I like olive oil. I use it a lot for cooking and non-cooking preparations. Sometimes I use olive oil and butter together for great flavor, like with potatoes and other veggies.
Other times I don’t want any taste from the frying medium-- thus my question. Stratospherically (is that a word?) high smoke point not necessary. Also, don’t care about saturated v. unsaturated. I’d rather have omega-3s over omega-6s, but these health considerations also not primary.
Something besides canola oil. Don’t want to get into a discussion of canola oil, but not that.
Not flavored oils like sesame oil (love it!) or toasted walnut oil-- those are seasonings, not for cooking. (BTW, a delicious easy salad dressings is equal parts toasted walnut oil and balsamic vinegar-- sublime.)
I see TV chefs/cooks these days use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil.
I cannot stand the smell of coconut oil frying-- I like coconuts and coconut cream pie is one of my faves, but that oil when it’s heated no way. I tried sunflower oil one time (it seems to me that they use this on European YouTube cooking shows a lot.) Similar to coconut oil, the smell when it’s heated is nausea-inducing to me.
There’s the old standby corn oil, which is out of favor. And safflower oil. I use peanut oil a lot-- it does have some of its own flavor, but not overpowering. I use it when I make popcorn in my Whirly-Pop.
I stood in front of the avocado oil and grapeseed oil at H-E-B today but decided to come here first and ask people’s opinions before buying a bottle that I would wind up throwing away.
I’ve used grapeseed oil as a neutral tasting oil. It’s pretty good for the recipes I’ve made like a cookie recipe. Avocado oil tastes really good too though I’ve never bought any of it; it hints of avocado but I like that taste.
Grapeseed is my go-to neutral oil, with safflower a close second for when I can’t find grapeseed or it is overpriced at that market for some reason. I’d probably rank peanut oil third (it seems less neutral although that may be psychological, just thinking of peanuts etc etc)
I lack the sophisticated palate to really notice the (to me) minor differences and subtle flavors imparted by my oils, and honestly, I’m much more likely to use them to add flavor (olive oil or ghee) - but that’s me.
When I’m cooking for others, or trying to reduce secondary flavors in more subtle dishes, then safflower is what I’ve mostly used (best bang for buck, grapeseed always seems pricey in my area) with a distant second of corn oil, which I have a large jug of cheap from Costco.
Sorry that I’m not much help, cooking oil for sautee is one of my cheap points it seems.
My go-to is avocado oil. It is neutral and it has a very high smokepoint. If not that then peanut oil (I have never gotten a good answer if people with peanut allergies will react to peanut oil though…I have heard yes and no so I just assume the worst to be safe).
But, I will say when it comes to going for the most middle of the road oil that imparts nothing to the dish beyond being an oil it is canola (yes, I read the OP…just saying).
Yep. I almost exclusively use sunflower oil. Ukrainian sunflower oil at that, that I buy at the local Polish grocery for like $4 a liter. They have refined and unrefined versions. I’ve tried both, and the refined is definitely what you want for a neutral oil. The unrefined version tastes like sunflower seeds and I think would work better as a salad oil or somewhere where you want that flavor.
Once I had read that canola had a fishy smell, I really started noticing it. The last straw happened when I fried some plain potatoes in it, yet the kitchen still smelled fishy afterwards. So I’ve switched to using peanut oil for all neutral frying purposes. It’s more expensive than canola, but I can live with it. Now there’s only a subtle, appetizing hint of peanut smell when I fry. And it seems to have a cleaner taste, too.
But for anything Italian or Mediterranean, I still use olive oil.
Thanks for the replies. They are very helpful (even yours @ParallelLines), and I don’t mind hearing from Team Canola. I think I’ll buy a small bottle of grapeseed oil and one of avocado oil and see who wins. Right now, peanut oil is my go-to.
Full disclosure: this came by UPS today
My first All-Clad. The instructions and videos all say heat it up over medium and add oil til it shimmers before you put the food in. I’ve never had any luck with non-non-stick pans before, but hey! I’m not getting any younger, so it’s now or never. On the All-Clad site, it says the regular price is $189.99 and this was $99.99. I think people usually want a larger size. I didn’t order from amazon, because some reviewers weren’t sure they got the Real McCoy. I’m just leaving it on my dining room table for now so I may gaze upon its loveliness.
Huh…weird. I am very sensitive to “fishy” smells or tastes. I love sushi but it it is even a little off I notice. I happen to have a half-used bottle of canola in my kitchen and just smelled it and got no fishy anything. I used it yesterday to make salad dressing and it was yummy (note again that I hate fishy anything).
To each their own. I do not think this is a right or wrong to this. Just whatever is right for you. Sunflower oil is a great choice. So is grapeseed or peanut oil I think. Whatever works for you. The only thing I’d pay attention to is smokepoint when choosing an oil unless it is something like EVOO meant for a salad or something where the oil is a big part of the flavor of the dish.
Wonderful pan! I hope you like it. It can do things a non-stick pan can’t. I use mine often.
I would recommend getting Bar Keepers Friend to clean that. It is magical on my All-Clad stainless steel pan. A little soak and then rub with Bar Keepers Friend and good as new.
The fishy smell only comes through when it’s heated for frying. And it’s only in the smell, not the taste. Then again, maybe some brands don’t exhibit this. I used Kirkland’s canola oil.
I use peanut oil, unless I’m feeding people who are allergic, in which case i use safflower oil or corn oil. I can’t stand the flavor that canola oil can impart (although my sense of taste isn’t as good as it used to be, so maybe I’m less likely to notice, now.) i tried some other oil for a while, sadly, i forget which, and it tasted fine, but stuff stuck to the wok much but then with peanut oil, so i returned to peanut oil.
I have a small bottle of grapeseed oil that i use for seasoning my pans. Maybe i should try using it for cooking. I haven’t tried avocado oil for anything, because it’s pricy and I’m not a huge avocado fan. But maybe i ought to give it a try. I’m curious what you find.
I think avocado oil’s real selling point is its high smoke point. So, (e.g.) if you were reverse searing a steak and wanted to drop it into a ripping hot pan avocado oil is well suited for something like that.
I’m in the grapeseed oil camp. I first bought some for high-heat cooking, but I soon got tired of hunting among several bottles for the right oil and just cut it down to olive and grapeseed for cooking.
I have four bottles of oil. Peanut for most things, mild olive oil for marinating and cooking, extra virgin olive oil that packs a punch for drizzling, and a neutral oil that isn’t peanut in case I’m cooking for someone allergic to peanuts. That one is usually labeled “vegetable oil”, but i look at the ingredients and usually get corn and/or safflower.
(I also have butter, duck fat, and goose fat in the fridge, although the goose fat might be too old to be good by now. I only cook a goose once a year, and it yields a lot of fat.)
no way. I tried sunflower oil one time (it seems to me that they use this on European YouTube cooking shows a lot.) Similar to coconut oil, the smell when it’s heated is nausea-inducing to me.
), and I don’t mind hearing from Team Canola. I think I’ll buy a small bottle of grapeseed oil and one of avocado oil and see who wins. Right now, peanut oil is my go-to.
The instructions and videos all say heat it up over medium and add oil til it shimmers before you put the food in. I’ve never had any luck with non-non-stick pans before, but hey! I’m not getting any younger, so it’s now or never. On the All-Clad site, it says the regular price is $189.99 and this was $99.99. I think people usually want a larger size. I didn’t order from amazon, because some reviewers weren’t sure they got the Real McCoy. I’m just leaving it on my dining room table for now so I may gaze upon its loveliness.