Spicy food can benefit from oil

[Guest guest]

Here is the most valuable oil jargon you will ever desire, with some

personal experience first. Almost all spicy food can benefit from oil

as a carrier of spice and flavor. Surface textures are often

determined by oil type and cooking temperatures. So, here it is. The

ballyhoo follows and I don't even make a cent. All my Southern,

Creole, Cajun, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, Health Nut and Homespun

Style recipes use one or more of these oils either separately or

combined.

 

Vegans especially, can need fats both for biological processes AND

for dietary reasons. Studies have shown that the nutritional value of

vitamins is increased through absorption when some fat is present.

Salads eaten without oil will cause the dietary loss of important B

vitamins. Even an avocado on a salad will promote vitamin absorption.

Nuts are also a great source of fat and also minerals.

 

This is good to know, both because foods taste better with fat and

because common sense tells us we are no better off to avoid fat in

our diet with that research.

 

Concerning food oils, I have taken to using three plant kingdom oils

almost exclusively. All from trees. Consider that! Not annuals or

perennials. But trees which have extensive time-evolved root systems.

 

Three grades of monounsaturated fatty acid oils all from the olive

tree, both on fresh foods and for cooking. The second two saturated

fatty acid oils for cooking only and have a long shelf life (hardly

ever rancid). I selected these three oils because of the food value

and because they work unambiguously. They also mimic restaurant oils

very well, from the bistro or cafe to the greasy spoon and grill. It

is sometimes a surprise to find the right peg for the right hole!

 

Olive Tree

Monounsaturated

Extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil which are great for

natural use and also for cooking usually are Italian and Greek

exports. Spain has extraordinary oil also, just more difficult to

locate, but very good. Olive pomace oil which is the lower cost and

final pressing of the olive is a great flavorless frying oil. One

locally available brand for me is Greek Sky, sold in three liter

containers from a Middle Eastern Store for around fifteen dollars.

Five dollars a liter is a very good price for a general frying oil

made from an olive.

Extra virgin has the strongest flavor, almost peppery. Virgin is

milder. Pomace has very little or no flavor at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil

 

African Oil Palm Tree

Saturated

Red palm oil - a very flavorful natural red colored oil.

Because I myself think vegans need saturated fat I use these two oils

also, red palm oil, a great flavorful oil used in North African

cooking and obtainable in Middle Eastern stores, usually for about

seven dollars for 64 ounces, Mimi brand. It goes a long way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil

 

Coconut Tree

Saturated

Copra or coconut oil - thin oil with slight flavor.

In the same store, look for coconut oil. Parachute brand is the one I

get for around six dollars for 32 ounces. Great lightweight oil for

frying and also good for hair and skin care.

http://www.answers.com/topic/coconut-oil

 

Those three oils comprise 95 percent of my oil use. Lesser amounts of

other oils are consumed when I eat peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds,

pumpkin seeds and soybeans.

 

Sesame Seed Herb

Polyunsaturated

I don't use sesame much because it is a strong oil and I have a hard

time fitting it in, but I would think it is similar to olive oil in

that it manageably can be used both for fresh foods (Asian salads)

and cooking. It is so good for us I may try to use it more often and

creatively.

http://www.answers.com/topic/sesame-oil

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Sesa_ind.html

 

Often blending olive, red palm and coconut oils and using them in

various combinations, I get a variety of flavor analogs for formulas

usually using animal fats. Many times I will use one oil alone for

purity of flavor or cooking requirements.

 

Virgin olive oil where Mediterranean flavor is helpful. Squash,

tempeh, pizza/breads and the entire list is large. Olive pomace oil

where no flavor is desired. Pancakes, baking and Mexican food for

example.

 

Red palm oil is great for popcorn popping, potato pancakes, bean dip,

grits and scrambled tofu, things that might take butter or

lard/animal fat (pork fat). Southern and also Mexican foods.

