Imposter olive oil

[OakLeaf]

Coconut oil is high in medium-chain fatty acids and supposed to be one of the healthiest oils there is.

With most natural foods, portion control is everything...

I mostly use olive and canola too, ghee for Indian cooking and butter for baking (which I do pretty rarely), but I'm interested in exploring more coconut oil in baking.

Really you're supposed to use grapeseed oil for cooking, and olive oil only to finish a dish... but I just buy a decent inexpensive olive oil (what's in my pantry now is Gaea Laconia) and use it for both.

[Blueberry]

We just buy the Whole Foods standard bottle - and it lasts us a year (we actually cook most meals - so not a lot of oil being used). I do use butter too - in moderation. No pre-processed butter food products for me, thank you

Interesting on the coconut oil - I'll have to explore. I think it may be hydrogenated coconut oil I've heard all the bad stuff about (but I was thinking coconut milk too).

[shootingstar]

I think it's coconut water that is supposed to be the healthiest "liquid" from the coconut.

Probably won't take the chance of cooking with coconut oil regardless of what is said. Already I avoid using coconut cream for curries, etc. Not that I ever did use much of it in the first place.

[OakLeaf]

Granted this is from a trade group, but here's a compilation of peer-reviewed research on the health benefits of coconut oil. http://www.coconutoil.com/peer_reviewed.htm

Coconut water is a trendy electrolyte replacement drink, but actually I'm not aware of any real health claims for it?

[badger]

I once went to a Thai restaurant with my parents. They had on special fresh coconuts (i.e. cut open with a straw in it). I was excited to try it, but... blech!! I didn't like the taste at all.

But if you think about it, what a marvelous fruit coconut is, you can use everything about the fruit itself, from husk to flesh to water.

I'm kind of on the outs with canola oil as a vast majority of the crop now is genetically modified. what are the flowers/pollen doing to the bees?

[Blueberry]

I'm kind of on the outs with canola oil as a vast majority of the crop now is genetically modified. what are the flowers/pollen doing to the bees?

I really hope it's accurate, but my Whole Foods Canola oil says non-gmo....

The short answer is I have no idea - maybe nothing - but I don't want to find out...

[OakLeaf]

That's why I only buy organic canola oil (also corn and soy products of any kind).

Not that the GMO pollen isn't contaminating many fields that are trying to grow organic.

[shootingstar]

I once went to a Thai restaurant with my parents. They had on special fresh coconuts (i.e. cut open with a straw in it). I was excited to try it, but... blech!! I didn't like the taste at all.
(

I have not tried this coconut water in this way yet.

Oak, I only meant coconut water from the fresh coconut as a harmless liquid..therefore it's "healthier". That's all. Nothing sophisticated.

I actually have not prepared any food for years with peanut oil nor sesame oil. I just don't want it creeping into home cooking on a regular basis since it's not good stuff regularily.

Of course, I'll have it at restaurant in a prepared dish. After all, I'm not quizzing the cooks/server much at all on how they prepare every single dish I order from the menu.

Speaking of oil, it makes me wince to see some tv chefs add bacon to different dishes more often for "taste".

I was raised in a household that drained the fat from the frying pan into garbage if we ever had bacon.

[moonfroggy]

hmmm. lots of times i avoid oil (i do use some i already said i like almond oil) i like to eat food that has been processed as little as possible so i get fat from nuts and seeds and avocado's and things like that. you can make really yummy creamy salad dressing pureeing vinegar with nuts and seeds and herbs and spices. yum. solves a lot of the problems with oil i guess. and since i use less oil i feel ok spending more money on it and getting really nice oil in pretty little glass bottles.