Training & Nutrition - what kind of stir fry oil is healthiest and/or tastes best

What kind and how much do you use?

I have been using peanut, olive and sesame.

I noticed "wok oil" is cottonseed oil.

I like peanut oil the best. I can heat it up the most without it burning...

peanut

sesame oil is often used in Chinese stir-fry.

What kind and how much do you use?

I have been using peanut, olive and sesame.

I noticed "wok oil" is cottonseed oil.
crisco

crisco


nope, not for me, thanks.

Olive oil that has been filtered, extra light olive oil, has a higher smoke point than peanut oil, but the best way to determine if the oil is hot enough is to put a small piece of garlic or onion in the oil when the oil is cold to watch and see when it starts to fry; then it is hot enough to add the rest of your stir fry in. Don't let oil get to the smoke point. It is already starting to degrade at that temperature.

try macadamia nut oil. it's supposed to be just as good for you as olive oil, but has a
higher smoke point. i have used peanut oil also-it is used alot in chinese cooking.

steve

A recent study someone emailed me out of San Francisco said that prostate cancer growth in vitro was twice as fast when oils high in Omega 6 fatty acids were added to the mix. For men, I would say to avoid stuff like corn, canola, and vegetable oils and look towards olive and flaxseed oils and other oils high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Disturbing stuff. My dad has prostate cancer, and it's suddenly skyrocketed, so we've moved him into foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids and completely weaned out foods with Omega 6 fatty acids.

Koffee

The Flax Council of Canada has a pamphlet on flaxseed. According to their information the fat composition of flaxeed oil are as follows: Polyunsaturated fats 73% of which 57% is Omega-3 and 16% is Omega-6; saturated fats 9%; monosaturated fats 18%.

i use a mix of sesame oil and hot chili oil, which has soybean oil in it. if i need more, i use peanut.

i tend, though, to use oil primarily for flavor. if you use nonstick cookware, you need very little oil.

What kind and how much do you use?

I have been using peanut, olive and sesame.

I noticed "wok oil" is cottonseed oil.

Well the most traditional fats used for Wok cooking was lard, palm oil or peanut oil. Now your probably not going to go for the lard given its bad publicity even though lard is classified as a mono-unsaturated fat just like olive oil. Palm oil is also highly saturated which makes it a good choice for high heat. If you prepared for the expense then virgin coconut oil is what I would reccomend although it doesn't have a strong taste of anything so I would add a little seasame oil for flavor.

Cottonseed oil and soy oil are the worst options. Cotton is classified as a non-food crop so more pesticides can be used on it than on "food" crops but then pesticides concentrate in the seeds and we use that for "food". Real cleaver! Don't start me on Soy.

While I'm all for omega-3 fatty acids they don't make for good cooking oils. Unrefined coconut oil is the healthiest option being the most heat tolerent but peanut oil with seasame oil for flavor isn't the worst option out there.

Regards, Anthony

grape seed oil is the healthiest... for taste... just go experiment.

Stir fry is most associated with Chinese cooking. Depending on what is to be cooked, the wok is fired up to a certain temperature. While the cooking oil has a taste, its the food and seasoning that ultimately decide the taste.

Stir fry is most associated with Chinese cooking. Depending on what is to be cooked, the wok is fired up to a certain temperature. While the cooking oil has a taste, its the food and seasoning that ultimately decide the taste.


If you're doing a meatless stir fry, it can't just be done "dry" can it?

Don't start me on Soy.



Regards, Anthony

Not a fan of tofu?

I second the grapeseed oil.

try macadamia nut oil. it's supposed to be just as good for you as olive oil, but has a
higher smoke point. i have used peanut oil also-it is used alot in chinese cooking.

steve
Macadamia Nut oil is fantastic. Harder to come by over here, but back in Australia I used to cook with it all the time. These days I use peanut oil for asian cooking (sometimes with a splash of dark sesame oil for flavour), and olive oil for most other cooking.

As to the 'how much do you use' question... I use a carbon-steel wok. If I heat it to a good high heat, it only needs a tablespoon or less for each new batch. For stir-fry for two, I'd brown the meat in the first batch then remove it, then add a bit more oil for the aromatics (onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, spices) and build the stir-fry from there. If it's stir-fry for four, then two batches of meat (wok loses too much surface temperature too quickly if it's all added together, so the meat would stew instead of fry).

Not a fan of tofu?

Tofu is OK in moderation because its a traditional preperation method. Soy oil, TVP and soy protein isolate are a different story. Nasty stuff.

The other traditional preperation methods are fermented soy sauce, miso, nato and tempeh. Its the modern western preperation methods that you have to look out for based as they are on ignorance and foolish pride. Tradition has a lot to teach us but even the traditionaly prepared asian products should be consumed in moderation due to their estrogenic properties.

Regards, Anthony

I'll use sesame out of taste.

grapeseed is a good high temp oil and healthy. Olive oil won't stand up to the heat.

