Cooking Oil Part III: Types of Vegetable Oils

This article is the third part of the cooking oil series, in which the first article of the series was an introduction of different sources of cooking oil and its major characteristics. The second part of the series presented cooking oils derived from plants, known as vegetable oils, and the most common types of vegetable oils. It had also enumerate its culinary uses based on it characteristics.  

Here is the continuation of the different types of vegetable oils use in cooking, its extraction process, characteristics and proper application.

 

Types of Vegetable Oils

 

 

Canola Oil

One of the most used cooking oil is canola oil, but canola is derived from a cultivar or a variety of rapeseed. Looking into list of global vegetable consumption or any indexes about edibility, canola oil appears on that list, but on the list of global vegetable oil production, it is under rapeseed category. This oil is extracted by heating, then crushing and lastly using hexane solvent.

The refined canola oils have 457-464 degrees Fahrenheit smoke point, 619-644 degrees Fahrenheit flash point and 662-680 degrees Fahrenheit fire point. With such characteristic and refined quality of having a neutral flavor, such oil is commonly used in frying and  baking, while for unrefined ones are used as salad dressing.   Unrefined vegetable oils have lower smoke and flash point due to impurities, but have better flavors.

Sunflower seed Oil

Manufacturers of both food and cosmetics products recognized the health benefits of sunflower oil, which some claim it is high in Vitamin E. This stable and non-volatile oil derived from compressed sunflower seeds, has been preferred oil in “healthy” snack food as potato ships, but it would be the refined type. Since it is pressed from seeds, it has longevity, so just store it in a cool place. 

The refined sunflower oil has a smoke point of 412-471 degrees Fahrenheit, flashpoint of 606 degrees Fahrenheit and fire point of 678-680 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence it is used in high temperature cooking and great for sautéing and searing chicken, fish and tofu. While the unrefined and especially the cold-compressed sunflower oils have lower smoke point of 250 degrees Fahrenheit but have more flavor are ideal for salad dressing.

 

Peanut Oil

The shortage of necessity is the cousin of alternatives; hence peanut oil is an alternative when there was a shortage of whale oil. For edible use, it is obtained by pressing peanut kernels and solvent extraction. This oil is also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil, is pale in color with mild tasting, nutty scent and sweet flavor. Vitamin E is added as   preservative to refined peanut oil. While unrefined ones can go rancid quickly, so it is recommended to buy in small amount, consumed in a month, and properly store in a cool and dry place.

Unrefined peanut oil has a smoke point of 320 degrees Fahrenheit and used for its flavor just like sesame oil, in vinaigrettes, dressing and dips. The refined peanut oil has smoke point of 446-450 degrees Fahrenheit, flash point of 633 degrees Fahrenheit, and fire point of 680 degrees Fahrenheit, hence it is great for frying especially on chicken and other Asian cuisines. 

Some may claim it is one of the healthiest oil as it is high in calories but low in saturated fats, but also consider those who are allergic to peanut and on blood thinning medication.

Coconut Oil

It is quite strange that just a few decades ago coconut oil had been vilified as unhealthy fat, to the point cultivation had been stagnated, most farmers and agriculturists  showed little interest in planting young coconut to prepare the descending yield of older coconuts and means to boost yield, respectively. But now it seems everyone is raving about its health benefits. Most conflate and confuse the health benefits of fresh squeezed coconut milk or gata with coconut oil.

With its moderate smoke point temperature of 385 degrees Fahrenheit, coconut oil is perfect for moderate –heat sautéing and roasting. This oil has very rich flavor, it is great as tropical flavoring ingredient in baking. But not ideal for cooking if you needed neutral-flavored oil. It is not ideal to mix it with vinegar, vinaigrettes and marinades or as finishing oil as it solidifies at room temperature.

For storage, there is no need to refrigerate coconut oil but it can be just it would be harder to use. It is stable and suitable enough to be in a cool and dark place like in a shelf or a pantry.

…to be continued

This is a partial list of the different types of vegetable oils.  Please watch out for the next part of this series and rediscover old and common kitchen items, it characteristics and its proper application.

What do you think about the different types of vegetable oils? Please share your thoughts below. And comments, reactions, inquiries, suggestions and corrections are all welcome. And do not forget to follow to inspire and help this blog create better content. Thank you!

As always enjoy learning!

References

1. Kinkead, E.B., Sehbai, D.S. & Tunney, C.J. (Eds.). (1972). Modern Century Illustrated Encyclopedia (Vols. 9, 16, 23). Australia: McGraw-hill Far Eastern Publishers

2. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/fatty-acid

3. Gunstone, F.D. (Ed.). (2011). Vegetable Oils in Food Technology: Composition, Properties and Uses (Second Edition). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.