I don't know what staple of my kitchen I love more than olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil to be exact. (Please don't call it EVOO in my presence, that's just weird. Thank you.)
So I was delighted when the good folks at Crisco contacted me and asked if I'd like to receive a basket of their goodies. (Well, technically, a basket of stuff that I use every day to make goodies, but that's not important right now.)
Umm….YES!
This festively adorned basket arrived on my doorstep yesterday. How much fun is this?
I popped over to the Crisco site and found they had some recipes that totally make me happy. Including a video from their chef, Sylvia Melendez-Klinger making a Lime Tortilla Crusted Snapper with Cilantro Sauce that looks out-of-this-world.
(I sort of fantasized for a bit about video-taping myself cooking something and talking at the same time, but then I remembered that I was me, and I am usually in kind of a zen-like zone when I am cooking which makes speaking impossible because I have to stay so focused, but that's not important right now, either.)
Meanwhile, back to my fabulous Crisco basket….
4 different kinds of oil. An embroidered Crisco apron. A sweet spatula, coupons, and recipes (in English and Spanish).
Can it get any better than this?
Umm….Yes!
My friends at Crisco have generously offered to send one of you (MBFCF readers) the same basket of cooking goodies. (I know. Shut up.)
Please just answer this question in the comment section:
Do you know when to use different varieties of oil when cooking/baking? In what ways do you tend to use different flavors of oils such as olive, canola, vegetable, peanut and corn?
There are no right or wrong answers, they just want to know. Leave a comment and I will pick a winner on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 10 am Pacific.
I have to go now….
I'm going to go put on my new Crisco apron and fry up some tostones. 😉
Yes I do know!I use light olive oil for sauteing because the EVOO(lol) has a low smoke point and burns. I use Extra Virgin mostly for dressings and to flavor foods. Peanut oil is my fave to use for Asian cooking and I use canola, veggie, or corn for any kind of frying because of their very high smoke point. Also, Canola, veggie, and corn dont taste like anything so i use them for baking.
I’m such a food nerd.
🙂
I have no rhyme of reason for when or what I use, but I love this because I just learned a great deal from Ivis. So, THANK YOU, Ivis. I realize this post makes me appear like I don’t know the first thing about cooking which is funny because I get compliments all the time, but I think what I do is more a little of this and a little of that and it normally comes out really good…haha. Thank you for educating me. I love to learn (almost as much as I love to laugh…excuse me, I couldn’t help myself…I just Mary Poppins two nights ago…
This is how I do it. Con Mazola nunca estas sola!! LOL!!! I use Mazola cooking oil to deep fry, and add to the water when I am boiling pasta, but when I make my Cuban sofrito, I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I also use spray oil so that food won’t stick on my cookie sheets. That’s pretty much it. Oh, today we used Crisco and powder sugar to make icing for our cake decorating class. 😉
I usually useCrisco canola oil for making rice in my rice cooker, for pancakes or other baked goods, and also deep frying. I only buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and use it for salad dressings, quick sautéing, and as a general flavor enhancer…a light splash of “EVOO” (I’m too tired to keep writing it out Marta, so please bear with me!) to some finished dishes adds a great finishing touch…a punctuation of flavor, if you will. Finally, there’s nothing better than dipping a fresly baked, crusty baguette slice into EVOO flavored with Badia Sazon Completa (do you get Badia spices out in California?). Heaven! My olive oil sits out on my counter, and gets more use than any other ingredient in my kitchen!
Do you know when to use different varieties of oil when cooking/baking? In what ways do you tend to use different flavors of oils such as olive, canola, vegetable, peanut and corn?Of course I know how to use different varieties of cooking oils 🙂
Olive oil preferably extra-virgin olive oil, I use it for Spanish and Cuban Cuisine which doesn’t taste the same without extra-virgin olive oil and mostly everything that does not involve high heat cooking, as well as for salads and dipping bread because olive oil has a low smoking point and if over heated it kills the flavor and gives it a smoked bad taste.
Canola Oil is neutral in flavor and has a high smoke point. I use it for stir- frying, deep-frying and baking. I also use it because it is considered healthy since it is very high in mono-unsaturated fat, and high in omega-3’s (yes I do know about the canola oil controversy, but no real study’s have found it to be harmful)
Peanut Oil is ideal for deep-frying and stir frying as well, high smoke point, and high in mono fats. I simply don’t use it however because canola oil is cheaper in price and does the same job.
Vegetable oil is another all-purpose oil, good for anything. Funny thing there is no such thing as “vegetable oil” any kind of oil can be labeled as vegetable oil. In America Vegetable Oil is just “Soybean Oil”
Corn Oil, is popular as well as an all-purpose oil for stir frying, baking, frying, whatever. However I don’t like it because it leaves a greasy feel to food, like wet. And food absorbs more oil I’ve noticed when fried in corn oil. Also it is very high in omega 6 fatty acids which we all get enough of. Too many if not healthy and throws off your balance between good and bad cholesterol (HDL and LDL) However I admit as for “taste” and all it is good for Hispanic cooking, especially Mexican cooking when lard isn’t being used.