Cold pressed peanut oil tastes the best IMO. Andrew Weil says peanut oil is unhealthy. For everyday use I would go to canola, expeller pressed. But it doesn't taste as good as peanut oil.

I think it's healthier to use olive oil and a lower temperature saute, but you sacrifice the oriental wokked flavor and get a more mediterranean flavor. Do you think you would like that?

Oriental flavors: peanut oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chilis, toasted sesame oil.

Mediteranean flavors: olive oil, wine, tomatoes, basil, garlic.

chili sesame oil

Seems like there should be a consensus on whether peanut oil is healthy, or not...

Seems like there should be a consensus on whether peanut oil is healthy, or not...

Well quality is everything so simply talking about a type of oil say's nothing. I wouldn't honestly say that peanut oil is that healthy, just a little better than most of the other easy options out there and I would deffinitely use cold pressed oil over refined oil anyday.

If you wan't a trully healthy oil use virgin/unrefined coconut oil.

Here's a reference. The WAPF puts seasame oil in the preffered list and doesn't actualy mention peanut oil in the intro which I will assume means indifference. Again WAPF considers quality to be very important. http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html

Regards, Anthony

If you're doing a meatless stir fry, it can't just be done "dry" can it?

Actually it can, I do stri-fry for dinner a few night a week. Use a non-stick wok or deep frying pan. If its been through a dishwasher, run a few drops of oil in it with a paper towel to condition the surface (most instructions with non-stick cookware tell you to do this anyway). During your stir-frying, add small amounts of water and put a lid over the wok for short periods of time - how much water depends on you veggie mix, some release enough moisture on their own. Stir a lot.

If you just quickly hand-wash your wok, no need to oil the surface at all.

If you're doing a meatless stir fry, it can't just be done "dry" can it?

In Chinese cooking, it is common to stir fry the veggies first, and then add the meat later. The beef is usually flank steak cut in strips. This will prevent the meat from over cooking. Some of my favorites are bitter mellon with black bean sauce and flank steak. Another favorite is tomato-beef with green peppers.

The good thing about Chinese cooking is that the meat in these dishes is in proportion to the veggies so that you aren't necessarily eating too much meat. Everything in moderation.

Well quality is everything so simply talking about a type of oil say's nothing. I wouldn't honestly say that peanut oil is that healthy, just a little better than most of the other easy options out there and I would deffinitely use cold pressed oil over refined oil anyday.

If you wan't a trully healthy oil use virgin/unrefined coconut oil.

Here's a reference. The WAPF puts seasame oil in the preffered list and doesn't actualy mention peanut oil in the intro which I will assume means indifference. Again WAPF considers quality to be very important. http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html

Regards, Anthony

Yeah, but Price is a saturated fats based diet type guy.
He believes in tons of meat and animal fat.
My spidey sense tells me a raw and vegetable/fruit based diet is healthier.

In Chinese cooking, it is common to stir fry the veggies first, and then add the meat later. The beef is usually flank steak cut in strips. This will prevent the meat from over cooking. Some of my favorites are bitter mellon with black bean sauce and flank steak. Another favorite is tomato-beef with green peppers.

The good thing about Chinese cooking is that the meat in these dishes is in proportion to the veggies so that you aren't necessarily eating too much meat. Everything in moderation.


most chinese restaurants put WAAAAy too much meat in the meals I think

From articles I've read in the past, Olive, grapeseed and canola oils are three of the 'best', with peanut usually ranking as a 'medium', mainly due to a slightly higher concentration of polyunsaturated fats. Peanut and olive oil both are high in monounsaturated fats and in diet studies are equal with regard to lowering cholesterol and triglycerides when compared to a "standard American diet"... whatever that is ;).

When cooking with oils, it's also important to remember that some oils will break down with heat and release trans-fatty acids. Grapeseed, olive and peanut are three of the best at avoiding this, with canola close behind (though if I remember correctly, not quite as good)s.

most chinese restaurants put WAAAAy too much meat in the meals I think
They sure do. The 'Pan-Asian' places like P.F. Changs are even worse... unless the garnish counts as a vegetable these days.

most chinese restaurants put WAAAAy too much meat in the meals I think

Many Chinese restaurants aren't even Chinese anymore. The Chinese restaurants try to appease the appetite of the modern American diet. But in a typical Chinese home, the meat is not the main meal. There are non-sir fry Chinese dishes which are meat like Peking Duck, etc. But these dishes are not served alone. Rather in a Chinese meal, there are always other dishes to complement the others. In American style cooking, there's meat and potatoes and some veggies. Of course there's salad and soup, appetizers, etc.

If you go to a Chinese home and have a meal, you will notice the variety of dishes. But if you go to Chinatown for Dim Sum, its mostly meat type dumplings. However there is the Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) and some sea food. Chinese food is high in sodium. Vietnamese food is actually healthier than Chinese.

