Browsing articles from "September, 2009"
The Oils
Sep 28, 2009
Staff Writer
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Exploring The Wide World of Healthy Cooking Oils

99711 Any seasoned chef will tell you that having the freshest, most quality ingredients is one of the biggest components to fine cuisine and gourmet food. As a chef, or wanna-be chef, you are pretty much required to know a lot about a lot. Herbs, spices, vegetable types, sugar types, flour types, seafood types, meat choices, fruit choices, and the list goes on of things you’ve got to know a lot about as a chef or gourmet foodie.  With all of the options and knowledge available to us today, it really takes someone with patience, and best of all, experience to know what goes well with what. What other cooks may love in certain dishes, you may loathe.

It’s all about experience when it comes to cooking oils.

When approaching cooking with your oils, you need to go back to the basics, and remember why you are using an oil in your food, and what exactly it’s for. Oils bring a variety of factors to your dish including healthy benefits.  Many oils contain “good fats” which are those you want to cook with. If you are cooking mainly for health, then these are the oils you want to cook with:

A few oils that you’d likely want to avoid when cooking primarily for health would be Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, and Coconut Oil. These oils contain a large amount of trans fat, or saturated fats. Coconut oil actually contains more fat than some animal products.

Olive Oil - Fine Gourmet Quality

The Bad Fats
Saturated Fats Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
Trans Fats Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
The Good Fats
Monounsaturated Fats Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Polyunsaturated Fats Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.
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Cast Your Vote!
Sep 16, 2009
Staff Writer
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Community Poll: What is your favorite Cooking Oil?

Do you have a favorite Cooking Oil? We’d like to hear about it, as well as your favorite uses for it! Don’t see an oil listed here that you’d like to mention? Leave your two cents in our comments section, and share your favorite gourmet cooking oil secrets with us!

Thanks in advance for voting! Results will be posted when the poll ends.

What is Your Favorite Cooking Oil?

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How To, The Oils
Sep 14, 2009
Staff Writer
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Getting Creative With Cooking Oils

If you’ve cooked for any extended period of time, then you know that cooking the same dishes (no matter how good they may be), can get quite boring and repetitive. The wonderful part about cooking is that you are able to base an entire meal around one simple ingredient. If you’ve got a certain herb that you’d like to use in your dish, you can easily prepare your  meal around this herb.

The same holds true with cooking oils and specialty cooking oils. Expanding your horizons when it comes to cooking oil is a great way to maintain health. The health benefits of many oils are great. Many already know that Olive Oil is a wonderful ingredient to cook with. However, did you know that Almond Oil can reduce bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease?  In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, a quarter-cup of almonds contains almost 99 mg of magnesium (that’s 24.7% of the daily value for this important mineral), plus 257 mg of potassium.

So how do you determine which oils are suited to your cooking style? First, you’ll need to become familiar with each oil and it’s primary tastes and functions.

Refined Cooking Oils


Name

Description/Uses for Refined Oils

Type of Fat 2

Smoke
Point 1

Almond

Nut oils are best used in cold dishes; heat destroys their delicate flavor.

495°F

Avocado

This rather unusual light, slightly nutty tasting oil is considered primarily to be a novelty. To add a different twist to salad dressings, try using avocado oil in place of the oil you would normally use. This oil is often made from damaged and cosmetically inferior avocados. It is low in saturated fatty acids and high in polyunsaturates.

520°F
Butter, whole or clarified This the preferred fat for baking as it adds the most flavour. It’s not idea for frying since it will burn at a lower temperature than most oils, but can be used for sauteing. Try adding butter to oil for the flavor benefit of butter and the higher temperature range of oil.

350°F

Canola (A US marketing name for rapeseed oil)

A light, golden-colored oil, similar to safflower oil. Low in saturated fat. Extracted from the seeds of a plant in the turnip family (the same plant as the vegetable broccoli rabe). Used in salads and cooking, mostly in the Mediterranean region and India; also used in margarine and blended vegetable oils. It has a mild flavor and aroma. It is most commonly available in a refined form. Its mild flavor and relatively high smoke point make refined canola oil a good all-purpose oil. Of all the oils, it has the least amount of saturated fat and is one of the least expensive.
mono

400°F

Corn oil

Made from the germ of the corn kernel. Corn oil is almost tasteless and is excellent for cooking because it can withstand high temperatures without smoking. It is high in polyunsaturated fat and is used to make margarine, salad dressings and mayonnaise.
poly

450° F

Grape Seed

This light, medium-yellow, aromatic oil is a by-product of wine making. It is used in salads and some cooking and in the manufacture of margarine.

