Which oil to use for what.

Oil is used for sautéing, essentially to prevent food from sticking to

the bottom of the pan; for frying; and for dressing salads and flavoring

sauces. Unlike butter, which is an emulsion, oil is sometimes emulsified

into a mayonnaise or vinaigrette to bring out its flavor.

Its high smoking temperature makes it a better medium than butter or animal

fats for frying or sautéing. There are many different kinds of oil, each

with its own characteristics and uses.

Extra virgin olive oil:

It is conceivable for someone to live having only one oil—extra virgin

olive oil. This oil results from the first pressing of olives and is best

used as a dressing. It’s a waste to use this sometimes very expensive

oil for frying or sautéing—the high heat destroys its flavor—and there

are times, such as when making mayonnaise, when such an assertive

flavor isn’t appropriate. In an ideal world, we’d have an assortment of

extra virgin olive oils from all over the world to use on our salads or

on seafood, but most of us can be happy with one.

 Inexpensive extra virgin olive oil is often comparable to more expensive brands, so unless you’re sure of what you’re buying, you don’t necessarily get more

quality for more money. Don’t combine extra virgin olive oil with

mustard; they don’t agree. If you like mustard in your vinaigrette, use

“pure” olive oil or vegetable oil.

“Pure” olive oil :

In addition to extra virgin olive oil, “pure” olive oil is useful to have

on hand. Pure olive oil is the lowest marketable grade of olive oil which, in processing, has been stripped of most of its flavor components, leaving it with a very neutral taste. This is exactly the point.

There are times when we don’t want our oil to have any taste.

 Use pure olive oil for frying and sautéing because it leaves none of the

unpleasant fishy taste found in so many vegetable oils. It is also much

less expensive than extra virgin oil, whose flavor is destroyed by the

heat. Many chefs use it as an all-round oil instead of vegetable oil.

Vegetable oil:

Unlike olive or nut oils, which are designed to contribute flavor to

a dish, vegetable oils such as canola oil are suited for sautéing and

frying and in salads when you don’t want the flavor of the oil to be

noticeable.

 Most vegetable oils are relatively benign, but occasionally

they take on an odd fishy taste; you may need to experiment with

different oils—canola, safflower, peanut—and different brands.

Nut oil :

Nut oils have become very popular, but take care with them. Raw nut

oils—except for peanut oils—are almost always rancid before you even

get them home, and if they’re not, they will be soon.

The best-known maker of roasted nut oils is Le Blanc. Le Blanc’s oils are not cheap in terms of price per volume, but you can use a tenth as much as you’d

need of an oil made with raw nuts. Store nut oils in the freezer.

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