Yeah, but Price is a saturated fats based diet type guy.
He believes in tons of meat and animal fat.
My spidey sense tells me a raw and vegetable/fruit based diet is healthier.

Well there you have the current state of dietry science. It all comes down to someone's "spidey" sense. :rolleyes:

Technicaly polyunsaturated fats are easily damaged by heat due to there unstable structure. Saturated fats are stable when heated so are best for cooking food. By all means get some nice extra virgin olive oil and dress the food after cooking.

Going back to where I started I did say that peanut oil was probably better than the options that you were going to go for but that doesn't mean its the healthiest option.

Regards, Anthony

Weston A Price is a crackpot as far as his food pyramid, sorry, that's just my opinion.
How much meat do you eat per day?

Weston A Price is a crackpot as far as his food pyramid, sorry, that's just my opinion.
How much meat do you eat per day?

Weston A Price doesn't publish a "food pyramid" so I think your barking up the wrong tree. the WAPF supports "traditional" diets which is the height of scientific conservatism. Not even a sceric of radicalism.

Personaly I don't eat a lot of meat. Probably less than most of the rest of you but my calories from fat is fairly high yet this is traditional. Nothing "out there" about it.

This is the issue with food guidelines though. People "play the man" and get involved in personal insults rather than discussing the scientific evidence at hand and its the scientific evidence at hand that the WAPF is interested in.

As I've said before, stick to your peanut oil as the best of not such a great choice if your not prepared to look at the evidence subjectively.

Regards, Anthony

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated non-industrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Price's research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats.

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated non-industrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Price's research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats.


Precisely ;)

Publicity is always good and I would understand if I posted that quote but I don't understand why you posted it.

Regards, Anthony

Just for the rest of the forum to see.
If you want to live on animal fat, that's fine, but I doubt if many others are going to do the same. Do you eat a lot of bacon and beef fat?

I use olive oil-I haven´t carried out much research but olive oil has lots of antioxidants such as anthocyanines for anticancer and fighting heart disease. It tastes good and does not heat to a very high temperature thereby reducing formation of acrylamides and other cancer causing products.

So far my research says grape seed oil is healthiest...then olive oil.

Anthony probably deep fries everything in bacon grease :)

So far my research says grape seed oil is healthiest...then olive oil.

Anthony probably deep fries everything in bacon grease :)


Well I don't eat bacon actually because even the organically raised animals are still kept in pens most of their lives and fed grain. I like lard but for the reason I've just explained I don't use it much. The perverse thing about lard is that its classified as a mono-unsaturated fat, just like olive oil. How on earth someone can rave about the benefits of mono-unsaturated fats but still demonise lard is beyond me. It leads one to think that people haven't actually done or read any science to back their views.

I do use beef fat. I render it down and use it in my chicken liver pate. Yum!

I tend to cook everything at low temperature and generally I shallow fry/saute in butter or coconut oil. I use extra virgin olive oil as a salad oil.

My diet is scientifically justified as its based on tradition and tradition is control. Control is a VERY important scientific principle.

Healthiest vegetable oil?

Again you need to ask the question what for? As a salad oil use extra virgin olive oil only. For cooking use virgin coconut oil. As for grapeseed oil it all depends on whether its refined or not and I would rate most unrefined vegetable oils above refined grapeseed oil so again its really quality that counts.

Regards, Anthony

Coconut Oil:http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm

from what i've been hearing for a while, canola is actually supposed to be quite toxic in the body, and was intended to be used as an industrial lubricant, coming from the "**** seed".

i usually use safflower oil. haven't stir fried with coconut oil but i have used it for baking. a pretty wide consensus seems to be that it is the best. i also have avocado oil, i think that's a good one, but it is very distinctly flavored, so potentially overpowering.


From articles I've read in the past, Olive, grapeseed and canola oils are three of the 'best', with peanut usually ranking as a 'medium', mainly due to a slightly higher concentration of polyunsaturated fats. Peanut and olive oil both are high in monounsaturated fats and in diet studies are equal with regard to lowering cholesterol and triglycerides when compared to a "standard American diet"... whatever that is ;).

When cooking with oils, it's also important to remember that some oils will break down with heat and release trans-fatty acids. Grapeseed, olive and peanut are three of the best at avoiding this, with canola close behind (though if I remember correctly, not quite as good)s.

I was thinking about picking up some safflower oil at the store today. I already got some olive oil. How does safflower oil take to high temperature cooking (frying)?

Koffee

usually works just fine for me, i usually use it to sautee/fry up some tofu


I was thinking about picking up some safflower oil at the store today. I already got some olive oil. How does safflower oil take to high temperature cooking (frying)?

Koffee

I try to stick as close to a Mediterranean diet as possible so unless it is one of the rare deep frying occasions Olive Oil is all I touch.