The “main cooking fats” in my kitchen are “Extra-Virgin Olive Oil” (for almost everything that I don’t need to use high heat on), Canola Oil (for deep-frying, stirfrying and some baked goods), butter REAL BUTTER (delicious in combination with olive oil for some dishes, and baking of course), and LARD yes Manteca which I render myself good for everything. Some dishes really need it 🙂
I use oils daily and love them! I use olive oil for most sauteing an also just to dip bread in at the table. Olive oil is one of the best foods for you to eat. I use it half and half with vegetable oil for my homemade salad dressings.I use vegetable oil in baking: muffins and cakes. Peanut oil is good to fry chicken and fish in the deep fryer because it won’t burn at high temps.I also use olive oil as a beauty item. It is an awesome hair and skin moisturizer. I put it on my dry hair and leave for 30 minutes or so. Then shampoo it. It makes my hair soft and healthy looking again.
I know!It depends on the temperature and cooking style you wish to cook at. Olive oil has a lower smoke point, therefore it is good for sautéing and using in salad dressings. Canola and peanut oil have higher smoke points and are therefore good for wok frying and deep frying respectively.
We nearly never fry in our house so therefore I use olive oil for nearly all of my cooking, especially paella Mexicana and tacos de pescado. I even add a bit of it to my salsas to add a smoothness. I use olive oil spray when I grill and for garlic toast instead of butter. I use sesame oil as a drizzle for Asian dishes. When I do fry, I use canola oil because it adds lightness, especially to breaded chicken and eggplant.
Much love all the way from Detroit, MI to you, Marta!
Marta- I want this so bad! I love cooking. Plus, I’ve never won anything on your blog (this is fate!)To answer the question, I use Olive Oil in everything! Just kidding. I like to have some peanut oil on hand for asian cooking (which I do a lot of). It heats faster and it has an amazing flavor. You can’t really do a stir-fry with olive oil sludgy-goodness.
I use vegetable and canola in cakes and breads. I use extra virgin olive oil in all my latin and american cooking. I will confess that there have been times when I’ve only had olive oil on hand and used it for baked goods! That can be our secret 😉
I use olive oil for just about everything except frying. For frying I use canola oil except when I fry a turkey I use peanut oil. But in salad dressings it’s always olive oil. (extra virgin) I want to win! How do you get this stuff?
I use olive oil for my homemade salad dressings, and also it is THE oil I use to make any kind of bean dish, be it black beans, lentils, or garbanzos. These hearty bean stews stand up to the full flavor of olive oil, and yes, extra virgen.For the few fried things I make, I use canola oil. I like its very light flavotr, which does not interrupt the taste of the tostones, empanadas or croquetas I’ve made.
well….this could be answered either in my rushed kitchen frantic dance mode (which occurs bet. 6-7pm everynight with child and hubby whining of hunger and of the smoke all over the apt. due to *crispy*(aka burnt) food) or in my sat. morning “i-would-have-loved-to-be-a-chef-while-i-sip-on-my-morning-coffee” mode”.(ill choose this one to “sound” like i know what im doing (and i listened to my mom’s cooking instructions…
vegetable : cakes + brownies
Canola: dont know when exactly to use this one other than to substitute vegetable to be more healthy!
peanut:i like to use for indian and thai dishes
corn: frying tostones and empanadas?
ok…i know my chef chances are slim to none now!
have fun!
michele
oops! i forgot about olive oil…Olive oil: for everything in my Cuban kitchen (except baking!)
(actually…try a watermelon and canteloupe salad with mint, Salt, pepper, and olive oil! amazing!)
I use olive oil when I don’t want the flavor of bacon grease. If I want an oil with no flavor, I use canola oil. I don’t do much high heat frying, so don’t needanything with a high smoke point. I also use lard. Oh well. Guess I am not really eligible for the drawing!
I usually use a mix of butter and olive oit when I saute. Save the really good olive oil for dipping. I don’t bake. I’m allergic.
I would have to say that I use the extra virgin olive oil for most of my cooking, especially anything that is enhanced by the olive flavor. For deep frying or baking I use canola or vegetable. The light olive oils I use for sauteing, but only if I don’t have the extra virgin olive oil. Baking is usually butter or canola oil.
Hi Marta,I guess which oil one uses depends on what their cooking or what one prefers. I use mainly extra light virgin olive oil. I use it on salads, bread, pasta dishes, etc…I mainly use vegetable oil for baking and Canola/Corn oil for frying and sauteeing. I admit I have never used peanut oil.
Happy Cooking, All!
I forgot! Butter, butter, butter for baking!
Well let’s see I have used extra virgin for my salad’s and dressing I also use it with balsamic vinegar to dip my bread in, I have used the pure to fry and bake with, I fry my corn shells with pure olive oil. I like to brush olive oil on my chicken before roasting it in the oven, have a great night, Diana
I have no clue… Only thing I know is that my grandmother ALWAYS tells me to use CANOLA oil to fry platanos because it’s healthier…(not sure how healthy FRYING anything could be, but hey, Grandmother’s can never go wrong ;)Good Luck to me… jijijijijjiji
There may be many oil, the peanut may be used for the frying. The coconut oil may also be used for a cooking.Some vegetable oils are used for the same purpose. BUT the olive oil is consider as a good medicare oil.
Lard??? I LOVE YOU!! wonder how many of us would be brve enough to admit to using lard?