:shock: I know that OLIVE Oil is preferred. AND we use it almost exclusively. However, except for sauteeing (sic?), its not so good for cooking. It has a low smoke point, and I've heard it turns into the worst - Transfat - if fried with. So, of the remaining three (acceptable oils): Canola Oil, Peanut Oil, & Sesame Oil: 1.) Which of the three is the most preferred, least preferred? 2.) Which of the three has the highest, lowest smoke point? 3.) GrapeSeed Oil, though much more expensive, has a much higher flash and/or smoke point. But where does it fall as far as most preferred / Least preferred? Thanks! 8)

Olive oil does no such thing as far as I can substantiate. Sauteeing uses as much added fat as any Zone-favorable recipe calls for. (Don't deep-fry). If, however, you don't like the flavor of olive oil in a particular dish, and if 'extra-light' olive oil isn't light enough, peanut oil is not supposed to add any flavor to foods. I always stir-fry with peanut oil, and I find it indeed adds a peanut aroma. Of the three oils you offer, I would choose [b:bd1e138dca]peanu[/b:bd1e138dca]t oil for myself. Sesame oil is delicious when sprinkled on food as a condiment, but I wouldn't cook with it as it burns fast and has a strong flavor. I have heard things against canola oil, but this web site debunks the myths as anti-Canadian propaganda (which is fun, I admit)... [url]http://www.cansa.co.za/facts_myths_...;/url] (Canola, however, does have a 2:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids, and I find that to be less than ideal.) Peanut oil also has the highest smoking point. There seems to be some correlation between the amount of Omega-3s and smoke point: Flaxseed is highest in O-3 essential fatty acids, but burns very low; safflower oil doesn't smoke to over 500 degrees, but is almost pure Omega-6. Below is a handy webpage to save for future reference, (thanks to a fellow Alton Brown fan): [url]http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Coll...;/url] Grapeseed oil smokes high, but is 76% Omega-6. Short answer? My personal preference is olive oil for sauteeing and grilling, peanut oil for stir-frying, extra-virgin olive oil on salads, and steamed veggies usually get a light sprinkling of extra-virgin, almond, avacado, macadamia, flaxseed, or toasted sesame oil.

[quote:b03e1664ac="adam_h"]Short answer? My personal preference is olive oil for sauteeing and grilling, peanut oil for stir-frying, extra-virgin olive oil on salads, and steamed veggies usually get a light sprinkling of extra-virgin, almond, avacado, macadamia, flaxseed, or toasted sesame oil.[/quote:b03e1664ac] :shock: Thanks! 8)

I'm glad this question has come up...I have heard that olive oil turns into a bad bad fat when overheated and it has happened to me many times so now I am trying to resolve this with different oils for cooking...and would like to see more on this...

Hi, Dr. Sears has posted in reference to heating olive oil, but I am having trouble finding it with a search. (I have no luck with searches since they changed the site format.) If you want to try to find the info I believe it was in "Ask Dr. Sears". This topic had been discussed at lenght in the forums also, but those posts are not accessible because they are in the "old" forums. As I recall, basically he said extra virgin olive oil should not be heated because impurities in it could become toxic. For this reason he recommends to use refined olive oil (usually called "light " on labels) for sauteeing and any other application where it will be heated. Sue

The thing to worry about is: Do NOT heat any oil to its smoking point (or beyond). Smoke, to oversimplify, means the oil's molecular structure has been altered into trans fats. (The process of hydrogenation is one of heating oils to extremely high temps.) When sauteeing, it is best to use an oil with a high smoking point. This means, yes, the more refined the oil, the more heat it can take before breaking down. Olive oil and peanut oil should be just fine. Like Emeril reminds his audience, the knobs on the stove are calibrated for a reason.

[quote:3b8ec4f249] Do NOT heat any oil to its smoking point (or beyond). Smoke, to oversimplify, means the oil's molecular structure has been altered into trans fats. (The process of hydrogenation is one of heating oils to extremely high temps.)[/quote:3b8ec4f249] This was a good thread. Actually, catalytic hydrogenation can proceed to the saturated fatty acid (double-bond removed), the -trans stereoisomer where the substituents are on opposite sides of the double bond, or revert back to its original -cis double bond (substituents on same side). (1) It would be interesting to know under what conditions each of these occur. (1) Francis A Carey "Organic Chemistry" 5th Edition, McGraw Hill, NY, NY