400°F
Lard

Baking,

361-401°F

Olive

A monosaturated oil extracted from tree-ripened olives. Olive oils range from light amber to green in color and bland to extremely strong in flavor. Olive oil is graded according to its degree of acidity and the process used to extract the oil.
mono

Unrefined 320°F;
Extra Virgin 406°F; Virgin** 420°F;  Extra Light* 468°F

Peanut

Made from pressed, steam-cooked peanuts. Peanut oil has a bland flavor and is good for cooking because it doesn’t absorb or transfer flavors.. Its smoking point is slightly lower than corn or safflower oil
mono

450°F

Safflower, High Oleic

A clear, almost flavorless oil made from the seeds of safflowers. Safflower oil is a favorite for salads because it doesn’t solidify when chilled. Sunflower oil is pale yellow and has a bland flavor. It is a good all-purpose oil low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated fat.
mono

450°F

Safflower, Regular

A clear, almost flavorless oil made from the seeds of safflowers. Safflower oil is a favorite for salads because it doesn’t solidify when chilled. Sunflower oil is pale yellow and has a bland flavor. It is a good all-purpose oil.
poly

450°F

Sesame

Made from pressed sesame seeds. Sesame oil comes in two varieties: light (made with untoasted sesames) and dark (made with toasted sesames). Light sesame oil has a nutty flavor and is especially good for frying. Dark sesame oil (Asian) has a stronger flavor and should only be used in small quantities for flavoring foods — not cooking. Both varieties are high in polyunsaturated fat.
poly

410°F
Shortening, vegetable

Baking, frying,

356-370°F

Soybean

Highly refined soy oil is reasonably priced, very mild and versatile, accounting for over 80% of all oil used in commercial food production in the U.S. Almost any product that lists vegetable oil as an ingredient probably contains refined soy oil. This is a good all-purpose oil that is also used in cakes and pastries

450°F

Sunflower, High Oleic

Made from sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil is pale yellow and has a bland flavor. It is a good all-purpose oil
mono

450°F

Sunflower, Regular

A light, odorless and nearly flavorless oil pressed from sunflower seeds. Pale yellow and versatile.
poly

450°F

Vegetable Oil

Made by blending several different refined oils. Designed to have a mild flavor and a high smoke point.

Unrefined Cooking Oils


Name

Description/Uses Unrefined Oils
Type of Fat

Smoke Point 3
Corn
poly

320°F or less
for all
Coconut Oil A heavy, nearly colorless oil extracted from fresh coconuts. Used primarily in blended oils and shortenings. Used primarily in prepared, processed, packaged foods.
Grape Seed This light, medium-yellow, aromatic oil is a by-product of wine making. It is used in salads and some cooking and in the manufacture of margarine.
Nut (walnut, hazelnut) This fragrant full-flavored oil is pressed from hazelnuts and takes on the flavor of roasted nuts. The nuts are often toasted for a browner color and better flavor. The nuts are never blanched. Used in salad dressings, sauces, baked goods, and for sautéing.
poly
Olive 4 sauteing, stir-frying. A monosaturated oil extracted from tree-ripened olives. Olive oils range from light amber to green in color and bland to extremely strong in flavor. Olive oil is graded according to its degree of acidity and the process used to extract the oil. Oil labeled “virgin” is cold pressed, a process using no heat or chemicals and contains low levels of acidity. Oil labeled “pure” uses heat and chemicals to process olive residue from subsequent pressings. Oil varies in weight and may be pale-yellow to deep-green depending on fruit used and processing. Cold-pressed olive oil, is superior in flavor to refined. Oil from the first pressing, called “virgin” olive oil is the most flavorful. Also classified according to acidity: extra virgin, superfine, fine, virgin, and pure, in ascending degree of acidity. “Pure” olive oil, and that labeled just “olive oil” may be a combination of cold-pressed and refined oil; suitable for cooking.
mon
Peanut Made from pressed, steam-cooked peanuts. Peanut oil has a bland flavor and is good for cooking because it doesn’t absorb or transfer flavors.. Its smoking point is slightly lower than corn or safflower oil.
mono
Pumpkin Seed

Safflower, High Oleic Sunflower oil is an excellent all-purpose oil; however, some people find its flavor too strong for baked goods and salads. It stores well and may be used instead of sesame or corn oil. This oil has a high resistance to rancidity.
mono
Safflower, Regular
poly
Sesame There are two types of sesame oil. The oil that is made from roasted sesame seeds has a strong, distinctive flavor. It is called dark sesame or toasted sesame oil and has a intensely rich, smoky, sesame aroma; nutty taste; dark, brown color; thick consistency; and cloudy appearance. It is used a great deal in Chinese and Indian cooking. Just a few drops of this oil can add an outrageously delicious flavor that enhances many foods. Dark sesame oil is ideal for stir-fries, baking, sauces, and spreads.
poly
Soybean Soybeans contain oil that is inefficient to extract in a natural manner; therefore, unrefined expeller-pressed soy oil is rather expensive. Unrefined soy oil has a strong, distinctive flavor and aroma — some like it, some don’t. It has a dark yellow color with a faint green tint. Unrefined soy oil is more susceptible to oxidation and rancidity than sesame, olive, or corn oil.
poly
Sunflower, High Oleic Made from sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil is pale yellow and has a bland flavor. It is a good all-purpose oil
poly
Sunflower, Regular
Vegetable (soybean) An inexpensive and all-purpose blend of oils made from plant sources such as vegetables, nuts and seeds. Most vegetable oils are made from soybeans.
pol

(chart cited from MissVicki.com)

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