Related to the Canola thread, what oil to fry in?

This got me thinking about what it the best oil to fry in, since Canola doesn't seem like a good option with the "fishy" smell. I know that peanut is the best, but unfortunately, that is not an option for us, since my son is allergic to peanuts.

So, what's the next best? Corn? Vegetable? Light OO?

Light OO. We use olive oil 90% of the time. If OO flavor is called for we use Sicilian EVOO; otherwise the Light version (no flavor, but healthy).

When you say "fry" do you mean "saute"? We rarely deep fry, but when we do we use peanut oil. You could use Light OO or even "vegetable shortening."

I'd go with the corn oil. It has a high smoke point, and I've noticed a number of asian cooks recommend it. If you want a higher smoke point oil with a neutral flavor, try grape seed oil. I always use that for sauteing meat.

Interestingly, pure olive oil, peanut oil and corn oil all have the same smoke point: about 410F. Grape seed oil about 446F.

Corn oil seems to be the sleeper. I was amazed that we could pop popcorn in unrefined corn oil, giving it an even more corny flavor.

[Robin Garr]

Tech data on smoke point notwithstanding, I like peanut oil for frying because anecdotally to me, it seems to take to high temperatures will. I also love roasted peanut oil for flavoring, but I think it's a little expensive for frying.

Of course, I rarely fry anyway.

Then get out your cotton gin, Robin. Cottonseed oil has a smoke point of about 450F.

Cottonseed or corn oil for the high smoke point.

Since you're dealing with a food allergy problem, I'd steer clear of "vegetable shortening" unless you can be sure that no peanuts are involved, and none of the machinery in the manufacturing process are ever used for peanuts.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

Then get out your cotton gin, Robin. Cottonseed oil has a smoke point of about 450F.

Yah, yah, whatever. I like to eat peanuts and I like to wear cotton. I'm not all that hot on the reverse.

And Valvoline synthetic oil is probably much higher than cottonseed.

Well, heck, we use silicone oil in lab all the time for those reactions operating at temperatures above the flash point of mineral oils (250°C aka 482 F for the unmetrified) -- and it's low-calorie to boot!

Mark Lipton

I like Grapeseed oil for almost everything that requires really hot oil - it heats really cleanly and doesn't smoke.

Well, heck, we use silicone oil in lab all the time for those reactions operating at temperatures above the flash point of mineral oils (250°C aka 482 F for the unmetrified) -- and it's low-calorie to boot!

Mark Lipton

And probably fatal if consumed internally in quantity.

I like Grapeseed oil for almost everything that requires really hot oil - it heats really cleanly and doesn't smoke.

Celia,

I would like to learn more about grapeseed oil. I think I tried it for the first time in my visit to the States recently, and I think that's all my mother is cooking with now. I was thinking of bringing some back to Israel with me, but my trip was just so short this time…

- E.Y.

Hi E.Y.!

I'm in Australia, and we can buy grapeseed oil in the supermarkets here - the brand I buy is called Azalea and it's imported from Italy. It retails for about the same price as good olive oil here. What I like about it is that it can heat to very hot without smoking, and has a fairly neutral taste. I first heard about it on Simply Ming (a US cooking program), where Ming Tsai was touting its health benefits. There is more about it on wikipedia here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape_seed_oil

FWIW, we've now used it for a couple of years (we no longer buy canola at all, except in a spray), and we've been delighted with it.

Cheers, Celia