Which oil to use for high-heat cooking?
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missnelso04
Posts: 111 Member
Forum lurker here...coming out of the shadows.
What oil/fat do you guys use for high heat cooking, like searing your meat or roasting veggies at 450 degrees? Or firing up that wok for a yummy stir fry?
It seems like most of the oils with the higher smoke points are those nasty seed/vegetable/corn oils. And I know surpassing an oil's smoke point is a no-no....so what should I use instead?
What oil/fat do you guys use for high heat cooking, like searing your meat or roasting veggies at 450 degrees? Or firing up that wok for a yummy stir fry?
It seems like most of the oils with the higher smoke points are those nasty seed/vegetable/corn oils. And I know surpassing an oil's smoke point is a no-no....so what should I use instead?
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Replies
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Olive oil can be used for searing, frying or roasting. I use it all the time.1
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Avocado oil has a very high smoke point but is expensive.3
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If you can find it, avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 F. I don't think you'll beat that.
ETA: If you use olive oil, go with extra light olive oil.1 -
Thanks! I'll try to hunt down some avocado oil - maybe I can find some through Amazon's prime pantry!0
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Here's a good article on smoke points.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html
It doesn't mention avocado oil, but as mentioned above, it definitely has a very high smoke point, one of the highest. I recommend ghee or clarified butter though, it will give your food a delicious flavour. Goose fat is pretty awesome too, though it's smoke point isn't quite as high as ghee. it's popular for roasting when you want to achieve a crisp outside to whatever you're cooking, but I actually like to pan fry meat and fish in it as it does something simply magical to the inside of whatever I'm cooking. From steak to salmon everything melts in your mouth when you fry it in goose fat!4 -
Thanks @PaleoInScotland! Goose fat...that might even be more difficult to find than the avocado oil for me. Sounds amazing though. Must be time for lunch!1
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midwesterner85 wrote: »If you can find it, avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 F. I don't think you'll beat that.
ETA: If you use olive oil, go with extra light olive oil.
^^^^This Avocado oil is wonderful for pan frying. It is also lovely stuff. It is a little bland for a salad dressing but does work. I use it in homemade Paleo style mayo.
All olive oil should be kept at lower temps, light under 400F and EVOO no warmer than 350F. It is the best for salad dressings flavor too.
I get my Avo oil at Costco in a large bottle and it really isn't that expensive that way. You might want to find someone to go in on a large bottle to share, you don't want oil going rancid on you.1 -
retirehappy wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »If you can find it, avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 F. I don't think you'll beat that.
I get my Avo oil at Costco in a large bottle and it really isn't that expensive that way. You might want to find someone to go in on a large bottle to share, you don't want oil going rancid on you.
If you keep your avo oil in a dark cupboard away from any heat source, it will last quite a long time. At least I hope so. I have three bottles of Costco avo oil on hand right this minute; our nearest warehouse is about an hour away and we come home with the car packed to the roofline. We purchased the last batch some four months ago and the expiration date on the bottles is September 2017.0 -
Doesn't coconut oil have a high smoke point?1
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SuperCarLori wrote: »Doesn't coconut oil have a high smoke point?
It has a medium smoke point. Here's a link to a good reference chart. It includes smoke points in Centigrade and Fahrenheit. It also provides Omega 6/Omega 3 ratios.
https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points3 -
Thank you!
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Sesame oil will work very well with anything Asian.0
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The results of my first ever CRP (C-Reactive Protein) inflammation blood levels came in higher than I hoped for so I have been researching ways one can eat that may reduce CRP levels in the body. I have yet to settle on the best cook oils and more than just the oil can decrease or increase inflammation levels it seems.
While the below article encourages supplement usage it does have itself backed up by 180 medical references at the end that may be of interest to some.
lifeextension.com/Magazine/2013/1/Are-You-Cooking-Yourself-to-Death/Page-013 -
Ghee1
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GaleHawkins wrote: »The results of my first ever CRP (C-Reactive Protein) inflammation blood levels came in higher than I hoped for so I have been researching ways one can eat that may reduce CRP levels in the body. I have yet to settle on the best cook oils and more than just the oil can decrease or increase inflammation levels it seems.
While the below article encourages supplement usage it does have itself backed up by 180 medical references at the end that may be of interest to some.
lifeextension.com/Magazine/2013/1/Are-You-Cooking-Yourself-to-Death/Page-01
Thanks for the link. I think this gives me even more reasons to continue to use my smoker since it typically cooks between 225 and 250 - as if I needed more reasons to use my smoker.
Edit: Also using the crock pot looks like a better option to never heating food over the 300 degree mark. Another way of cooking for which I now have even more reason to increase.1 -
That was the first time I understood the 300+ F cooking health issues myself.0
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So maybe this is the excuse I need to splurge on a sous vide device? Heading over to Amazon... 0
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GaleHawkins wrote: »The results of my first ever CRP (C-Reactive Protein) inflammation blood levels came in higher than I hoped for so I have been researching ways one can eat that may reduce CRP levels in the body. I have yet to settle on the best cook oils and more than just the oil can decrease or increase inflammation levels it seems.
While the below article encourages supplement usage it does have itself backed up by 180 medical references at the end that may be of interest to some.
lifeextension.com/Magazine/2013/1/Are-You-Cooking-Yourself-to-Death/Page-01
Gale - Thanks so much for sharing this. Very informative and as you note, well researched!
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Peanut oil.1
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I went on thrivemarket.com and did a search for "lard". I ran out of my homemade lard and the lard in the grocery store is hydrogenated for some crazy reason. I ended up discovering grass fed beef tallow, cage free duck fat and berkshire pig lard. I ordered one of each. They all had amazing reviews. You have to be careful with olive oil these days because so many brands dilute olive oil with unhealthy vegetable oils and they won't be listed in the ingredients. To avoid getting diluted olive oil never buy any with "lite" on the label. Always get extra virgin, first cold pressed, and unfiltered if you want the really good stuff. I've also heard that you should look for olive oils from California or Italy as they are less likely to be diluted. Personally, I don't fry with it because it destroys all the good stuff. I do have avocado oil but have never actually tried frying with it, only used it for making mayonnaise. But I'm definitely going to try frying with it now!1
