Best oil to use for your recipe depends on heat and flavor:
Deciding on the best oil to use when you are searching your pantry for ingredients to make your recipe, can be a bit confusing. Here is some information which you help a lot.
First, the flavor your oil will add to the food should be considered. Most oils have some kind of flavor profile. The flavor profile can enhance your dish with another layer of flavor and richness.
Adding coconut oil to fish or chicken builds a distinct flavor. Real butter is awesome on eggs and sauces. Cooking with olive oil adds great flavor to sauces and helps to caramelize vegetables because of the smoke point olive oil has. High heat searing to improve the flavor of meats without burning begs for a special type of oil with almost no added flavor to compete with sauces.
Next you will want to think about the cooking method which will be used for your recipe, the temperature it will be cooked at and the smoke point of the oil or fat.
Cooking methods which rely on oil or fat:
· Best oil for searing: With high heat searing, the goal is to heat meat as rapidly as possible to promote browning.
· Best oil for sautéing: Heat a small amount of oil medium to medium-low smoke point until shimmering and then add your ingredients. Selecting oils with complimentary flavors can add great layers of flavor to your dishes.
· Best oil for deep-frying: Your best bet with deep-frying is to always use a thermometer. Pick a high smoke point oil and keep your oil at 375 °F to reduce burning of flour or crumbs in your oil.
· Best oil for stir-frying: Wok cooking is fast, and relies on a thin coating of smoking-hot oil to lubricate your food—the idea is to brown those ingredients and develop their flavor while retaining a crisp, fresh crunch. You’ll want a really high smoke point oil, like avocado, peanut or safflower oil.
The smoke point is the temperature where smoke becomes visible and at which the oil breaks down, burns and becomes possibly toxic.
Chart of Oil and Fat Cooking Uses and Smoke Points of Fats and Oils:
| Fats or oils | Description | Cooking uses | High smoke point or low smoke point °F |
| Almond Oil | A clear oil with a hint of toasted almond flavor. | Used in sauté and stir fry | Higher smoke point 420 °F |
| Avocado Oil | Vibrant green in color with a has a soft nutty taste and a mild avocado aroma. This is a very healthy oil with a profile similar to olive oil. This oil can be used for very high temperature applications. | Stir frying, searing | Highest smoke point 500 °F |
| Beef Fat | Slowly liquefied beef fat, strong beef flavor | Used to add flavor when searing or browning | High smoke point 400 °F |
| Butter | Whole butter is made of cream with high fat content. It adds a wonderful flavor to baked goods, vegetables and eggs | Butter smoke point makes it best for baking, cooking, low sauté, cooking eggs | Medium low smoke point 350 °F |
| Butter (Ghee), clarified | Ghee has a higher smoke point than butter since clarification eliminates the milk solids (which burn at lower temps) and adds a buttery flavor | Frying, sautéing | 375-485 °F (depending on purity) |
| Canola Oil | A light, golden-colored oil, no flavor profile | Good all-purpose oil. Used in salads and cooking. | Medium smoke point 375 °F |
| Coconut Oil | A heavy nearly colorless oil when melted, adds a coconut flavor. | chocolate coatings, candy, low sauté and sauces | Medium low smoke point 350 °F |
| Chicken Fat | “Schmaltz” Liquefied chicken fat, strong chicken flavor | Kosher and used to add flavor when browning meat or vegetables | Medium smoke point 375 °F |
| Grapeseed Oil | Light, medium-yellow oil that is a by-product of wine making. | Excellent choice of cooking oil for sautéing or browning & salad dressings. | Medium smoke point 375 °F |
| Olive Oil | Oils vary clarity and flavor depending the type of olives and the level of refinement. | Marinating, salad dressings, sauté, pan fry, sear, roasting, broil, baking | Lowestest smoke point EVO 320 °F Refined – 375 °F |
| Peanut Oil | Pale yellow refined oil with a very subtle scent and flavor. Made from pressed steam-cooked peanuts. Used primarily in Asian cooking. | Frying, cooking, salad dressings | High smoke point 450 °F |
| Pork Fat or Bacon | Melted bacon fat, strained of any impurities, strong pork flavor | Lower smoke point than beef fat, it will add good flavor to browned meat, but is hard to sear with. | Medium smoke point 375 °F |
| Safflower Oil | A golden color with a light taste. Made from the seeds of safflowers. | high heat sauté, caramelizing, salad dressings | Higher smoke point 450 °F |
| Sesame Oil, unrefined | Adds a distinct smoky and nutty flavor profile | flavoring foods, salad dressings | Lowestest smoke point 325 °F |
| Sunflower Oil, refined | A light odorless and nearly flavorless oil pressed from sunflower seeds. Pale yellow. | Cooking, margarine, salad dressings, shortening | Lowestest smoke point 325 °F |
©2016, Artful Chefs, All rights reserved
