So I would like to expand my recipe "portfolio". In other words I want to try new things. :) More precisely some Chinese cuisine, like Sweet and Sour chicken. I looked online and all the recipes seem to involve frying stuff (in this case chicken) in oil. Is there an alternative to frying it in oil, or should I just accept this and change the rest of my diet accordingly?

Thanks.

I'd grab a jar of Grape Seed oil, and fry away.

Grape seed is my favorite too. Fill the bottom of a skillet with 1/4" grape seed oil and throw in a 1" thick pork chop, salt and pepper to taste. If you like the flavor of Olive Oil better you can mix the two to bring up the smoke point of the olive oil.

Whats so special about grapeseed oil?

Like Olive Oil its actually good for you (read mediteranian diet) , but unlike olive oil it has a very high flash point so you can use it for stir fry's and the like. Olive oil will burn when used as a frying oil.

Bake it? If you're watching calories, I wouldn't deep-fry anything. Ever. Use oils as a flavoring.

Bake it? If you're watching calories, I wouldn't deep-fry anything. Ever. Use oils as a flavoring.

Ah thats what I was looking for. Thanks. Yeah I wan to avoid deep-frying as much as possible.

Besides baking, there's steaming, broiling, or grilling as ideas.

There's a great alternative to deep frying in oil. Use Lard!

Seriously. Lard is the traditional fat for Chinese food and much healthier than vegetable oil although you could try using some good quality coconut oil if you want to use a vegetable fat.

Regards, Anthony

My wife got involved with Weight Watchers. Cooking changed. There has been virtually no frying and very little baking. Instead there is a lot of chopping and cutting, largely of vegetables. There is a lot more use of spices to add flavor.

I did not look at this thread for a long time because I assumed from the heading that it was some kind of anti-petroleum rant.

There's a great alternative to deep frying in oil. Use Lard!

Seriously. Lard is the traditional fat for Chinese food and much healthier than vegetable oil although you could try using some good quality coconut oil if you want to use a vegetable fat.

Regards, Anthony

I am not deep frying anything, specially in Lard or Coconut oil.

I am not deep frying anything, specially in Lard or Coconut oil.

Im the same, and in my original reply i didnt mean to deep fry anything in grapeseed oil,:eek: but to use more like a stir fry. :D

Im the same, and in my original reply i didnt mean to deep fry anything in grapeseed oil,:eek: but to use more like a stir fry. :D

Yep, looking in to buying a good Wok for that. :D

So I would like to expand my recipe "portfolio". In other words I want to try new things. :) More precisely some Chinese cuisine, like Sweet and Sour chicken. I looked online and all the recipes seem to involve frying stuff (in this case chicken) in oil. Is there an alternative to frying it in oil, or should I just accept this and change the rest of my diet accordingly?

Thanks.

The answer is that you can't really deep fry in oil without getting a lot of fat in your diet.

You can, however, fry in a little bit of oil (ie stir-fry), and that works for a ton of chinese food. You can do sweet and sour versions of this. But if you like take-out chinese, it's difficult to get something like that in a healthy version.

I recommend brown rice - white rice has a high glycemic index, less fiber, and fewer nutrients.

Oh, and I'll also note that a lot of 'chinese food' in the US consists of american dishes that are just labelled as chinese. Other cuisines (Thai, Korean, Japanese) tend to be more authentic (and more healthy) because they are more recent introductions.

There is no oil that's good for you.

Olive oil will burn when used as a frying oil.

Has anyone ever burned olive oil? My experience is limited-- I only seriously started cooking/frying with olive oil when I moved to Greece and I've never burned it. However, I have got the oil good and smoking hot but just turn the fire down a bit. I and all the Greek grandmothers I know use olive oil for all frying including deep frying without problem.

I have recently thought about experimenting with other oils, grape and sesame, but its hard to start when olive is so cheap (ca. 4 euro per liter) and tastes soooo good.

Thanks,
James

There is no oil that's good for you.
Bull****. Without oil your health would be seriously ****ed. Essential fatty acids are labelled 'essential' for a reason...

Essential fatty acids are labelled 'essential' for a reason...

You’re right, and it’s healthier to get them from food, than high-fat, processed oils.

We're in the midst of a re-evaluation of the health effects of cooking oils. They probably aren't nearly as unhealthy as people used to think, even beef fat. The main things to avoid are (1) artificially hydrogenated oils which contain trans fats, and (2) re-using oil, as high heat produces carcinogens ie. cancer causing chemicals.

You’re right, and it’s healthier to get them from food, than high-fat, processed oils.

And what foods contain essential fatty acids? Foods with oils in them. You said 'there are no oils that are good for you'. Clearly there are.

I agree it may be healthier to get essential fatty acids from whole foods than from pure oils such as extra virgin olive oil, but if you're gonna assert that none of those oils are good for health then please at least give an explanation why you think none of them are. Preferably back it up with some sort of credible scientific research.

Has anyone ever burned olive oil? My experience is limited-- I only seriously started cooking/frying with olive oil when I moved to Greece and I've never burned it. However, I have got the oil good and smoking hot but just turn the fire down a bit. I and all the Greek grandmothers I know use olive oil for all frying including deep frying without problem.

I have recently thought about experimenting with other oils, grape and sesame, but its hard to start when olive is so cheap (ca. 4 euro per liter) and tastes soooo good.

