Cooking oils

Ahhhh my lack of kitchen skills continue to amaze even me! I know you gentle readers can help me.

I rudely discovered yesterday that sesame oil, while I LOVE the flavor, isn't too good to saute with. Yuck!
I'm wondering if someone out there would mind taking the time to explain to me what the various oils are best used for? Canola, vegetable, safflower, olive, peanut oils. There are so many! What do you use for just your general day to day sauteing? (Keeping in mind health benefits and cost as well.)
Any help is appreciated.

I use lighter flavor olive oil for most sauteeing. About the only other oil I keep is a "generic" vegetable oil for miscellaneous baking.

I think extra virgin olive oil is fine for sauteing. I know alot of folks think it has to low of a smoke point,but I have rarely found that to be an issue. We dont do alot of frying here,but when we do we always go with peanut oil. The peanut oil seems to take high heat the best.

Ahhhh my lack of kitchen skills continue to amaze even me! I know you gentle readers can help me.

I rudely discovered yesterday that sesame oil, while I LOVE the flavor, isn't too good to saute with. Yuck!

Sounds like you have TOASTED sesame oil (dark). Awfully strong tasting for cooking. There is regular (clear) sesame oil which has little or taste. Toasted sesame oil is great for seasoning, especially for Asian food.

We use canola or vegetable oil for frying.

by John Hagan » Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:53 am

I think extra virgin olive oil is fine for sauteing. I know alot of folks think it has to low of a smoke point,but I have rarely found that to be an issue. We dont do alot of frying here,but when we do we always go with peanut oil. The peanut oil seems to take high heat the best.

I agree with John, I use EVOO for sauteing all the time. I'm sure that I do even less frying than John but I, too, keep peanut oil on hand for those rare occasions. What I do do is keep a variety of oils on hand for salad dressings, "finishing" entrees, and on rare occasions cooking. Presently I have walnut oil, macadamia oil, grapeseed oil, black truffle flavored oil, truffles & porcini mushroom infused oil, and pure sesame oil.

Almost exclusively EVOO for sauteing. We go through ALOT of olive oil- the Kirkland's EVO at Costco is extremely well priced and we use it as our general cooking oil.

We use sesame oil ( toasted) for some Asian stir frys and and excellent Stir Fry oil from Stonewall Kitchen for really high heat applications.

The only time I use corn/vegetable oil is for most baking and to fry latkes at Hannukah ( my only fried dish )

Deb

I love grapeseed oil. It's so light and neutral, but has a high smoke point, lower fat content, and antioxidant properties to boot! You can buy it at the grocery, but look for it first in the international section - it's often in a big bottle priced to please in that section, rather than a little bottle with a high retail pricetag in the oil aisle.

Thank you all for the helpful input!

For general sweating/sauteeing or even searing where low amounts of oil are used (brushed on meat, or 1-2 tablespoons for veggies, etc.), I'll use extra virgin olive oil, though a more inexpensive strain.

For frying at very high heats when a high quantity (more than 1/4 of an inch in the skillet/pan/dutch oven), I'll switch to something with a higher smoke point (and less splattering) like vegetable oil, or, to second Marsha, grapeseed oil.

For deep frying, my vote is peanut oil is your best bet.

For marinades/sauces/vinaigrettes, I'll use a higher quality, more $$$ e.v. olive oil.

What about shelf life. Since I only fry anything once in a blue moon is it wise to invest in grapeseed oil and run the risk of it going rancid? Or does it?

Keeping it in a dry dark place, I'd guess it would last six months to a year after it is opened. Personally I've never had a bottle last longer than six months, but I only buy 8 ounces at a time. FYI, I do have a couple of friends who keep their grapeseed oil in the fridge. It congeals a bit that way. However, if you notice grapeseed oil beginning to deteriorate, it also makes a superb massage oil!

Almost exclusively EVOO for sauteing. We go through ALOT of olive oil- the Kirkland's EVO at Costco is extremely well priced and we use it as our general cooking oil.

We use sesame oil ( toasted) for some Asian stir frys and and excellent Stir Fry oil from Stonewall Kitchen for really high heat applications.

The only time I use corn/vegetable oil is for most baking and to fry latkes at Hannukah ( my only fried dish )

Deb

Yup, only EVOO unless doing a quick stir-fry and I don't want to smoke up the house (then peanut oi). Agree as well the Kirkland is fine for satueing, but surely not for a salad dressing or for dipping Blue Dog.

[Robin Garr]

General agreement with the EVOO and peanut oil users here (with dark sesame oil for flavoring only). Here's a thrifty tip, though: Not for fancy use, but Al Watan grocery sells a Lebanese olive oil in a three-liter container for something like $21. It's very decent olive oil, and that's a heck of a price.

Man, for a bunch of Rachel Ray haters, you sure use "EVOO" liberally. . .

Blame it on me, Brad. I'm the one who started with the EVOO on this post. U usesd it because I am not a Rachel Ray hater.