Hi all,
I was just wondering if more experienced members could give me some advice/reviews of oils? I know olive oil is healthiest and good for cooking, but i was looking for something with more flavor esp for salads.
What does almond oil taste like--is it sweet? I like zesty stuff better, like toasted seaseme oil. What would u use almond oil in anyways?

Oh, and coconut oil--i heard it was good for cooking too, but is unhealthier? Is it also sweet, and what can u do with it?

Any other suggestions welcomed!--don't they have flavored olive oils too? I tried the red pepper one, but it was kinda bland....

Almond oil, along with walnut and my fave, hazelnut oil, are great on salads. They give a vinaigrette a subtle softness.
You can also drizzle them on fish or make heavenly mayos with them. I think cooking with them is a waste because you seem to lose the nutty taste when heating them.

I haven't tried coconut oil, but I really want to after having read about it here.

Store bought flavored oils seem like a waste of time. Make your own, using the stuff you like. Garlic, herbs, lemon, chilis - just pour warm oil into a bottle with the ingredients you like and let it sit for a few days. (I did read somewhere that garlic steeped in oil for too long can spawn some kind of dangerous bacteria or something but I've been doing it for years and am still here.)

lol--thanks NYorker, sounds like a great idea! What does almond oil taste like? almonds?...haha...i guess i mean, is it sweet?

coconut oil is amazing! you can read about it at www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com They have amazing freez dried coconut as well!

I use a food extra virgin olive oil as a salad oil. I like almond and coconut in baking but I dont use it for frying.

I want to experiment with ghee (clarified butter) for cooking.

I would avoid all veg oils like canola, corn, soybean etc. since they are rancid when you buy them and very fragile.

I think if you put fresh garlic or herbs in oil and dont refrigerate you can get botulism or something like that.

One year I wanted to make flavored oils as gifts and I was looking it up online and I found tons of health warnings against it. Some say they put the garlic in vinegar overnight and that helps. I would just not take the risk, but I do love garlic tarragon vinegar that I make. That goes great with salads. Especially this spinach salad with strawberries and cinnamon pecans and celery and this mustard vinegar dressing. It sounds weird but its sooo yummy!

I like extra virgin olive oil and peanut oil. I'll try to find some coconut oil online and give it a try. Sounds like it would be a good oil to fry chicken in.

Hello,

I've been using Coconut Oil for 5 days now and I've lost 2.5 pounds already.

It promotes weight loss by naturally boosting your metabolism. Here's some other benefits:

"Coconut oil is the healthiest oil on earth"says Dr. Bruce Fife, a naturopathic doctor and the author of the book The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil.

If there was an oil you could use for your daily cooking needs that helped protect you from heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions, improved your digestion, strengthened your immune system, and helped you lose excess weight, would you be interested? This is what coconut oil can do for you.

What Coconut Oil DOES NOT Do:
Does not increase blood cholesterol level.
Does not promote platelet stickiness or blood clot formation.
Does not contribute to atherosclerosis or heart disease.
Does not contribute to weight problems.

What Coconut Oil DOES Do:
Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and related illnesses.
Reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions.
Helps prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal (including yeast) infections.
Supports immune system function.
Helps control diabetes.
Provides an immediate source of energy.
Supports healthy metabolic function.
Improves digestion and nutrient absorption.
Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health.
Supplies fewer calories than other fats.
Promotes weight loss.
Helps prevent osteoporosis.
Has a mild delicate flavor.
Is highly resistant to spoilage (long shelf life).
Is heat resistant (the healthiest oil for cooking).
Helps keep skin soft and smooth.
Helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling of the skin.
Helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes.
Functions as a protective antioxidant.

As far as salads go, I use olive oil and Almond oil.

Good luck,

Oh sorry, I forgot to give you all the website to order the Coconut oil from.

http://www.coconut-connections.com/...coconut_oil.htm

Well poo, looks like I'll have to look somewhere else since the website doesn't supply to countries outside Europe.

OH sorry, I didn't even notice that.

This one does states and overseas as well, again my apologies.

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/index.html

Try the link I posted, their oils taste sooo yummy I dont have to cook them and I think they ship overseas.

www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com the oils are unrefined and taste like coconut not plastic.

My journey-- mmm, as an Indian, i love ghee-- u should totally try it, it's so rich, i miss it a lot at college--plus, its like a semi-liquid form so perfect on veggies or in hot cereal or anything; try going to an ethnic food store and getting some, highly recommend it!

Lily-- thanks for the info on coconut oil! How do u take it though? do u cook with it?

Yes I did cook with it. I used it to fry my meats. I used one teaspoon per meat I'm frying, so if I'm making 2 steaks for dinner I use 2 teaspoons.

It's also good enough to eat straight out of the spoon. Coconut oil heats fast and I've been getting spit at from my fryer so I've recently stopped cooking with it and started just spooning it into my mouth. May I add that eating it with a spoon gives you nice soft lips.

Oh and I eat 3-4 t-spoons daily.

Good luck,

I get it from wildernessfamily as well and love it.

There are tons of differen't kinds of oils. Safflower oil is actually higher in monos then olive oil. There is also sunflower oil, almond oil (good in baking), walnut oil, coconut oil (high smoke temp), macadamia nut oil and so on. Experiment a little. For salads flavored herb olive oil works wonderfully. For suppliment purposes fish oil, flax, and coconut are great. For general cooking I usually use extra light olive oil (virgin hasa nasty taste to me), a mix of olive oil and butter, or coconut oil.

hmm, just checked prices. For us in the UK the price is £15. In the US it is $15.
Grrrrr, typical. That is about half price in the US.

Does anyone know of a US supplier which ships to the UK ?

I normally buy bottled coconut oil at the local asian grocer. It's £0.79 per 250ml bottle. Probably not very organic.....The bottle doesn't say. Just 100% coconut oil. Not sure if they have to state on the bottle if it is refined or not in the UK. The same shop sells deodorized, refined Sunflower Oil. Says it on the bottle. That's what made me wonder, if they maybe have to state it on the bottle over here ? Otherwise why would someone put it on there ?

I really like sesame oil--it gives a great Asian flavor to foods. I mix up a my own dressing in one of those pre-marked "Good Seasonings" dressing cruets. I use sesame oil, rice vinegar, a Tablespoon (15mls) of sesame seeds, and a packet of Splenda. Voila! Any salad becomes an Asian Salad.
I had not thought of using coconut oil--I'll have to check it out. I bet that would be good.

Peach