Teach me about cooking oils!

[NuclearFusi0n]

I currently use Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Trader Joe's (lol Trader Giotto) for most of my cooking needs, butter for everything else. I'm thinking of phasing out butter as much as possible for health reasons (my cholesterol is 239 ...probably higher after my last batch of brownies ), and even phasing out olive oil for dishes that need an oil with less flavor (brownies, cookies, cakes, etc). Canola oil is what I'm leaning toward for stuff like brownies and whatnot.

Do you think there would be a big difference in brownies cooked with 1/2 cup of butter and brownies cooked with 1/2 cup of canola oil? or should I create a combination of the two?

Tell me everything.

p.s. saturated fats suck lol

 

[ThePresence]

We are guys, we are geeks. We eat potato chips and drink beer. We know nothing about this topic.

 

[Geekbabe]

"I can't believe it's not butter" is a good substitute for receipes calling for butter.For baked goods that demand oil cannola oil is best.

For pan work I use PAM cooking sprays,they've got a butter flavor that's really good.

 

[tweakmm]

I've always heard that brownies made with butter are better than brownies made with oil. Have you actuatly made brownies with olive oil? I could see canola oil, but olive oil sounds like it would be naasty.
If you want your batch of brownies to be extra special, you should try using european butter. It's butter with a higher percentage of fat so it's not something you want to eat a lot of, but the extra fat content supposedly helps to better absorb things that are fat soluble.

 

[TwinkleToes77]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
"I can't believe it's not butter" is a good substitute for receipes calling for butter.For baked goods that demand oil cannola oil is best.

For pan work I use PAM cooking sprays,they've got a butter flavor that's really good.

I thought "I can't believe it't not butter" was margarine.. and if thats the case margarine isnt really all that great for you either and youd might as well just use the real butter. BUT...

I use canola oil as a substitute for recipes that call for oil and I use pam to spray my pans before baking/cooking.

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
I've always heard that brownies made with butter are better than brownies made with oil. Have you actuatly made brownies with olive oil? That sounds like it would be naasty.
If you want your batch of brownies to be extra special, you should try using european butter. It's butter with a higher percentage of fat so it's not something you want to eat a lot of, but the extra fat content supposedly helps to better absorb things that are fat soluble.

The other option is to look upon brownies and other such treats as very occasional splurges to an otherwise healthy diet and to make them using the ingredients called for.I hate so called "diet" cookies
and such.

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
I've always heard that brownies made with butter are better than brownies made with oil. Have you actuatly made brownies with olive oil? I could see canola oil, but olive oil sounds like it would be naasty.
If you want your batch of brownies to be extra special, you should try using european butter. It's butter with a higher percentage of fat so it's not something you want to eat a lot of, but the extra fat content supposedly helps to better absorb things that are fat soluble.

I've only made the brownies with butter, I want to try canola oil. no way in hell i would make brownies with olive oil, especially extra virgin. yuck.

"absorb things" eh? I see what you are getting at...
No they are not special brownies ....maybe next time though.

 

[TechnoKid]

Last I read, actual butter is a bit more healthy for you than margerine or olio. This is becasue of the additives that magaraine has added to it that natural butter doesn't, though one has better fats than the other.

 

[SaltBoy]

I can't believe "I Can't Believe it's not Butter" is not butter! :Q

 

[Carbo]

Anyone who uses Pam spray or margarine, or even has that crap in their kitchen, won't ever cook for me. Despite their well intentioned advice, the Peg Bundy twins of ATOT are misguided. Perhaps the kitchen ain't their best room?

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: Carbo
Anyone who uses Pam spray or margarine, or even has that crap in their kitchen, won't ever cook for me. Despite their well intentioned advice, the Peg Bundy twins of ATOT are misguided. Perhaps the kitchen ain't their best room?

Wow,well I guess I better go break the news to my boyfriend that he'll be stuck with me and my cooking then.

Btw,I weigh at age 46 exactly what I weighed before getting pregnant with my 1st child 25 yrs ago,I'm no peg bundy.

 

[rgwalt]

If you are really curious, go to the store and look on the back of the labels of the different cooking oils. This will tell you which oil has more calories, fat, sat fat, etc. Find a good, cheap, light colored oil. If you do any frying, go with peanut oil as it has a high smoke point.

Canola oil in brownies will give them a much more fudge like texture as compared to butter, which will give brownies a more cake-like texture. You could try going half and half.

I use butter as opposed to margerine. Margerine is just vegetable oil has that been hydrogenated (which makes it less "healthy") so that it is solid at and below room temperature. Personally, I like the fact that butter is more "natural" though it isn't very good for you. Just use it in moderation.

R

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Carbo
Anyone who uses Pam spray or margarine, or even has that crap in their kitchen, won't ever cook for me. Despite their well intentioned advice, the Peg Bundy twins of ATOT are misguided. Perhaps the kitchen ain't their best room?

Just like the bedroom probably isn't yours!

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Half Butter and Half Canola Oil worked great for my brownies. woowoot

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Don't worry about butter. Some nuts in the press totally misinterpreted the main study relating dietary and blood cholesterol so badly that when the first author of the paper submitted tried to correct it, physicians kept telling about THE paper saying he was wrong. Of course they didnt take the time to realize that HE wrote it


Bottom line, although diet DOES affect to some (very small) degree, the use of butter is OK, unless you are one of the few unfortunates with crap genes who are going to have high cholesterol no matter what anyway. Just don't go nuts.

Exercise is would have a more beneficial effect anyway.



Live long and eat well