oil, just wont.

I will pick up one of those sabrosos though, i just never get to any makros.

Olive oil is tricky.. especially the inexpensive stuff.

i think by Italian law Olive oil can be 40% canola or other oils and still be called Olive oil.

On top of that Olive and Canola oil are heat and light sensitive and probably damaged from the long transport distance from Italy to Thailand.

Add to that the probable poor handling of Thai retailers and it's possible a lot of Olive oils sold in Thailand are not very healthy to consume.

Well most of the problem is oxidation. So as long as the oil is in glass (also don't get UV light inside the glass) and never opened it should be save for a long time. Once opened the problems start to accelerate.

Keeping it in the fridge (side effect it get hard) slows that down. Second solution is to buy small bottles instead of big ones.

There is air in the bottles of olive oil right? It's not vacuumed sealed or filled with nitrogen.

It's my understanding oxidation is occurring albeit slowly compared to after its been opened.

Yes there is a little air on top. Is it air or CO2 or N2? I don't know....very good question.

Olive oil has natural antioxidants, so it MIGHT be possible that the air on top is just not enough to oxidize them finish.

I had older olive oil bottles which still taste perfect, but I never read how much they were over their date. Sure light and temperature would also influence that.

Some are sold in metal bottles. That might be safer if the oil don't get in contact with the metal (metal makes it ages faster).

Never mix an old oil (even if it is still OK) with a younger oil. The younger part will age much faster.

[Taggart]

I read about the olive oil scam a few years ago, and it seems to be still ongoing, Then looking at the bickering back and forth on the other oil alternatives, I just decided there must be a better way. Now I don't use added oil whatsoever, whether doing cooking or on salads. Foods somehow taste fresher and more natural. I don't miss the oil at all when at home. Now to me, oil is just another high calorie processed food I can do without, but find virtually impossible to avoid when eating outside with my wife or friends.