School me on cooking oils

[Awnry Abe]

For someone that spends a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, I am fairly ignorant when it comes to cooking in oil. Most of my cooking is in a fry pan with bit of butter, olive oil, or bacon grease just to lube things. So I don't have any appreciable amount of anything except olive oil. Yesterday I stared at a large pile of squash on the counter and I remembered back to when mom sliced them and deep fried them. I suddenly had a craving for deep fry, but I lacked the proper oil. I think that the heat needed to keep the squash from becoming an oily mush would be too much for my olive oil.

Today I stopped in Wal-mart to buy some cooking oil, but I didn't know what all of the different kinds of oil where all about. I ended up buying peanut oil, because I remember Justin Wilson always using it for its high heat breakdown. Plus I knew what was in it. But it was a tad pricey. If this becomes habit forming, which kind should I opt for that won't set me back in $ and lifespan?

[Pearl B]

For deep fry, sunflower oil. It has a very high smoke point.

[Wind in Her Hair]

we use peanut oil for fish frying and Grapeseed oil for other stuff like squash, okra, etc. Its smoke point is 417ºF.

[PackerBacker]

Lard is best for frying and won't hurt your lifespan like some of these other junk oils.

[unregistered358967]

I only use:

Lard, olive oil, bacon grease, butter and coconut oil.

Lard - I use for things like pies.

Olive oil - My 'go to" oil. The olive oil doesn't leave a strange taste in things.

Bacon grease - For frying eggs or omelettes.

Butter - cookies, etc.

Coconut oil- For baking, but never as a stand-alone oil because too much can cause nausea. I usually use half coconut, half olive in brownies, etc.

I know they have fancier oils but I haven't found the need for them. Coconut oil is best found at a co-op as well as online. I believe Sam's/Costo has large tubs as well. I stick to organic when possible.

Never will I use canola, corn or Crisco.
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I just re-read and you meant oil for frying...something I never do. Hope you get the answers you need. Oops.

[Danaus29]

I've pan fried breaded squash (zucchini) in olive oil. Use low heat and don't heat it all day. Works just fine.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I like peanut oil for deep frying, but like you, the cost makes me look for something else that works as well. Canola works for me when I need the higher temps, (deep frying or home fried taters) for a lot of my cooking I prefer the olive oil or butter, (not margarine) just depends on what I am going for.

[dlskidmore]

For deep fry I like tallow and lard. For pan fry bacon grease or butter.

[Tiempo]

Smoke point chart

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DgIn9-yYls...40/Capture.PNG

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Less-is-more

I only use:

Lard, olive oil, bacon grease, butter and coconut oil.

Lard - I use for things like pies.

Olive oil - My 'go to" oil. The olive oil doesn't leave a strange taste in things.

Bacon grease - For frying eggs or omelettes.

Butter - cookies, etc.

Coconut oil- For baking, but never as a stand-alone oil because too much can cause nausea. I usually use half coconut, half olive in brownies, etc.

I know they have fancier oils but I haven't found the need for them. Coconut oil is best found at a co-op as well as online. I believe Sam's/Costo has large tubs as well. I stick to organic when possible.

Never will I use canola, corn or Crisco.
-----------------
I just re-read and you meant oil for frying...something I never do. Hope you get the answers you need. Oops.

That is exactly the oils I use. Crisco- way to many chemicals. Canola and corn oil to GMO!!!

[Awnry Abe]

Well, that should take care of craving for a while. DW is visiting her mom, so the kids and I had a deep fry fest.

Zucchini and yellow squash, 1 batch dredged, 1 batch beer battered.
Some petite red heirloom bell peppers, stuffed with homemade queso blanco and crispy sausage, beer battered and deep fried.
A large pile of French fries.

DD wanted to do some Oreos, but I told her the State Fair was last week.

...The food, especially the peppers, was awesome. The kids had a blast. But I think my gall bladder is telling me to stick to the EVOO and the sauté pan.

[dlskidmore]

The effect on the stomach is the primary reason I use lard and tallow. Eating foods fried in tallow I get full before I get that heavy, sick feeling.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by Tiempo

Smoke point chart

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DgIn9-yYls...40/Capture.PNG

Thanks for posting this. handy information!

[Tiempo]

You're welcome

[o&itw]

Peanut oil for the wok.
Mostly olive oil for everything else.
Sometimes sunflower oil in baking.
Bacon grease when the flavor is desired (eggs, liver and onions, etc)

[ajaxlucy]

Clarified butter (ghee) for hot temperature frying, otherwise regular butter, olive oil and coconut oil. Any animal fat gets used for cooking, too (I keep a bag in the freezer) and of course, bacon grease. I don't deep fry foods, but I'd probably use peanut oil.

I don't buy canola, corn, soybean oils, margarine, or vegetable shortening.

[Bellyman]

Our oils of choice are olive and grapeseed. On occasion, we'll use a little butter but that's only for the flavor (such as frying eggs). That's it. The only other one we've considered adding is coconut oil.

The rest of the oils and fats, we really try to avoid.

I like olive oil for most things but for something like a salad dressing, I often prefer the grapeseed oil. The grapeseed oil has less of that "earthy" flavor that olive oil has and sometimes gives just a hint towards a "fruity" flavor. Kinda subtle, but something we've noticed.

[o&itw]

We scrimp on a lot of things, but olive oil varies so much that we sort of splurge on it. This is the best olive oil we have ever found. We wont ever be without it as long as we can afford it.

http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virgin-O...orio+olive+oil

[Yvonne's hubby]

Ok, I am just a poor ol country boy, and this has been buggin me for a long time. I see on the shelves olive oil, regular.... Its usually the cheapest kind, (for all the obvious reasons)... then theres "virgin" olive oil, which I sorta grasp, none of the hired help is allowed to play around after hours in the ware house...and thats probably a good thing, but "Extra virgin"? Whats up with that?!?! Virginity dont come in degrees.... Its either virgin or it aint!

[tlrnnp67]

If you go with peanut oil, it's often cheaper in bulk at sporting good stores over by the turkey fryers.