[Not a Second Hander]

I've been using olive oil exclusively for years.

Recently stumbled over an article regarding the lack quality control & rampant fraud in the olive oil business and upon further research am fairly certain that I've been consuming overpriced flavored vegetable oils for years.

Since getting a hold of quality imported products is a bitch in my part the world, I've been looking for an alternative for some weeks - basically narrowing it down to Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Ghee or straight-up lard.

Pros and cons?

What's the RVF lipid standard?

[ChefAllDay]

For cooking I prefer Ghee or Coconut Oil, I only use olive oil in salad dressings and cold applications.

[kbell]

I use avocado oil, olive, tallow, palm oil, coconut oil and occasionally peanut oil.

[RawGod]

Coconut is the official RVF edible oil.

[christpuncher]

Olive oil, coconut oil, clarified butter, and butter. Canola oil for deep frying occasionally. I don't think canola is very good for you but it has the best neutral flavor for deep frying.

[Keepiticy2]

I use olive oil, coconut oil and if that's not available then canola oil.


However, if I want to really show out for guest or cook myself a very delicious meal then i'll use very rich butter or duck fat.

[MongolianAbroad]

Coconut oil is the official RVF multipurpose oil and lubricant.

[Bizet]

I'm going to say coconut oil is the best because it has so many uses. I've used it for cooking, massage oil and cleaning my teeth (coconut oil pulling, I need to get back into this) amongst other things.

[SteezeySteve]

I use all three cause they all work better for different stuff. Olive oil is great for throwing on plane pasta with garlic and all kinds of stuff. Coconut oil works great in smoothies,and goes good with eggs.Sometimes you just need butter.

They all have their own lipid profiles and health benefits. Old school Mediterranean knowledge tells you to eat olive oil by the boat load and the new age paleo cross fit shit says coconut oil cures cancer.Scientifically the new age is right but I ain't going around questioning all the Italians,Greeks,and Turks on how they do things.....

If you're using one cooking oil cause its your favorite watch out because if you over use the stuff there is a slight chance of developing an allergy to it.Idk if anyone else has gotten sick of coconut oil but its possible to over do it.

[Malone]

Lard for meat that needs it. Sunflower oil for some things. Olive oil for eating.

[Simeon_Strangelight]

(02-18-2018 10:39 PM)RawGod Wrote:  

Coconut is the official RVF edible oil.

Add to it clarified butter or occasionally even lard.

Tallow - fat derived from beef creates likely the most tasty french fries. The Belgians make their fries in that kind of fat and they invented french fries.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

It really depends on the type of food that you're cooking, as well as the cooking method. For me the arrangement goes like this:

1) Sunflower oil as default.
2) Coconut oil (or even milk) for stir-fried seafood and chicken.
3) Olive oil for baked seafood.

A basic classification that will provide you with on-the-go guidance that rarely fails is to mentally classify foods and spices as "earthy" or "light". This is totally unscientific, of course, but it aids you in creating interesting tastes. For example, red wine is earthy and goes well with similar ingredients like pork, beef and turkey. White wine is "light" and fits with seafood and chicken.

Earthy:
- pork
- beef (inc. organs like beef liver)
- turkey
- red wine
- beer
- basil
- rosemary
- laurel (bay)
- black pepper
- cumin seeds
- cloves
- sweet and hot paprika
- bell pepper
- sunflower oil
- lard
- potatoes

Light:
- chicken
- all seafood except squid and octopus
- white wine
- thyme
- parsley
- onions
- garlic
- ginger
- chilli
- tomatoes
- olive oil
- coconut oil
- zucchini

A good rule of thumb is to create a dish using the ingredients from one list, then add a single (rarely more) ingredient from the other list to provide some contrast. For example, a grilled whole chicken spiced exclusively with opposite (earthy) ingredients fits together incredibly well, same as do coconut chilli shrimp with a base of lightly fried cumin or cloves.

[Vladimir Poontang]

Which oil is healthiest?

[Kahler]

(02-19-2018 04:55 AM)Vladimir Poontang Wrote:  

Which oil is healthiest?

Depends on how you use it. For frying, you need something that has high smoke point (above which your oil decomposes into harmful substances), check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
I also believe that saturated fats should be chosen over nonsaturated for frying (so lard, duck fat, etc.)

Only for non-high-temperature applications you should care about health benefits of this vs that. So contrary to popular opinion, you shouldn't put olive oil on your pan, better consume it raw.

[HOD]

Coconut oil is the healthiest.

Coconut oil for daily cooking, for example sauteing veges, scramble eggs and etc. However some people don't like the taste of coconut, I use it for its health benefits.

Olive oil is overrated, because if it burns (turns black), or if you cook it at a high temperature it becomes unhealthy. Therefore, olive oil at high temperature becomes a carcinogen.

I recommend Peanut oil for deep frying, searing or pan frying, i.e. chicken parma, steak, fish, etc.

You can also use grapeseed oil to substitute for peanut oil.

Avoid vege oils and corn oil.

