Complete guide to oil in the kitchen: which one to choose and how to use it

Today we have many types of vegetable oils and fats that we can use in the kitchen. In any supermarket we find varieties of olive, sunflower, peanut, corn and seed oils, and normal or enriched vegetable margarines, but which one to choose and why?

I explain the essential ones, the less essential ones and the uses you can give them.

Olive oil

I put it first because it is the basic in my kitchen, the one that should never be missing.

Of all the oils they sell, the extra virgin olive oil It is the only one that is essential for me. With extra virgin olive oil you can cook anything and season any raw food.

It works just as well for browning vegetables as it does for toast (yes, I make them with olive oil instead of margarine). It’s expensive, I know, but using it well it lasts a long time, it doesn’t go bad quickly, it can withstand high temperatures and it is the healthiest we can use (at least in Spain).

Make it extra virgin olive oil

Refined oils are usually cheaperBut the price difference is not worth it at all. Don’t just look at the price, take a good look:Make it “extra virgin olive oil”, not “refined oil”, “olive oil” or “refined oils and virgin oils”. Extra virgin olive oils have more nutritional properties than refined ones. They are also usually denser and darker in color (regardless of the color of the bottle). The grades that are often listed refer to the amount of fatty acids present. An extra virgin olive oil will have around 3º. The rest, much less.It’s not that refined olive oil is “bad”, is that the refinement process eliminates “the bad” but also “the good”. What remains is an oil that is not of much interest, either culinary or nutritional.

Consider your origin

If you also want to reduce your carbon footprintsee that your oil is produced as close as possible to where you buy it (and if possible also the cultivation of the olives). It is often difficult to find a local olive oil, but you can look in agricultural cooperatives in your province and surroundings, surely there is one that produces good oils.

The variety of olives

In supermarket oils many times it is not specifiedbut if you can choose, choose the oils made with the varieties that you like the most according to the uses you are going to give them.For example the oil of the hojiblanca variety is softer, while that of picual is stronger and more pungent. There are many more varieties, if you take a look at cooperatives you will see that there are many types of olives that give rise to different oils, each with its characteristic aroma and flavor.my favorite oils to eat raw (salads, toasts, etc.) are the varieties with stronger flavors (picual, cornicabra and local varieties).

The state of the oil and the expiration date

always look that the bottles are not brokenthat there are no foreign bodies inside, etc.When it is very cold You can see some solidification of the oil on the top or bottom, but this is normal (at home it usually happens to me on the coldest days of winter).

Sunflower oil

I put it second because it is the second most common.

One bottle will last you a long time. As it is not the oil of choice for cooking, you should only use it for very specific things. A bottle of sunflower oil can last you many months, just keep it closed in a cool, dry place away from the sun.

Sunflower oil, in general, is cheaper than olive, but it does not have the same properties, far from it. It should not be our “all-terrain” oil, but it can be used for some things.

to fry

If we are going to make a few batches of fried croquettes or things like that, we can use normal, high oleic or “special for frying” sunflower oil. It has hardly any flavor and is less viscous than olive oil, which is why batters and breaded we are less oily.

Be careful, the temperature also influences! If we fry at low temperatures, of course, the food will absorb a lot of oil.

after using it You can let it cool, strain it and reuse it (as long as it doesn’t have odors or you haven’t burned it, of course). When you have given it several uses, put it in an empty oil bottle and place it in the containers for cooking oils. You can also use it to make homemade soaps.

the fries they should not be the basis of your dietif not something specific, so don’t worry about using sunflower oil instead of olive.

Exotic dishes that require an oil with a neutral flavor

To imitate as well as possible recipes from some Southeast Asian countries we can use sunflower oil. The advantage in this case is to stay as faithful as possible to the original flavorhow the food from that region actually tastes.

Of course, olive oil can also be used for this, although it provides a more “Mediterranean” flavor.

vegetable mayonnaise

If you have tried to make a vegetable mayonnaise with olive oil, you will understand this recommendation. In general, extra virgin olive oils they have a very strong taste for these sauces. Better use a high oleic sunflower oil.

flax oil

It is the oil from flax seeds, rich in omega 3, 6 and 9. In general it is an oil that it has a very mild tasteyou can combine it with sunflower to make vegetable mayonnaise.

