Recipe Station

Here are four of our favorite cooking oils and how best to use them. These tips really do make all the difference!

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Best for: Drizzling over other delicious things, salad dressing, dips
Smoke point: 320F. But do not use EVOO for high-temp cooking. It ruins the flavor.
EVOO gets made via cold-pressing, meaning it’s pressed at temperatures no higher than 80.5F. Higher temperatures produce more oil more easily, which is what makes EVOO more expensive. This keeps more flavor, antioxidants, and monounsaturated fats intact and makes for a far more robust and complex flavor profile. Depending on the region, the flavors can be buttery, fruity, grassy, or bitter. Use it for those flavors, not as a texture or lubricating agent… and certainly not as a means for deep-frying stuff.
Fun fact: EVOO is routinely counterfeited. There are few reliable ways to make sure yours is real other than knowing the supplier.

Olive oil
Best for: frying, sautéing, deep frying — this can be your default oil for pretty much anything
Smoke point: 465F
If you’re in a commercial kitchen and they’re not using vegetable oil, this is what’s probably on the grills and in their pans. Regular olive oil has an unremarkable smell, high smoke point, and good working texture to make it among the most versatile of cooking oils. Because it has a neutral nose and palate, it’s also your go-to for infusing with garlic, pepper, and other flavors.
Fun fact: Most regular olive oil is washed with solvents at high temperatures to neutralize the flavor. For taste, go with EVOO. But again, don't heat it!

Coconut oil
Best for: Baking, low-heat roasting and sautéing
Smoke point: 359F
A combination of dubious health claims and hipster approval has gained coconut oil some spotlight of late. It even deserves some of it. Solid at room temperature, it makes for a really delicious substitute for butter in most cookies, cakes, and other baking recipes either to make a non-dairy option or just because it’s great with chocolate, banana, and other tropical flavors. For low-heat recipes, it goes especially well with chicken or sautéing veggies.
Fun fact: Coconut oil is also good as a body or hair oil. You’ll see it in more than one beauty product, and will do if you run out of massage lotion on a date. Do not use as a personal lubricant.

Sesame oil
Best for: Sautéing and frying
Smoke point: 410F
Although it often has a nutty aroma, sesame oil is neutral in flavor. It's also got a middle-high smoke point, which makes it a strong choice for coating your fry pan or wok before plunking down meat or veggies. It carries a lot of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids before cooking, so it does well in a salad dressing, especially one with an Asian flavor like ginger or orange. Smoked sesame oil tastes very nutty, as the heat releases more of the sesame. Use it for recipes where you want the sesame flavor to carry through

Wow!

We're excited just thinking about all of the ways we can use these different cooking oils. In fact, we may just head into the kitchen and scour all of our favorite cookbooks for a recipe we can use one of these cooking oils with.

Enjoy!

Article Source: Thrillist