[Marmite]

What is the shelf life of animal fats? For example if I wanted to cook chips or roast potatoes in goose fat say once or twice a week, and keep the fat refrigerated when not in use, how long before it turns rancid? Or if I were to use it every day, how much cooking could I do before I have to change it? Would it be the same for lard, beef dripping, etc?

[vinman]

Bacon grease

[heavy]

It's more complicated than "which fat is healthier?". Below is the run-down on the composition of many types of fats.

   

I've had detailed talks with a nutrition professor who isn't shy from modern information on the topic. While most nutrition experts understand the dangers of refined carbs and carbs in general, but even then, there's still carryover bias against saturated fats. Like in any industry, the scientists and educators are slow to accept potential alternative theories...they're paid by the government, in the end (it's all used for food stamps and welfare requirements). Look how long it took to flip over the food pyramid after the food companies paid off government shills.

Anyway, back to what we know...

In addition to looking at saturated vs unsaturated, it is important to look at the type of whether the fats are anti-inflammatory (omega 3) or pro-inflammatory (omega 6). One thing we do know is an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should ideally be around 1:1. As you can see, coconut oil has no omega 6.

This is what makes flaxseed oil so healthy.

Personally, I use bacon grease if I have some (not exactly healthy because of nitrates), olive oil (healthy), and coconut oil (so so healthy).

I believe in the end, if you stay away from refined carbs (sugar, bread, pasta products), you're doing really well. Don't worry about types of oil until you have that tackled. That's why I don't worry too much about the type of oil I use.

If you have high cholesterol or other potential health issues (caused by a genetic difference), it's a subject worth exploring further.

[H1N1]

It depends entirely on what you are cooking, as the flavour of the oil you use, and the temperature at which you plan on cooking, will both be important factors in picking your fat to cook in. That's before you factor in any health considerations.

Ghee is great if you're cooking Indian food, but less so for Italian, for example. You should pick your fats according to what you're looking to bring out in the dish itself.

That said, it is very hard to go wrong with plain old, delicious, butter assuming you are not doing anything that requires cooking at very high heat. Butter is my go to if I'm not hugely concerned about the overall effect of the fat I use on the flavour of the dish as a whole - eg I tend to fry eggs, bacon etc in butter, even though I might get a crisper result in a liberal splash of groundnut oil.

[porscheguy]

For meats, I use lard. You can buy buckets of the stuff at Walmart.

I saw small jars of beef tallow at the grocery store a while ago. The stuff is the beef equivalent of lard but way more expensive. I bought one jar and filled my small fryer with it so my fryer is presently 50% tallow and 50% vegetable oil. You do notice the difference in taste. When the fryer runs low, I'll top it off with lard.

As for olive oil, the fraud is so bad, that you shouldn't even trust any brand of olive oil made in Italy. That's kind of sad, but it's the truth. If you buy olive oil, buy the stuff that is US made and has a label from the California Olive growers association. It's more expensive, but it's actually olive oil.

With any oil, the most important thing is to find the smoke point and keep your temp below it. Most cooking oils smoke between 325 and 375 degrees. Once you hit the smoke point, you're breaking down the oil and burning it.

[Ballr]

Smoke points determine what is safe to cook with.

The approved oils, according to Dr. Sebi are as followed:



The ones that read "Do not cook" can be applied topically, just not in food outside of salads. Also remember to buy oils in glass or metal containers, not plastic. Oil content seeps into plastic upon interaction, causing toxicity.

[kaotic]

I'm in love with the Coco !

[TooFineAPoint]

If you can get your hands on some actual fresh olive oil (harvest date on bottle, under a year ago) you are in heaven.

I'm still haunted by the delicious stuff I tried in Tuscany 1.5 years ago. Impossible to get in North America though.

I'm probably going to join up to this fresh olive oil subscription club soon:

https://www.freshpressedoliveoil.com/

[sidebar, that's also my favorite piece of copywriting ever written, by the legendary Gary Bencivenga]

Cooking with high quality olive oil seems fine, as long as your heat is not too extreme, or it's a super fast sear.

[Razor Beast]

(02-19-2018 07:54 AM)Kahler Wrote:  

(02-19-2018 04:55 AM)Vladimir Poontang Wrote:  

Which oil is healthiest?

Depends on how you use it. For frying, you need something that has high smoke point (above which your oil decomposes into harmful substances), check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
I also believe that saturated fats should be chosen over nonsaturated for frying (so lard, duck fat, etc.)

Only for non-high-temperature applications you should care about health benefits of this vs that. So contrary to popular opinion, you shouldn't put olive oil on your pan, better consume it raw.

The data provided in your link wasn't consistent with not using olive oil on a pan. But I understand the general idea of what you are saying. Kind of like saying eating raw vegetables is better than cooked vegetables. Even though the net nutritional difference is quite low.

[DJ-Matt]

Dr. Sebi is full of shit, the smoke point of coco oil is above 400 F, I don't get anything hot enough to smoke it.

Quote:

Coconut Oil (extra virgin)

350°F

177°C

Coconut Oil (refined)

450°F

https://www.thespruce.com/smoking-points...ls-1328753