What kind of oils do you use?

JAS_OH1

JAS_OH1

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Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but I am relatively new here. I was intrigued by Morning Glory's mention of using mustard oil in an egg dish recently, and I think it was medtran who mentioned black truffle oil in an oyster dish. Very interesting.

I've never gone out of my comfort zone. I saute with EVOO and dip breads in herb infused oils occasionally, but that's about it thus far.

Does anyone here make infused oils and what do you do with them? What kinds of oils do you buy and what do you do with them?
 
I currently have:

Olive oil
Light olive oil
Canola oil
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
Vegetable oil blend

I think that's it. I haven't made long-term infused oils, but I do make them on the fly (frying thick slices of garlic in some olive oil, then letting it sit to infuse, then straining out the garlic and using the oil for something else, for example). I'll also do that with herbs.
 
I have more oils than I use. The ones I use regularly are Peanut for deep frying, Olive and Canola for pan sautéing, and Grapeseed for high temperature cooking.

I have both Extra Virgin and Lighter Olive Oils. I cook with lighter Olive oils, mostly, and use the EVOO for finishing, and for things where the oil is an integral part of the flavor.

CD
 
I use the following:

Avocado oil is my go-to cooking oil. It is healthy, has a good level of Omega 3s, and if you get the right type of it, is high temperature.

EVOO - Extra virgin olive oil is my standard salad dressing oil. I also use it for light/quick cooking. I got to find brands that are REAL EVOO which is sometimes limiting. (From Greece or California appears to be generally safest.)

Grapeseed oil. I use this for cooking sometimes. I prefer the avocado but sometimes one can't find that. Like avocado oil, it is high temp friendly.

Sesame seed oil - either toasted or hot - I use this for certain Asian, especially Korean, dishes, mostly as a finishing oil. It has appeared in salads as part of the salad oil for a dressing. A little does go a long way, but is enjoyable.

Safflower oil - if I am going to need a lot of oil for "deep frying" - although I actually don't really DEEP fry - I will use this as it is cheaper than avocado or grapeseed oil. I could be tempted to use some peanut oil for that purpose, but atm I don't have any.

While I have coconut oil here, I seldom use it. Some specific Filipino dishes call for it, and it could end up in a few other places, but I don't think I've opened my jar since i moved here.

BTW, I do buy some infused oils - which are typically infused in olive oil. The one in my house atm is Tuscan Herb, infused in (non-virgin) Olive Oil.
 
Morning Glory said:
I think infused oils keep well - the oil preserves.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. The nut oils and sesame oil can go rancid, which is why it's recommended to keep them in the fridge.

I may have mentioned black truffle oil, as I do use the end pieces and leftover bits to make it and/or butter when we get truffles, but not with an oyster dish. The last of the black truffles went in the mac-n-cheese last night, along with some black truffle salt that we bought at a Farmer's Market, when I picked up some Himalayan pink salt.

I make infused oils when called for in dishes. One cookbook we have by Chef Norman Van Aken especially uses them a lot. I also make infused garlic oil for pizzas and garlic bread, but that's pretty common. I just make them to order, not to keep.
 
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medtran49 said:
Not necessarily. The nut oils and sesame oil can go rancid, which is why it's recommended to keep them in the fridge.

I may have mentioned black truffle oil, as I do use the end pieces and leftover bits to make it and/or butter when we get truffles, but not with an oyster dish. The last of the black truffles went in the mac-n-cheese last night, along with some black truffle salt that we bought at a Farmer's Market, when I picked up some Himalayan pink salt.

I make infused oils when called for in dishes. One cookbook we have by Chef Norman Van Aken especially uses them a lot. I also make infused garlic oil for pizzas and garlic bread, but that's pretty common. I just make them to order, not to keep.
Click to expand...
Oh sorry, that's right. I remember now.
 
TastyReuben said:
If we're including solids, then butter and bacon grease, and shortening.
Click to expand...

Okay, to include solid fats:

Butter (unsalted and lightly- salted) - either Kerrygold from Ireland or Kate's Creamery, which is from Maine - both high quality.
Leaf lard - the fat around the pig's kidney. I've rendered it down myself from the half-pig I got last year. The leaf lard has no piggy flavor and is thus sought after by high-end bakers.
Regular lard - Other porcine fats. (I admit I mostly make chicken treats with this, and yes, I render this down myself).
Bacon fat - Save for pan frying things in. It already comes salted.
Duck fat - If I ever find this again, it will be in a place of honor here.
Ghee -
 
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