Alternative to Olive/Canola oil?

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Replies

  • FrankieTrailBlazer
    FrankieTrailBlazer Posts: 124 Member
    The best alternative is to steam the veggies with zero oil !!
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    I used to use butter but I'm cutting out dairy, so I've started using a bit of water with some different spices and it's working out great for my veggies/mushrooms :)
  • jc31388
    jc31388 Posts: 11
    With most vegetables i use cooking spray for the pan. I do also bake and steam them depending on the vegatable.
  • electrokinetic
    electrokinetic Posts: 12
    I just add water in the pan with my veggies, it has about the same effect and tastes just as good to me without the added calories and fat.

    This is the closest response to what I was looking for. For example I sometimes use soy sauce. Does anyone have any other suggestions that work well?

    Steamed vegetables suck IMO. It's bland and reminds me of a school cafeteria.

    I also encourage that the facts be presented about how olive oil releases bad chemicals or becomes oxidated at high temps. I personally buy olive oil spray in a can. It's marketed as an alternative to pam. It also has a far superior spray pattern than the misto. I find that the Misto is more of a stream than a mist.

    For those of you who stated that olive oil has some fantastic benefits, please enlighten us :)
  • 43932452
    43932452 Posts: 7,246 Member
    I think grape seed oil isn't supposed to be heated.I'm not sure
    about walnut or sunflower seed oils. I know Thai recipes call
    for coconut oil so it can stand higher temps.
  • FrankieTrailBlazer
    FrankieTrailBlazer Posts: 124 Member
    Here is a reasonably handy chart which gives a good visualization of just how complicated the matrix of available oils vs. health has become.

    The Oil Comparison Chart
    http://www.eatingrules.com/Cooking-Oil-Comparison-Chart_02-22-12.pdf

    I think this is where "KISS Principle" applies. If one is eating lots of healthy non-processed foods (fruits veggies, legumes), there is little need to add refined oils to ones diet at all.
  • Shesaid_destroy
    Shesaid_destroy Posts: 128
    From Dr. Joseph Mercola :
    'There is only one oil that is stable enough to withstand the heat of cooking, and that's coconut oil. So, do yourself a favor and ditch all those "healthy oil wannabes," and replace them with a large jar of fresh, organic, heart-supporting coconut oil.'

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html



    Alternatively, when i do the usual onion and garlic little 'fry' to flavor something, i now 'fry' them in a little bit of really hot broth. That releases the flavor and contains a lot less fat.
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
    Another vote for butter. Real butter - not that fake stuff.

    what are you sweating your vegetables? unless your also making clarified ( ghee ) you cannot saute with butter its burning point is very low, in which case your not saute your steaming and do not need oil/butter for that anyways.. O.o
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    When it comes to oil and cooking, i'd be worried about which oil is ok to heat and which ones are not. While canola (rapeseed) oil and coconut oil are ok to heat up, grapeseed and olive oil should not be heated. They deteriorate into all kinds of 'nasty oxidized stuff' that's bad for the health.
    Grapeseed oil is greatin vinaigrette, because it has little flavor on its own and will take the flavor of the spices you use.
    I've turned to coconut oil for light frying of tofu ( the only food i ever 'fry') and always use the bare minium in the pan.
    Uhhh, both grapeseed and olive oil can take much higher temperatures than coconut oil. Coconut oil oxidizes at 350F, while olive oil (extra virgin) can be heated to 405F, and grapeseed can handle 420F. Refined coconut oil can be heated to 450, but the refining process pretty much adds in all the same compounds you'd get from overheating virgin coconut oil anyway, so it's not even an option. For everyday pan frying or sauteing, olive or canola oil all the way. Virgin coconut oil is good for baking, or low heat cooking.

