Kitchen Oils
How many types of kitchen oil do you keep in stock? Do you have one for every cooking task?
According to Erica Marcus of Newsday.com, “Oil you need is two“: extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO according to Rachael Ray), and an unflavored one (canola or corn). But me, I have three. I’ll tell you what the third one is later.
Oil essentially serves three roles in the kitchen. As a texture provider, it creates moistness in baked goods and lends sauces and soups a silky quality. When you saute or fry in oil, you are using it as a cooking medium. Finally, aromatic oils - olive oil and unrefined nut oils among them - enhance flavor when drizzled raw over a finished dish, or used in a salad dressing or mayonnaise.
To provide “texture”, it’s best to go with an unflavored oil that will not interfere with the taste of the dish. I could say the same for oil used for frying. For these purposes, I use vegetable or canola oil.
I keep a bottle of good EVOO around for salads and pasta.
The third type of oil I have is sesame oil. EVOO has a nice nutty flavor, but sesame oil lends a very special touch to Asian dishes. I usually just add a dash of it to sauteed beef and broccoli, and to pancit canton, a Filipino noodle dish.
Tags: cooking oil, kitchen oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, sesame oil, homemaking, cooking
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POSTED IN: Cooking
5 opinions for Kitchen Oils
Mary Jo
Aug 31, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I love Sesame Oil, and it’s part of my regular staple of oils. A couple of dashes perks up grilled vegetables.
Of course, I can’t possibly have only 3 oils in my pantry: I’ve got the really good olive oil, an all purpose vegetable oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and then we start on the infused olive oils. My current favorite is a nice EVOO infused with black pepper. It does wonderful things for a grilled peach.
Christina
Sep 4, 2006 at 6:50 am
Who in their right mind grills a peach??? :) Ha ha - not me, anyway, but maybe Ill give it a try. My collection is just about like both of yours - add peanut oil to Maricar’s. I haven’t gotten too in to the infused EVOO’s though.
Maricar
Sep 4, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Hi Mary Jo,
You have a more exotic pantry than I do. :) I’ve never grilled a peach. I imagine it shouldn’t be too ripe, right?
Hi Christina, like you, I haven’t tried any infused oils. I once thought they were just for display. ;)
Mary Jo
Sep 4, 2006 at 8:43 pm
A grilled peach (or nectarine) is delicious!
They are easy, sweet, and so many way to prepare them. Drizzle a little olive oil and coarsely cracked pepper. Or, a little balsamic vinegar, and some coarse salt.
You cut them in half, drizzle whatever your preferred seasoning is, and then a minute or two on the grill. Makes a nice side dish to a meal.
Or, for a dessert, mix of some olive oil and brown sugar. Toss the peach/nectarine in the mixture and then grill. Very sweet and sugary, and you can add a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream or custard in the center of it.
It’s very easy, and looks impressive!
Maricar
Sep 7, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Ooooh, that does sound good, Mary Jo. Thanks for sharing.
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