This is one of the oils that I buy from time to time because sometimes using flax oil is more comfortable than crushing the seeds and add them to the dishes. For example in salads and fresh toasts.

In general it has a low smoke point and it deteriorates rapidly from both oxygen and heat exposure, so I usually buy small bottles (250 ml) and I never use it for cooking, always raw.

In order for it to retain all its properties, make sure it is preferably a first cold-pressed virgin linseed oil.

It is more expensive than other oils, around €18 per liter, but it is not necessary to use it every day or for all dishes. As I said above, as a dressing and other uses only raw, and preferably in small containers so that it does not last too long when opened and becomes rancid.

Coconut oil

The peculiarity of this oil is that is solid at room temperature (usually we call these “fats”) and has a coconut flavor and aroma. It is an oil that is very fashionable now because It is healthyContrary to what was believed.

How to cook with coconut oil

The ones I’ve used so far have a lower smoke point than olive oilso when I prepare a dish that requires the use of coconut oil (for example, because the original recipe for that region has always been done like this) I try to lower the temperature a bit.It is not an essential oil either. Anything that requires coconut oil can be done with a mild olive oil. Even so, it is possible that we want to use it to make specific dishes or to change flavors from time to time. to replace the butter in some preparations (generally those that require a solid fat at room temperature). I must also point out that even if it is a solid fat at room temperature does not have the oiliness of margarines and its melting point is much lower than other butters such as cocoa butter. Coconut oil begins to melt at 30ºC and becomes an almost transparent liquid directly, it is difficult to beat it to the “ointment point” without melting completely.In cookies it gives a crunchy texture that with olive oil and in bars and chocolates improves solidity.

How to choose it

To choose a coconut oil, the first thing you should look at is that is extra virgin, solid at room temperature and white in color. Refined coconut oils are of no interest.

coconut oil too it is more expensive than other oils but it is not for daily use, so It is not essential buy. Once opened, store it in the fridge in its container, tightly closed, and use it in a short time, it can go rancid. They have lasted 3 months in the fridge (small jars).

Sesame oil

This is one of those oils that I buy “for taste”. I love his roasted aroma and its taste. A few drops are enough to flavor any dish.

Although it is an oil that can be used for cooking, I recommend using it only raw to finish oriental dishes (especially Chinese, Japanese and Korean) or to give a touch of flavor to rice dishes and stir-fries.

How to choose it

Now they sell sesame oil in many places, but the difference between some oils and others is usually quite large. A good sesame oil it has to be dark (not almost transparent or yellow like sunflower) and be 100% sesame, do not mix. When you open it, it has a very strong and concentrated aroma, and you have to store it in a cool, dry place away from light.

It is also an oil more expensive than olive but it is not essential, you should only use it for specific things. Choose better small bottles to prevent it from going rancid.

Peanut oil

In many southeast asian dishes and some Africans used this oil. It is slightly viscous, light in color and has a pleasant flavor. It withstands high temperatures well and in some regions it is used for frying and sautéing.

There are lighter and darker peanut oils, depending on the refining process. It’s best to be extra virgin peanut oila little darker than the refined ones, and with a more perceptible aroma.

Apart from making specific dishes, you can use it to dress salads and raw dishesalthough much better if you use olive or flax oil.

It can be stored like other oils in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. It is not necessary to store it in the fridge.

Palm oil

No, not the refined oil, otherwise virgin palm oil, solid at room temperature and red in color. If you have never seen it, in African food stores they usually have it.

For us, it may not be of much interest, but a good part of the dishes in sub-Saharan Africa are cooked with this oil, so if you want to perfectly imitate flavors and textures, you can try buying a bottle or a small jar.

It is a curious oil, quite dense, solid at room temperature, very mild flavor. Serve in pastries and homemade pastries to replace butter and margarine.

In West African dishes it is a staple, as is olive oil for us.

As it is not a very common oil (you have to go to specific places) it is not essential in the kitchen either, just to imitate recipes from other regions as faithfully as possible. Peanut oil can be substitutedhigh oleic sunflower oil or olive oil with a mild flavor.

Palm oil is also convenient buy it in small packages and keep it in the fridge once opened to avoid rancidity.

If you only find refined or hydrogenated palm oil, don’t buy it, it’s nothing like it.

vegetable margarines

It is not an oil, they are usually a mixture, and solid at room temperature. There are many types, with olive oil…