    Are you sure? I went looking around for evidence after your post because I eat coconut, butter and olive oils mostly. Please cite your source. Here's a bit of what I found -
    http://authoritynutrition.com/healthy-cooking-oils/

    http://nutiva.com/the-nutiva-kitchen/coconut-oil-recipes/

    Coconut oil manufacturer lists the smoke point of oil as 350. I'd go with their opinion, especially as the link you posted listed butter as their second example, and butter is not at all good for high heat cooking, it has a very low smoke point.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    From Dr. Joseph Mercola :
    'There is only one oil that is stable enough to withstand the heat of cooking, and that's coconut oil. So, do yourself a favor and ditch all those "healthy oil wannabes," and replace them with a large jar of fresh, organic, heart-supporting coconut oil.'

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html



    Alternatively, when i do the usual onion and garlic little 'fry' to flavor something, i now 'fry' them in a little bit of really hot broth. That releases the flavor and contains a lot less fat.
    Mercola has zero credibility. If he said it, you can pretty much guarantee it isn't true.
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
    From Dr. Joseph Mercola :
    'There is only one oil that is stable enough to withstand the heat of cooking, and that's coconut oil. So, do yourself a favor and ditch all those "healthy oil wannabes," and replace them with a large jar of fresh, organic, heart-supporting coconut oil.'

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html



    Alternatively, when i do the usual onion and garlic little 'fry' to flavor something, i now 'fry' them in a little bit of really hot broth. That releases the flavor and contains a lot less fat.

    Industry propaganda

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

    Coconut oil is just the latest fad and is an industry selling item with leaders like Dr Oz...
    its fine to use but it is not some Godly oil to be associated with greatness dif cuisines commonly use dif oils and Coconut oil is not some miracle stable oil.
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  • redhead5838
    redhead5838 Posts: 8 Member
    Canola oil has healthy omega 9 and is low in saturated fat.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    Here is a reasonably handy chart which gives a good visualization of just how complicated the matrix of available oils vs. health has become.

    The Oil Comparison Chart
    http://www.eatingrules.com/Cooking-Oil-Comparison-Chart_02-22-12.pdf

    I think this is where "KISS Principle" applies. If one is eating lots of healthy non-processed foods (fruits veggies, legumes), there is little need to add refined oils to ones diet at all.

    After reading Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live, I've also cut out the oils, including olive oil. Don't see the need for them anymore. Water with spices is working great for cooking veggies and mushrooms for me, and that's the only thing I was using butter/oil for anyways :)
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    Personally, I use both coconut and EEVO. To each their own.

    Both healthy fats so I'm not losing any sleep over the choices, or the calories.
  • linbert57
    linbert57 Posts: 154 Member
    I use coconut oil or grass fed butter for frying, Olive oil is for salads. These are all good fats and I use them daily.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I rarely use oil when I cook vegetables - I love them steamed either on the stove top or int he microwave. But sometimes I'll use a butter-flavored canola oil spray or an olive oil spray, mostly just to help the seasonings stick to the vegetables.
  • Roma_Tee
    Roma_Tee Posts: 38
    I switched to spray oils because I like to save on the calories. They work just fine but it took me a little time to get use to.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Use an oil that tastes good to you and is good for what you're making. Olive oil is great...but has a low smoke point, so not so good for frying/sauteeing. Peanut oil or coconut oil are better for that since they have a higher smoke point. Calorie wise, an oil is an oil....all roughly the same.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I always have trouble meeting my fat macros, so I love adding olive oil to things.
  • julzbennett
    julzbennett Posts: 29 Member
    Olive oil is pretty good for you and amazingly your body NEEDS fat (well - the RIGHT fats) to burn the bad fat that many people are trying to shift. The key is moderation, and I find the best item I own is a 1tsp measuring spoon...I measure my oil out into the pan when making sauces e.t.c. so I can limit how much I use while still getting the goodness and natural fats that my body needs.

    Obviously, too much is a calorie issue, but 2tsp in a tomato sauce is not going to slow you down much,especially if you made a batch and freeze some.

    I prefer grilling to frying for most meats to limit the use of oil, but when I use it, I go natural!

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