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I'm struggling with this issue right now myself, so am glad someone asked this question.
I looked at coconut oil....expensive!
Had decided on either peanut or grapeseed until I read the above post. Wouldn't all of the oils mentioned have pesticide residue in them unless they were certified organic? And so then again....expensive!
I tried corn oil a couple of years ago because I read it made the best french fries. We didn't like it, but I can't remember why.
I'm going to give lard a try for deep frying if I can find it. I haven't had the time to look....lately I've just been making fast runs into the grocery store, and haven't had time to go to Wal-Mart.
(Before the food police jump me, be aware that lard has been vindicated of late in the "health wars".)
Proper lard (NOT Crisco or shortening) makes amazing French fries and pastry.
I do actually use certified sustainable and organic palm shortening on rare occasions though as finding real lard without rendering it down yourself can be difficult unless ordering it online around where I live.
As for coconut oil being expensive, yes it can be but a little goes a long way and there are so, so many health benefits and alternative uses for it that I can't imagine not having it in my kitchen (or bathroom for that matter) anymore. Places like Trader Joe's, Costco and BJs etc. (I've even seen it at Walmart) all have it at quite affordable prices.
For the complete lowdown on fats, may I suggest you read Michael Barbee's Politically Incorrect Nutrition? The author actually sat down and read all those studies on nutrition that you always see quoted in books and magazines. He says a lot of them have been wildly misinterpreted, including the Framingham study that "proved" saturated fats kill you and unsaturated ones are great for you. It is not that simple. I think, for instance, that it was in this book that I learned that "canola" or rapeseed poil has NEVER been tested on humans to see what its effects really are. Trans fats are the worst of all, of course.
I see no practical way of using lard in a salad, but (at least according to Barbee's book) any oil that is liquid at room temperature and NOT damaged by heat is OK for you, the monounsaturates like peanut oil being the best. People destroy the benefits of the liquid oils by A) eating waaaaay too many of them and B) heat-damaging them in the fryer or stovetop. Lard or coconut oils are better for baking and pan-frying because they are not easily damaged even at high temperatures.
(Please note that peanut oil specifically is pressed out of seeds that are absolutely nuked with pesticides, so if you can find it in a bottle marked certified organic you're likely to be in a lot better shape as far as food safety goes.)
Ghee is also excellent for high temperature cooking when you want that buttery flavor to your food. The way it's clarified also makes it safe for most people who are lactose/dairy intolerant, too.
Yes I have heard the term of con-artist oil for canola, as the deception to make this oil better as a bad-fat free which may be not fit for human consumption ..... Some say that butter is better but still butter has trans fats which are not fit for human consumption....Maybe olive oil is the best
Yes I have heard the term of con-artist oil for canola, as the deception to make this oil better as a bad-fat free which may be not fit for human consumption ..... Some say that butter is better but still butter has trans fats which are not fit for human consumption....Maybe olive oil is the best
Naturally occurring trans fats are structurally different to those produced in manufacturing processes like you find in vegetable oils etc.
I don't think I've ever deep-fried anything in my life. When I saute, I use a little olive oil in a hard-anodized skillet to avoid sticking (I love the pans endorsed by Emeril). I use extra-virgin olive oil when I make my own salad dressings or recipes like hummus. On the rare occasions I'm baking something that requires vegetable oil (pumpkin bread, for example), I use safflower oil. But I buy the smallest bottles possible and I still usually have to throw them out for expiration before they're empty. I cook scrambled eggs in butter, but I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on toast or bread (unless I'm having a dinner party, in which I put out butter for the bread).
If a food ever kills me it will be sugar, not oil or red meat (which I don't eschew but don't eat more than twice a week).
Last edited by Jukesgrrl; 05-01-2014 at 05:03 PM..
Proper lard (NOT Crisco or shortening) makes amazing French fries and pastry.
I do actually use certified sustainable and organic palm shortening on rare occasions though as finding real lard without rendering it down yourself can be difficult unless ordering it online around where I live.
As for coconut oil being expensive, yes it can be but a little goes a long way and there are so, so many health benefits and alternative uses for it that I can't imagine not having it in my kitchen (or bathroom for that matter) anymore. Places like Trader Joe's, Costco and BJs etc. (I've even seen it at Walmart) all have it at quite affordable prices.
I'm old enough (unfortunately!!) to remember when McDonalds took the beef fat out of their french fry grease formula. I don't recall the exact percentage but it turned out to be the answer to the mystery of "why do McDonald's fries taste so much better than others?" I remember what a big difference it made too.
Since then, I ate a truck stop/diner type place on a road trip where they added beef fat to their oil.... I think it may have been peanut oil too.... anyway, their home cut fries were the big attraction on the menu. If you really hunt around you can still find a few out of the way places that still do this.
I like extra-virgin olive oil when it gives a good flavor. I use it the most. Some things don't taste as good with olive oil, and then I use mostly soybean oil, and sometimes butter.
Consider cinnamon toast. It's a food of the gods and it HAS to have butter.
I'm old enough (unfortunately!!) to remember when McDonalds took the beef fat out of their french fry grease formula. I don't recall the exact percentage but it turned out to be the answer to the mystery of "why do McDonald's fries taste so much better than others?" I remember what a big difference it made too.
Since then, I ate a truck stop/diner type place on a road trip where they added beef fat to their oil.... I think it may have been peanut oil too.... anyway, their home cut fries were the big attraction on the menu. If you really hunt around you can still find a few out of the way places that still do this.
Heh, I wasn't going to mention the M word, but yes, you're right. I stopped eating there long ago, but they did have awesome fries back in the day.
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and it HAS to have butter.
