oil more dangerous for frying than lard

There are different grades of rapeseed oil, as there are with olive oil, depending on how the oil is extracted from the seeds, so you are probably getting what you pay for. The cheaper oils are extracted by using heat and solvents and the more expensive ones by cold pressing, like extra virgin olive oil.
more info here

I have a large bottle of Morrison's 'Vegetable oil' in my cupboard. The tiny print on the label says it is rapeseed oil (and nothing else). Most supermarket own brand 'vegetable oil' is usually rapeseed because it's among the cheapest to produce. It has been for years and years. It was labelled as 'vegetable' rather than 'rapeseed' as the name 'rapeseed' was thought to be offputting.

But now, rapeseed oil is fashionable and a lovely opportunity has arisen to charge squillions for a bottle of what was once the cheapest cooking oil on the block

My DD has a degree in human nutrition and told me a few years ago about the toxic properties of oil heated to high temperatures. I have never reused oil since (but, then, I never make chips so it's no particular hardship)

I am starting to suspect that the funding and release of so many pieces of research that contradict each other, and which often completely overturn strong advice previously given, are a deliberate ploy. Many people, myself included, are now suspicious of any piece of advice that is given on the basis of new research findings - this is surely a godsend for the food industry.

I'm not at all keen on olive oil and certainly don't like using it to cook with. I believe the thing about any cooking oil is that it should only be used a couple of times. A friend of mine who was a school dinner lady expressed concern about the same oil being used many many times but she was ignored.

If you are looking for pure rapeseed oil, look in the discount supermarkets. Mine comes from Lidl and is clearly labelled as such.

use rapeseed or rice bran oil but am so fed up with it all that I dont care anymore ..

Olive oil is best if you want a good salad dressing or something " sweated" for a short time at a moderate temperature. Sesame oil is also good for adding flavour at the end of a dish.

I make no apology for making chips from Golden Wonder or Cyprus potatoes in beef dripping ( in a real chip pan, rather than an electric effort).

Everything in moderation.

I have just about every oil going in my cupboard so, hopefully, a bit of variety is the way to go.
I thought coconut had more cholesterol than other oils - am I wrong?

jean no probs. I was genuinely pleased you had given a further explanation.

(Just shows the difficulty of writing rather than face to face conversations!)

x

I suppose vegetable oil in a bottle will be some kind of vegetable oil- but how can you be sure it is rapeseed if not labelled? Happy to pay a bit more and know for sure.

But in all over products, 'vegetable oil' is always the dreaded palm oil- responsible (well its producers) for massive destruction of the rain forest from Madagascar to Sout America- all over vegetable oils are clarly labelled as sunflower, rapeseed, olive, etc, etc. Very glad that in Switzerland this is now illegal, and palm oil cannot hide under the generic 'vegetable oil' and has to be clearly labelled as such so people can choose to not buy (boycott!)

I have started using lard again for frying. Everything is soon crispy and looks good. Olive oil then for salads and butter for pasta - when frying up cold pasta with eggs broken on top. This is student food but delicious and cheap.
P.S the lard is from Bio-pigs, which are bred in the area where I live.

Sorry j52 I was replying to auntieflo - I must have missed your post.
I've gone back and read it now and you were quite clear in the first place

Thanks for making my point clear jane. I realise I should have been more specific. A point I also wanted to make was that alongside the 'vegetable ' oil are bottles of more expensive Rapeseed oil.

x

Rapeseed oil is vegetable oil, but vegetable oil isn't necessarily rapeseed oil - it can be peanut oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, coconut oil - any oil which comes from plants.

The rapeseed oil I got from Waitrose has vegetable oil in big letters on the front, and rapeseed oil in very tiny letters on the list of ingredients. I suspect it's a marketing thing.

Yes. The only clue they give on the label is the nice little flowers. Why is that?

J52, I have also been told that Vegetable oil IS rapeseed oil. I buy mine in Tesco, (at the moment, until they decide to withdraw it) and it is a good price

I agree it's weird about the coconut oil thing. I thought it was high in saturated fat! As for this "pulling" thing, I think I would vomit.

I have used cocoanut oil as sold in India.

It does impart a nice flavour but the burning point is so low.

The push now on it is just a fad, posh marketing.

See it as such

They use olive oil to cook with?
And they are some of the healthiest/longest living people on the planet?

If all that is true, I think I shall stick with cooking with olive oil.

But olive oil is part of the Mediterranean diet which last year was recognised by world heritage as a very healthy diet and they use iolive oil to cook with. I think the Spanish even fry their chips with it although I don't like the taste.

Maybe the coconut oil people are trying to promote their product. Didn't a gransnet blogger tell us that some own brand vegetable cooking Oils are the best for us?

Just looked at the guide to coconut oil
"9. Oil pulling
This is an ancient Ayurvedic treatment for ridding the body of toxins and for whitening teeth. Place between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and wait for it to melt, then swish it about, just like you would mouthwash, for anywhere between five and 20 minutes."

You've got to be kidding

Jess

I have bought coconut oil for a couple of Christmas presents, and have printed off the GN article to accompany it. I hope it will still be considered good for us until at least after the festive season!

I listened to the Radio4 Food Programme last Sunday, which covered this subject. The taste test for roasties gave top marks to dripping. Apparently butchers are starting to make this again in light of the research.
Tests show that sunflower/veg oil becomes more and more carcinogenic with repeated use. Thank goodness I have only visited my local chippy a handful of times in the last 20 years!

... and if you have someone on warfarin, that adds to the difficulty, as I recently found thavt different oils have different effects on that!

It's a bit of a saga this isn't it. Too much fried food is not a good idea. And as for the current coconut oil promotion on GN .... Coconut oil is being very heavily promoted these days. All kinds of unsubstantiated health claims being made for it. It is a saturated fat. Makes a nice massage oil that doesn't spill at room temperatures.