64
votes
Steaming with oil instead of water
That really wouldn't work.
With steaming the water is heated to boiling which creates steam. Since the food is colder, the steam condenses on the food which transfers heat to the food.
With hot oil ...
- 2,659
47
votes
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I used olive oil to finish my salad serving utensils - now what?
Do nothing, or maybe give them a soap wash.
You seem to be very worried about what are very small effects. Sure, the oil can oxidize over time. It won't turn your utensils into a big ball of funk. ...
- 132k
44
votes
Why do North American Chinese restaurants advertise "We use 100% Vegetable oil"?
Odds are that anything sold in the US as ‘vegetable oil’ is soybean oil, but it might mean something different to a restaurant.
The issue is that it used to be fairly common for restaurants to uses ...
- 77.2k
38
votes
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What are some good ways to treat frozen vegetables such that they behave like fresh vegetables when stir frying them?
The first thing is to do is thaw them properly before you cook them, half frozen vegetables will cool your pan too much. I often thaw frozen vegetables by soaking them in hot tap water, this is pretty ...
- 72.5k
35
votes
Cooking steak in frying pan, problem with oil splatter
You need to realize that oil doesn't splatter, water does. In fact, you could heat oil until it catches fire without any mayor movement.
But the moment water reaches the oil, which in a hot pan is ...
- 56.5k
34
votes
Is there a way to dilute oil?
It doesn't actually dissolve. It disperses (easily seen as some will eventually settle out). The distinction is important, as dissolving could be solved by time or heat.
A few things may help when ...
- 41.5k
33
votes
Recipe calls for a heaping teaspoon of a liquid ingredient
Obviously you can't "heap" a liquid.
What helps is if you remember that in cooking measurements are not set in stone. The amount given in a recipe can basically always be tweaked to your liking - a ...
- 56.5k
33
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to cook with food grade mineral oil?
Well, food-grade means you can ingest some without poisoning yourself. It does not mean it’s a suitable replacement for cooking or baking. If you do use it, you will soon learn that it’s a laxative, ...
- 56.5k
33
votes
Steaming with oil instead of water
I have never heard of anyone "steaming" vegetables using oil instead of water. Placing them in a metal frame above hot oil would not be as effective as cooking them surrounded by steam (from water). ...
- 7,064
31
votes
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Does preheating a pan before sautéing aromatics make a difference?
I prefer to cook aromatics starting from a cold pan/oil, whenever possible. Starting with a cold pan makes it easier to avoid singeing the ingredients. (You really don't want a "sear" in ...
- 23.8k
29
votes
Preserving culinary oils
You don't realize it, but you've asked a hot-button question. Expect to get lots of comments about botulism, etc. This is a result of a report a few years back about folks getting botulism from ...
- 54k
27
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't oil burn and produce smoke at restaurants?
Restaurants have massive fans.
Commercial deep fryers have temperature control.
Example temperature control unit:
And massive heating elements (notice 4 temperature controls):
Massive ...
- 6,380
27
votes
Accepted
Why does rapeseed oil turn sticky but coconut oil doesn't?
It is a chemical quality of the oil called "iodine number". There is nothing you can do about it, it is as inherent in the oil as its smoke point. Oils with a low iodine number create hard polymers, ...
- 132k
25
votes
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Why does my deep fryer say not to use peanut oil?
On the T-fal USA website, they address this in their FAQ section. (A quick check on the UK Tefal site shows the same question.) Regardless of which model of fryer you have, it seems that all of their ...
- 8,972
24
votes
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How do I remove oil from soup?
The easiest way, is to cool (fridge) it down and remove the hardened fat that should have floated to the top.
You could try doing while the soup is hot by using a shallow spoon and spoon the liquid ...
- 20.3k
24
votes
Can I cook with the olive oil from canned sardines?
Yes, you can use the oil for other purposes, although due to the strong fish aroma and taste it would probably best be used only in a fish dish. I frequently use the oil from anchovies to fry onions ...
- 4,269
20
votes
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Is there any substitute for butter (or oil) on puff pastry?
No. An edible organic liquid that does not dissolve in water, almost by definition, is an oil.
That's not the important thing, though. Substances like mineral oil are edible yet non-nutritive; they ...
- 23.8k
20
votes
How much oil is necessary to fry/cook eggs?
Technically, an egg is not "fried" unless there is at least some oil involved. So even though you could cook an egg in a very well-seasoned cast iron pan with no oil, it wouldn't ...
- 54k
19
votes
Accepted
Olive oil in Japanese cooking
Olive oil is not native to Japan and is never used in traditional Japanese cooking. (Yes, olives are now grown in Japan and olive oil is readily available, but so are burgers and pizza.)
Your recipe'...
- 1,365
18
votes
What container for olive oil for longest shelf life?
From my research on this, it sounds like you should be minimising the following as much as possible (two of which you've mentioned in your question):
Exposure to light
Exposure to heat
Oxidisation
...
- 784
17
votes
Is there a way to dilute oil?
To answer your question as stated: no, there is no way to dilute oil, at least not in a sense that would be helpful for your situation.
In cooking, there are basically only three edible liquids: water,...
- 132k
16
votes
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If a US recipe specifies 'vegetable oil' what type of oil should I use in the UK?
Peanut (groundnut) oil is a great option.
In the US vegetable oil generally means soybean oil or a soybean oil blend. The main things are that it be neutral (little or no taste of its own), with a ...
- 58.3k
16
votes
Accepted
How much oil is necessary to fry/cook eggs?
I'd say not more than a table spoon (around 15ml), maybe a little more if you feel your eggs are sticking; you need to experiment, but I think you should use as little as possible.
Use oil (or other ...
- 20.3k
16
votes
Does preheating a pan before sautéing aromatics make a difference?
It depends heavily on what you're cooking.
For Indian or central Asian styles of cooking, for example, the spices get tempered in the hot oil first, and the oil absolutely needs to be heated first. ...
- 952
15
votes
Accepted
How does sunlight degrade cooking oil?
The main enemy of oil is oxidation, which is the reaction of the constituent molecules with oxygen. How fast oxidation occurs will depend on the type of oil you consider. For example, unsaturated fat ...
- 2,155
15
votes
What container for olive oil for longest shelf life?
Get a darkened glass bottle - can be dark green or amber-colored. Amber-colored filters out better than green, it is easier to recycle and produce (therefore, cheaper), that's why we very regularly ...
- 2,810
14
votes
Roasting nuts with versus without oil. Is there any significant difference?
The primary reason to toast nuts with oil is to get better heat transfer from the pan/oven to the nuts themselves; this is particularly important if toasting nuts on the stove, as you can end up with ...
- 2,035
13
votes
Cooking steak in frying pan, problem with oil splatter
In Scandinavia we have this thing:
The "lid" is a thin wire mesh that allows steam to escape and keeps most of the oil in.
I have no idea what it is called in english :-)
- 131
13
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Is there a way to dilute oil?
I invented a method to facilitate dissolving of protein powder shakes for an Innocentive contest. It worked pretty well but I did not win so there must be a better method out there.
The idea is that ...
- 6,580
13
votes
How much oil is necessary to fry/cook eggs?
The amount of oil required is dependant on the result you want.
At minimum, you can fry an egg in a teaspoon of oil, but if you want the top basted you will need sufficient that you can splash some ...
- 26.2k
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