 

Coconut oil for light frying and baked goods. Cookies, Asian dishes

and pistollets. Things where a light oil is needed and will accept a

slight coconut flavor.

 

Sesame oil for certain Asian dishes. Stirfry with julienne vegetables

like carrots, bokchoy and green onions. TofoYoung (mung sprouts and

tofu patties) and NotEgg Drop Soup (tofu with cornstarch). A very

strong flavored oil.

 

It takes a little time and effort to learn which dish needs what

flavor and then some more experience blending the oils to get a

unique cooking property. Each oil behaves differently. Separately and

together, they can create a variety of surface textures during

heating. Experimentation is both rewarding to the cook and pleasing

to the consumer. The trick is to mentally envisage the taste imparted

first of all. Red palm oil is so strong that it will not work on some

things. Coconut oil has a slight coconut taste. Both of these oils

can be used on hot food, but will harden on cool or cold food. It

took a while for me to find the right combinations for the right food

using olive, red palm, coconut and sesame oils. Now that I have used

them for many years I would not want to go back to say corn, canola

(rapeseed) or peanut oil ever.

 

Middle Eastern stores may have all of these oils at a low market

price. Be sure to check out their spices, starch products and

condiments also. The turnover is better for some goods in a busy

Middle Eastern store and products might be fresher.

 

Below is the oil summation that I keep on hand and it comes from many

sites on the Internet.

 

Oil is a true friend on a vegan's table.

 

Happy cooking, healthy eating,

Vida

 

PS

No vegetable fat has cholesterol, BTW! But some people think they do

anyway.

 

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Monounsaturated fatty acids are missing a hydrogen pair giving them

one double bond in their chemical structure. Olive oil, canola, and

nut oils are high in monounsaturated fatty acids. Foods high in

monounsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature.

 

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are missing two or more hydrogen pairs,

or have two or more double bonds in their chemical structure. Oils

high in these fats are also liquid or soft at room temperature.

Examples of oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are corn,

safflower, soybean, and sunflower.

 

Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds and have all the hydrogen

that they can hold onto, making these fats very stable. They are

solid or firm at room temperature. These fatty acids come mainly from

animal sources such as meat and dairy products. Non animal sources of

saturated fats are coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. Generally

harder and more stable fats are more saturated, such as butter, stick

margarine, shortening, and the fat in cheese and meat.

 

Omega-3 fatty acids are types of highly polyunsaturated fatty acids.

They are most abundant in cold water fish such as mackerel, salmon,

albacore tuna, sardines, lake trout and many others. Canola oil,

soybean oil and some nuts and seeds also contain some omega-3 fatty

acids.

 

Omega-6 fatty acids are types of highly polyunsaturated fatty acids

found abundantly in polyunsaturated vegetable oils.

 

Hydrogenated fats are unsaturated fats that have undergone a process

to add hydrogen to their double bonds, making their chemical

structure more stable. The fat becomes solid at room temperature and

foods made with these fats have a longer shelf life.

 

Trans fatty acids are a type of fatty acid most commonly found in the

diet when polyunsaturated fats are hydrogenated.

 

Cholesterol is not a fat, but it is a fat-like, waxy substance. There

are two types of cholesterol, the type found in the body and the type

found in foods. Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods of animal

origin, such as eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy foods.

Cholesterol is part of every cell in the body and has many important

functions. Serum or blood cholesterol is mainly produced by the

liver, but a high saturated fat diet and a high dietary cholesterol

intake can elevate blood cholesterol in some people.

 

Essential fatty acids are fatty acids that your body cannot make.

They are required for particular metabolic processes and must be

obtained from dietary sources. Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid

are essential fatty acids; they are both polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid that is found in vegetable

oils and from animal sources such as fish oils, meat, and milk. Alpha-

linolenic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, canola oil,

leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and soybeans. The essential

fatty acids are adequately supplied by a varied diet.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Vida, for this item - some very interesting information here, some of

which can

only be obtained from experience. It's good of you to have taken this

trouble.

 

Best love, Pat