Grease is the Word

by kessia{Sage}

A friend asked kess to spend some time talking about oil. She grew up in a margarine and Crisco house kind of like kessia did, and was baffled at the arrays of oils kess talked about using. So, here is a rundown on different types of grease and what difference they make in kessia’s cooking world.

Butter:

While butter is not one of the healthiest things a person can eat, it does have its uses in cooking. A little bit gives a great flavor in and on foods. When you bake with butter, usually a 50/50 mix of it and margarine can be used with no loss of taste, and make sure using butter will not effect what you are cooking. Eclairs, cream puffs and some light cakes do not rise well with butter because the butterfat is too heavy. For things that need to rise, use margarine.

Margarine:

Beyond baking, she does not use much of this stuff. It is cheaper than butter, but lacks the flavor. There is some suggestion that margarine is healthier for those with high cholesterol, so if using it is a necessity then she suggests going to one of the more expensive, higher end products. The cheap versions are great for baking though.

Crisco:

Biscuits, cookies and piecrusts. If someone has uses that are more extensive for Crisco, then please email kessia because so far, those are about the only uses Crisco has for her. Well, there are a couple of other uses, but they don’t have all that much to do with cooking… cooking with food, that is. ~smiles~ In it’s defense, it is somewhat healthier than lard (rendered pig fat) but lacks the flavor and heat capacity for frying.

Oils:

Every time kessia turns around, someone is selling "THE" new oil. The perfect, stupendous oil that cooks everything perfectly. Well, there is no such oil. There are bunches of different oils that behave differently in foods. Here is a run down on some of the most popular.

Olive Oil:

Olive oil is monounsaturated type oil, which means it is slightly better for you than other polyunsaturated types. It ranges in color from light yellow to almost a dark green. The flavor varies about as much too, from bland to richly strong in flavor. "Virgin" olive oil is made with a cold press method, which keeps the acid down and (some say) makes the oil taste superior to "pure" olive oil, which is made with a heated process. It is not as good for deep-frying; it is too thick and does not heat well. Use it to add flavor to Italian dishes, sauté meats, or drizzle it on salad with a little balsamic vinegar. For salads, use about 1/2 teaspoon per single serving of salad, then drizzle balsamic vinegar to taste. To make a larger batch of dressing, use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oil, 1/2 cup water and 1 cup balsamic vinegar. Get fancy and squeeze some garlic cloves and fresh oregano into the dressing, let sit for 1-2 hours (longer gets you more flavor) and serve.

For lighter taste, use a light colored olive oil or rapeseed (canola) oil. According to the AHA, these types of monounsaturated oils can be beneficial in one’s diet. There is also some suggestion that they actually help reduce cholesterol.

In addition, both olive and rapeseed oils make great massage oils. Add some sandalwood and lavender for a lovely, relaxing massage oil. Just remember to mark the bottles so you don’t accidentally ruin a perfect salad by putting lavender flavored oil on it, not that kessia has ever done anything like that, mind you.

• Canola: Made from rapeseeds. Canola oil has a bland flavor and is good for cooking and salad dressings. It has less saturated fat than other oils and it another good choice for those watching their type of fat intake.


• Corn oil: Not surprisingly, this is made from corn, the germ of the corn kernel to be exact. It is just about almost tasteless and is excellent for cooking because it can withstand high temperatures without smoking. It is high in polyunsaturated fat and used to make mayo, salad dressings and margarine.


• Peanut oil: This is made from pressed, steam-cooked peanuts. Its bland flavor makes it good for cooking. It also does not absorb or transfer flavors, so it can be re-used for some types of frying. Its smoking point is slightly lower than corn or safflower oil, but her Dad still swears by it for stir-frying and other Chinese dishes.


• Sesame oil: Speaking of Chinese food, sesame oil is made from pressed sesame seeds. Sesame oil comes in two varieties: Light (made with untoasted sesames) and dark (made with toasted sesames). Light sesame oil has a nutty flavor and is especially good for frying. Dark sesame oil (Asian) has a stronger flavor and should only be used in small quantities for flavoring foods -- not cooking.


• Safflower oil: she does not use safflower oil to cook much as she likes more robustly flavored oils. Safflower is odorless, almost colorless, and has a very high smoke point, which makes it ideal for deep-frying. It does not solidify when chilled, so it also makes good salad dressings if you want the flavor of your spices and vinegar to stand out. Its’ odorlessness makes it great for skin care products, though it lacks vitamin E. she finds it a handy, inexpensive carrier oil for massage oils.


• Sunflower and vegetable oils: Sunflower is made from sunflower seeds. It is a pale yellow with a bland flavor, making it good as all-purpose oil. Vegetable oil is an inexpensive and all-purpose blend of oils made from plant sources such as vegetables, nuts and seeds. Most vegetable oils are made from mostly from soybeans, a cheap and plentiful vegetable which is why vegetable oil tends to be cheaper.

Use stronger flavored oils (peanut, walnut, sesame) if you want to give a punch of flavor to dishes. Really, the best thing to do is get small amounts of each type of oil you want to try then ‘test drive’ them. They all heat, fry and taste slightly differently so each cook needs to use what suits his/her needs and diet.

All oils, mono, poly and trans are fat. Fat in any form is not a large part of a healthy diet. If you are trying to trim down, chuck all the ‘grease’ and use lemon juice, wine or different vinegars and spices to give you flavor. Use water to stir fry veggies, and skip the deep fryer all together. It is possible to eat well without sacrificing much in the way of taste, particularly if you use less oil with richer flavor.

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