Olive oil

Rei1988
Rei1988 Posts: 412 Member
Is 2 TBS of olive oil everyday too much because the omega 6?

Replies

  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    I think there's more leeway with olive oil as it is mostly omega 9s. I know that monounsaturated fats are supposedly more stable and are considered ok to cook with, but I still think one should be careful with heating olive oil. And make sure you aren't getting "fake" extra virgin olive oil. I stick to reputable brands, organic, extra virgin.
  • ischmelle
    ischmelle Posts: 203 Member
    Are you using it to cook or eat in a raw form, such as salad dressing? For cooking, I use the grease I save from cooking meat like Bacon. It gives a little flavor and I know it is a safe fat to reheat.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    Are you using it to cook or eat in a raw form, such as salad dressing? For cooking, I use the grease I save from cooking meat like Bacon. It gives a little flavor and I know it is a safe fat to reheat.

    Me too, as a matter of fact, I was planning on picking up some lard from the supermarket this weekend. I only use extra virgin for salads or for making salad dressings.

    Cooking, I use coconut oil, ghee, butter or bacon fat saved in a jar in the fridge & strained. Problem is I run through that pretty quickly :blushing:
  • strychnine7
    strychnine7 Posts: 210 Member
    I think 2TBSP is acceptable. I use coconut oil for pretty much everything now, though. Except on the rare occasion I make some salad dressing which is when I will use olive oil.
  • Rei1988
    Rei1988 Posts: 412 Member
    I never heat my olive oil, just use in salad dressing. And I cook with ghee, coconut oil or lard.

    @hookilau lard at the grocery??? What store is this?
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    I never heat my olive oil, just use in salad dressing. And I cook with ghee, coconut oil or lard.

    @hookilau lard at the grocery??? What store is this?

    I've seen it at Kroger. It's with the other oils, but often kind of buried on a lower shelf and as far against the end cap as they can get it (sometimes even behind the poster for the end cap). The ones I've seen are in white tubs that hold probably about a gallon.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    our stores sell lard, too. houston has a very high hispanic population and lard is what's used to make tortillas. it's very popular around here. usually in a big white tub holding several gallons of lard, on the bottom shelf due to its weight.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Lard is in all Canadian stores too, but it's usually under the name of "Tenderflake". It mostly gets used to make pastry.

    I mostly cook in bacon grease, butter and coconut oil. Olive oil for salads.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    Lard is in all Canadian stores too, but it's usually under the name of "Tenderflake". It mostly gets used to make pastry.

    I mostly cook in bacon grease, butter and coconut oil. Olive oil for salads.
    Thanks for the tip! It must be welll hidden in stores because I was also searching for lard for a while , but I didn't find anywhere.
    Although I may not need anymore, as I got a huge bag of fat from the pasture raised half pig I bought. It is sitting in my freezer waiting for me to figure out how to render it without make the whole house smell like a slaughterhouse.
  • monkeydharma
    monkeydharma Posts: 599 Member
    The thing about buying lard from the market is that it comes from conventionally-grown pigs - meaning that they are fed a diet of corn and soy. Since the resultant omega6-heavy result resides mostly in the fat, what you are getting is an inferior product health-wise.

    I use EVOO, goatsmilk butter or coconut oil, depending on what I'm cooking. I do save bacon drippings from the pasture-raised pork I get, but I only use a little when the recipe will benefit from it.

    Redheadmommy: not sure why it would smell like a 'slaughterhouse' (that would be blood, I think). Just put some of the fat in a cast iron skillet and place over low-med heat. The fat (lard) will melt out like it does on bacon, and you'll have some crisps left over like the fatty parts of cooked bacon. Pour off the fat and refrigerate; take the crisps and sprinkle over your next salad!
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    The thing about buying lard from the market is that it comes from conventionally-grown pigs - meaning that they are fed a diet of corn and soy. Since the resultant omega6-heavy result resides mostly in the fat, what you are getting is an inferior product health-wise.

    I use EVOO, goatsmilk butter or coconut oil, depending on what I'm cooking. I do save bacon drippings from the pasture-raised pork I get, but I only use a little when the recipe will benefit from it.

    Redheadmommy: not sure why it would smell like a 'slaughterhouse' (that would be blood, I think). Just put some of the fat in a cast iron skillet and place over low-med heat. The fat (lard) will melt out like it does on bacon, and you'll have some crisps left over like the fatty parts of cooked bacon. Pour off the fat and refrigerate; take the crisps and sprinkle over your next salad!

    Since we can't afford to buy pasture raised, grass fed meats, I'm going with whatever lard I can find right now. I get it at Western Beef here on Long Island. You can render your own fat quite easily but it doesn't smell like a slaughterhouse =) It's usually in the meat department but you have to REALLY look for it...where they have stuff like chicken livers and soup bones usually.

    It's tough to find regular lard, I can't imagine looking for pasture raised lard, much less grass fed beef tallow (tallow is fat from beef). We used to make soap and rendered our own tallow for the process.

    you buy ground beef & put it into a crockpot....once the meat cooks, the fat is easy to skim off, rather, you can strain it & then put the resulting fat into a pot & add water. Let that simmer for a while & then allow it to cool in the fridge. The fat will rise to the top and impurities like bits of meat & stuff will fall to the bottom and stay in the water. You will be left with a disc of pure fat that you can use for cooking or soapmaking :blushing:

    The house doesn't smell like a slaughterhouse, but it DOES smell like fat!!

    We used to make soap
  • Rei1988
    Rei1988 Posts: 412 Member
    I may have to hit up this Mexican grocery ( the only one we have on the island) because I've never seen it in a store. How the hell is shelf safe though?
  • primalkiwi
    primalkiwi Posts: 164 Member
    Lard is shelf safe - it was traditionally used to preserve foods. A layer of lard in the bottom of a crock, lay in your meat, cover with more lard repeat etc and the meat comes out like fresh when removed.
    OP - 2 TB of olive oil a day should be fine but make sure you have a fresh organic extra virgin oil, olive oils that aren't extra virgin may be extracted with the aid of chemicals. Buying an oil that you are confident of it's origins can help - is there a locally pressed oil available at your farmers market that has it's pressing and best before dates on? Most imported bulk oils in the big bottles are likely to be rancid. Oil should also be in a dark bottle to prevent light deterioration.
    Mediterranean communities feed their babies olive oil, add it on top of food etc so don't be afraid of it. My grandfather was made to line up with his brothers for his daily spoonful of olive oil, his Yugoslav mother believed it kept them healthy :-)
    Lol...I'm looking out my window at the neighbours olive grove as I write this...I'm super lucky to know where mine comes from!
  • Rei1988
    Rei1988 Posts: 412 Member
    I'm looking out my window at the neighbours olive grove as I write this...I'm super lucky to know where mine comes from!

    sounds lovely
  • homesweeths
    homesweeths Posts: 792 Member
    Does anyone know how good the quality of Trader Joe's or Kirkland (Costco) brands are?
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Never use olive oil, personally. But then again, I just don't like it that much.

    Butter/Bacon/Coconut oil > olive oil. Taste is superior in pretty much every way.