olive oil and cooking

[jjaammeess]

Hello You hear it said that olive oil is the healthly option for cooking .Does this mean that I can fry as much as I want and it will be healthy enough not to build up to chloresterol.I have also heard it said that when you cook with good fats like olive oil they turn into bad saturated fats in the cooking. answers will be appreciated

[nickmo]

Nice technical but simple description on the frying process here: http://www.cookeryonline.com/Topics/Shallow%20Frying.html

I suggest the best oil for frying is sunflower oil, as it is chlorestrol free and high in vit E. It also has a neutral flavour and won't take the flavours of previously fried foods to the next item to be cooked.

If you want to cut down the amount of oil in the pan, either wipe the pan with a oil 'soaked' paper towel to leave a light film on the surface or use frylight which is a spray. You do not - unless you are deep frying - need to fill a pan with oil.

Some oils are used for their flavour properties such as olive oil, or mustard oil, and it may depend on availability of certain types as to whether you prefer one to another, and also flash poiints etc need to be considered as different food require varying cooking temps, and some oils perform better at higher / lower temps.

[d0gsb0dy]

In answer to your question, I would say that the only good oil for cooking is coconut oil. All other oils turn to hydrogenated oils when heated to a high temperature. Also known as trans fats, these oils are certainly not good for you http://tinyurl.com/4pe8x
There is, in fact, nothing wrong with cooking with dripping. Chips taste absolutely delicious. Most chip shops, unfortunately, use hydrogenated fats for frying, although there are some which now proclaim that they no longer cook in them.
All this hype about the dangers of animal fats has been created by the soft-spread industry in order to boost the sale of its products. They don't mention the additives that go into the rubbish they sell. Look at the ingredients in a pat of butter, then compare this with what goes into a low-fat spread. A chemical nightmare. Ten years ago, your chances of dying of cancer were one in five. Today, they are one in three. Need I say more?
And let me say this. When I was a boy, and dripping sandwiches were the norm, I never recall anyone I knew dying of cancer. Nowadays, it's all I ever hear.
Trans fats are also associated with the rise in the cases of diabetes type 2. These oils are used in many of t he sweets consumed by children. Read the labels on the cakes and confectionary in your local supermarket.. Most contain hydrogenated, or worse, partially hydrogenated fats. One major offender is Mr Kipling cakes.
Take my advice and avoid these fats.
I am, as you probably gather, passionate about this fraud on the public.

[jjaammeess]

Thanks a lot for your answers. This will require study as these sites are quite complitated

[aka estie]

I can't comment on the various oils in terms of bad/good fats, but I can say with complete certainty that no plant-derived oils have cholesterol. Only animal products can have cholesterol.

For what it's worth, I use canola (rapeseed) oil and olive oil since my best friend (who is getting his PhD in fatty acid biochemistry and metabolism) told me those are by far the healthiest.

[rescuer]

Like dOgsbOdy I had a great deal animal fat when a boy. My breakfast every day was two slices of bread dipped in the frying pan containg hot dripping. If we had bacon and egg for dinner (up North the midday meal was 'dinner') there would be fat from the frying pan added to the plate.

Maybe the stories about the 'dangers' of eating fat are like those about lead. When I was a boy our water came through lead pipes, we played with lead soldiers and most if not all of the paint everywhere would have lead in it. According to the tales about the 'dangers' of lead I should by rights be a raving idiot! That leaves the way open for some smart Alec replies !!