Which Cooking OIL??

[RnR]

Oil... which oil for cooking?

I'm just a naive fella wondering what the difference is between all the various types I see on the shelf at the local mart. I mean I come across: sesame, safflower, vegetable, olive, peanut, corn, coconut, canola, etc. Can you see that it's getting kinda confusing?!

All I need is something appropriate for doing a good stir fry and the morning egg banquet ... can anyone recommend which one(s)I should keep on hand?!

 

[crinkles]

for eggs i would use butter.

for a stir fry olive oil (but NOT extra virgin - it smokes)

we usually have only sunflower and plain olive oil around. sunflower for frying.

 

[Shannow]

Eggs in butter are awesome, but not as good as poached.

We've got metal tins of EV olive, and rice bran.

Olive for most of the cooking, rice bran for the stir frys.

Coconut occasionally.

And usually we buy some peanut oil if doing a fish fry every couple of years...might try rice bran next time.

 

[lewdwig]

Olive oil.

 

[Familyguy]

Olive oil for most things. Canola oil for frying.

 

[Lurch]

The oils you mentioned are all very unstable and will deplete your Vitamin E and cause lipid peroxidation.

I use mostly coconut oil and high quality butter. I don't believe most MDs. Saturated fats are the BEST fats IMHO.

The idea that too much animal fat and high cholesterol are dangerous to your heart and vessels is nothing but a myth.

http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm The Cholesterol Myths

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html


Myths & Truths About Nutrition

Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products.

Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA-HNI)

Myth: Saturated fat clogs arteries.

Truth: The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated. (Lancet 1994 344:1195)

Myth: Vegetarianism is healthy.

Truth: The annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873)

Myth: Vitamin B12 can be obtained from certain plant sources such as blue-green algae and soy products.

Truth: Vitamin B12 is not absorbed from plant sources. Modern soy products increase the body's need for B12. (Soybeans: Chemistry & Technology Vol 1 1972)

Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl.

Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation 1992 86:3:1026-1029)

Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.

Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils. (Fed Proc July 1978 37:2215)

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.

Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities. (Food Chem News 10/3/94)

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you "feel better . . . and increase your joy of living."

Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)

Myth: To avoid heart disease, we should use margarine instead of butter.

Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters. (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12)

Myth: Americans do not consume enough essential fatty acids.

Truth: Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs found in fish, fish oils, eggs from properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, and oils from certain seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts and in small amounts in all whole grains.) (Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54:438-63)

Myth: A vegetarian diet will protect you against atherosclerosis.

Truth: The International Atherosclerosis Project found that vegetarians had just as much atherosclerosis as meat eaters. (Lab Invest 1968 18:498)

Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer.

Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat. (NEJM 2/8/96)

Myth: The "cave man diet" was low in fat.

Truth: Throughout the world, primitive peoples sought out and consumed fat from fish and shellfish, water fowl, sea mammals, land birds, insects, reptiles, rodents, bears, dogs, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, game, eggs, nuts and milk products. (Abrams, Food & Evolution 1987)

Myth: Coconut oil causes heart disease.

Truth: When coconut oil was fed as 7% of energy to patients recovering from heart attacks, the patients had greater improvement compared to untreated controls, and no difference compared to patents treated with corn or safflower oils. Populations that consume coconut oil have low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil may also be one of the most useful oils to prevent heart disease because of its antiviral and antimicrobial characteristics. (JAMA 1967 202:1119-1123; Am J Clin Nutr 1981 34:1552)

Myth: Saturated fats inhibit production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.

Truth: Saturated fats actually improve the production of all prostaglandins by facilitating the conversion of essential fatty acids. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal 20:3)

Myth: Arachidonic acid in foods like liver, butter and egg yolks causes production of "bad" inflammatory prostaglandins.

Truth: Series 2 prostaglandins that the body makes from arachidonic acid both encourage and inhibit inflammation under appropriate circumstances. Arachidonic acid is vital for the function of the brain and nervous system. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal 20:3)

Myth: Beef causes colon cancer

Truth: Argentina, with higher beef consumption, has lower rates of colon cancer than the US. Mormons have lower rates of colon cancer than vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists (Cancer Res 35:3513 1975)

© 1999 Weston A. Price Foundation All Rights Reserved.

 

[Mamala Bay]

Myth: Beef causes colon cancer

Truth: Argentina, with higher beef consumption, has lower rates of colon cancer than the US. Mormons have lower rates of colon cancer than vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists (Cancer Res 35:3513 1975)

Argentina was all grass fed until the last 10-15 years but still mostly grass fed. So Argentina consuming grass fed beef had a lower colon cancer rate versus US grain fed beef.

 

[Malo83]

EV Olive oil is all I use for cooking and grilling,I buy the big 2 pack 2qt bottles at Costco.

 

[Mamala Bay]

I use Macadamia Nut oil.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
Myth: Beef causes colon cancer

Truth: Argentina, with higher beef consumption, has lower rates of colon cancer than the US. Mormons have lower rates of colon cancer than vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists (Cancer Res 35:3513 1975)

Argentina was all grass fed until the last 10-15 years but still mostly grass fed. So Argentina consuming grass fed beef had a lower colon cancer rate versus US grain fed beef.



About all the beef I eat is grass fed beef. It's available at many health food stores and food co-ops.

 

[Lurch]

Coconut oil makes a nice oil for sauteing and frying. I think it's the healthiest oil in the world.

Personally, I avoid canola, corn, soy, vegetables oils like the plague.

 

[RnR]

Hmmm, well I think I'll try a lighter version of olive oil in the primary role and some coconut (although it tends to color foods with it's influential taste) on a rotating basis.

Is the rice bran oil what the typical chinese take-out biz uses in their fried rice offerings? That is what I guess I like the best (not really knowing what the other oils can do and taste like...)

I know the canola is popular for frying so I'll see if I can borrow some of that too.

 

[Mamala Bay]

I search for the Rice Bran Oil here but seems no one carries it. I checked all the health food stores also.

I would guess few knows of it.

 

[Oilpants]

We use Armor Lard for almost every kind off frying cooking and baking It makes for the Best pie crust's and can wihtstand high temprature's!!! I always buy the 4 pound pale

 

[Mamala Bay]

Kale's Natural Foods sells things here most never heard of. I guess these guys aren't like Whole Food. Now why I didn't check them first.

 

[The Critic]

Always peanut oil.

We buy the mid-grade quality stuff that comes in the 20lb ??? bucket/tubs at Costco.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It depends on what I'm doing with the oil.

If I'm cooking something that doesn't require a high temperature olive oil is my choice. If I'm searing something over high heat I'll use safflower oil because of the higher smoke point.

 

[AcuraTech]

Use things that have been consumed for millenia, such as butter and olive oil. Stay away from the newfangled junk like Canola and the generic "vegetable oil".

 

[RnR]

After a culling of my cupboard contents and a recent shopping trip, I now have EVO, Grapeseed, Coconut and Peanut oils available. I will keep in mind butter and the lighter grade of olive oil for future testing but think I have plenty for the moment. I decided against the canola.

 

[IndyIan]

Cold pressed oils are better for you too. Alot(all?) cheap oils use high temperature processes that make some potentially bad compounds for you.
Virgin olive oil is cold pressed while the cheaper versions have more high temperature processing to extract more oil.
We also save fats from roasting a duck or chicken, potatos pan fried in duck fat are darn good!