Do you use a specific type of oil for specific types of food?

[tribie]

My friend said the type of oil you use sometimes has an effect on the taste of your food. For health reasons, I use canola or if there is a budget, olive oil. My friend says she uses corn oil for fried food because it tastes better though it not as healthy. Perhaps what I want to know is what kind of oil enhances the taste of what kind of food.

 

[crimsonghost747]

Obviously the oil will have an effect on the taste. I only use olive oil, it's the only thing I have around at the house. In certain cases (for example with meat) I may use butter instead of olive oil.

 

[Annetteb]

Yeah I use olive oil with a lot of my frying as well. I will use a little bit of margarine for chicken and pork but it's mostly olive oil for me. If I can't afford olive oil, I have canola oil for back up.

 

[OhioTom76]

I really like to use Peanut oil for stir frys as well as fried food, but it's pretty expensive so I usually stick with canola oil, which is often much cheaper. I hate wasting a whole bottle of peanut oil just to fry a few things.

I use olive oil with a little bit of butter for eggs as well as home fries.

For fried rice I will start it out with canola oil, but add a few drops of sesame oil towards the end for flavor.

 

[Annetteb]

I haven't tried sesame oil at the end for fried rice. I will have try that and see how I like it.

 

[MoniqueS]

I definitely use specific types of oil for certain dishes. Olive oil is my standard go-to oil for cooking. However, I really like using sesame oil when making a stir-fry. I also really like to cook and bake with coconut oil, when it suits the dish. I always use coconut oil instead of butter. I use canola oil if I'm making popcorn or need a larger quantity of oil in general.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

definitely have specific oil for different recipes.

Sunflower Oil
virgin sunflower oil
Light olive oil
unrefined, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil (Currently £4 a litre in waitrose at 1/2 price...)
toasted sesame seed oil
general vegetable oil

All flavour the cooking differently. I sometimes have walnut or hazelnut oil around if I am baking with a recipe that benefits from a nut oil as well.