Thanks,
James

My family and I have only had olive oil in the house and we have never had a problem frying with it. IMO if you burn olive oil you do not know how to cook. I have used it in a deep fryer, to the dismay of my father, who complained at how much it costs to use that much oil at once.

In my culture olive oil is central to most foods and no other oil is ever used. In many cases we use it in place of butter. Of course you need to get good olive oil, that means avoiding the Italian stuff, stick with the Greek, or if you want the best get the Lebanese olive oil that has not been filtered.

And what foods contain essential fatty acids? Foods with oils in them. You said 'there are no oils that are good for you'. Clearly there are.

I meant processed cooking oils - the topic of this thread.

I meant processed cooking oils - the topic of this thread.

Yes I see that. Don't worry, just ignore the second paragraphy of that post, don't explain why processed cooking oils are bad for health, or post anything to back it up :rolleyes:

What about processed oils that arent used for cooking (such as flax, hemp, extra virgin olive, cod liver)? are they bad for your health too?

What about processed oils that arent used for cooking (such as flax, hemp, extra virgin olive, cod liver)? are they bad for your health too?
Yes, as they're mostly fat.

PS: Essential Fatty Acids are made by plants - not animals. Any EFA’s found in animals are there because the animal ate plants and stored the fat in it’s tissue.

Yes, as they're mostly fat.So? That doesn't explain why they're supposedly bad for you.

I think you're talking out of your arse. You sound like you know jack-all about nutrition. Please feel free to prove me wrong.

EVOO is not bad for you, nor are some of the other oils that have low levels of saturated fat. It's not good to eat tons of it, but like all things in life, moderation is key.

Remember, eating fats are not going to make you fat; rather it's just how much fat you eat.

EVOO is not bad for you, nor are some of the other oils that have low levels of saturated fat. It's not good to eat tons of it, but like all things in life, moderation is key.

Remember, eating fats are not going to make you fat; rather it's just how much fat you eat.

This is close to the answer that I was looking for...

You sound like you know jack-all about nutrition.
And you sound like someone who is not worth any more of my time.

And you sound like someone who is not worth any more of my time.
Bye then.

You didn't post anything useful anyway; you told us all oils are bad, and continually ignored requests for an explanation why. Is it really so hard to explain a statement that you have made? If you can't back your words up with some sort of explanation or evidence then you're talking ****, really, aren't you?

Yep, looking in to buying a good Wok for that. :D

I'd reccommend against a wok. The Chinese stoves have special burners to accomodate woks. They don't work well on our flat burners. Get a regular flat saute pan, preferably nonstick. It will work a lot better than a wok, even for Chinese stir fries. You don't need to use much oil, but like others have said, some oil is good for you and it would take a lot to be bad for you.

Yes, as they're mostly fat.

PS: Essential Fatty Acids are made by plants - not animals. Any EFA’s found in animals are there because the animal ate plants and stored the fat in it’s tissue.

Each post gets it a little wronger. :) One obvious example of a FA that's good for you is fish oil, from salmon. Salmon don't eat plants. They eat other fish. :)

Sounds like you have a secret vegan agenda. If so, you could eat flaxseed oil to get the same benefits as fish oil.

I'd reccommend against a wok. The Chinese stoves have special burners to accomodate woks. They don't work well on our flat burners. Get a regular flat saute pan, preferably nonstick. It will work a lot better than a wok, even for Chinese stir fries. You don't need to use much oil, but like others have said, some oil is good for you and it would take a lot to be bad for you.

Oh yeah I am not totally against oil. It's just all these recipes call for frying in oil. I guess sautaying (SP?), or stir fying is a good alternative. Since very little oil can be used. Thanks for the suggestions.

P.S. Messenjah, Speedee can you guys take the arguing somewhere else?

Thanks.

Have you thought about frying in water or juice?

Have you thought about frying in water or juice?

To me the loss in flavor and texture is enormous. If you fry at the proper temperature, you don't add much fat to the dish.

Try putting 6 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan. Fry a couple pieces of fish, then measure the oil that's left in the pan. If done right, there will be about 4 teaspoons of oil, meaning you added 2 teaspoons to the fish. Assuming the fish is two servings, that's one teaspoon per serving--about 40 calories, or enough energy to ride about one mile on your bike.

Each post gets it a little wronger. :) One obvious example of a FA that's good for you is fish oil, from salmon. Salmon don't eat plants. They eat other fish. :)

Not wrong.

Salmon do eat fish, but they get their FA’s from eating algae, as well as the smaller fish they eat - who also consume algae. Because salmon is high in fat, they’re able to store high levels of FA’s in their tissue, and is why they’re known for their Omega 3’s.

Not wrong.

Salmon do eat fish, but they get their FA’s from eating algae, as well as the smaller fish they eat - who also consume algae. Because salmon is high in fat, they’re able to store high levels of FA’s in their tissue, and is why they’re known for their Omega 3’s.
I believe there is more omega-3 in cold water fish because it has a lower freezing point and helps prevent them stiffening up like a bar of soap.

Have you thought about frying in water or juice?

Frying in water?:eek: Doesn't that called boiling? :p

To me the loss in flavor and texture is enormous. If you fry at the proper temperature, you don't add much fat to the dish.

Try putting 6 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan. Fry a couple pieces of fish, then measure the oil that's left in the pan. If done right, there will be about 4 teaspoons of oil, meaning you added 2 teaspoons to the fish. Assuming the fish is two servings, that's one teaspoon per serving--about 40 calories, or enough energy to ride about one mile on your bike.

So how do you do it right?