Anybody use anything other than pam or olive oil for cooking meat

[crazycrab]

Anybody use anything other than pam or olive oil for cooking meat. Trying to stay away from grease and butter of course.

[JohnboyF]

I cant belive its not butter spray..

But generally no its always pam for me. You can buy flavored Pam butter flavored

[crazycrab]

hey I use butter flavored pam. I'm eating another blackened chicken breast, always burning with the pam.

[JohnboyF]

turn the heat down/ pay attention to them

bake them

[crazycrab]

yea that is a little bit of the problem. I really dislike the pam. Does pam make a different flavor? I guess i'll check next time i go shopping.

[StoneGRMI]

Their original is not flavored at all.

[perfectbeast2001]

coconut oil

[FearlessFighter]

corn oil

[BigLittleTim]

Marinate steaks and chicken in olive oil, good vinegar, a little soy sauce or terriyaki, and a bit of garlic. Grills up nicely and doesn't burn.

Keeps the meat tender.

-BigLittleTim

[perfectbeast2001]

Marinate steaks and chicken in olive oil, good vinegar, a little soy sauce or terriyaki, and a bit of garlic. Grills up nicely and doesn't burn.

Keeps the meat tender.

-BigLittleTim

careful with using the olive oil for cooking, heating it turns it to a trans fat which is not good. Olive oil is great as a dressing but not to cook with.
Oils that you cook with should be stable when heated, examples are
coconut oil
rice bran oil
palm oil
peanut oil
sunflower oil

[BigLittleTim]

careful with using the olive oil for cooking, heating it turns it to a trans fat which is not good. Olive oil is great as a dressing but not to cook with.
Oils that you cook with should be stable when heated, examples are
coconut oil
rice bran oil
palm oil
peanut oil
sunflower oil

Arghhh!! You find ONE friggin' thing that tastes good and is good for you and someone always blows your delusions right outta the water!



Someone please tell me that sushi builds fat, while you're at it.

-BigLittleTim

[perfectbeast2001]

LOL depends if the soy sauce or Mirin has MSG in it!!!

[FearlessFighter]

Arghhh!! You find ONE friggin' thing that tastes good and is good for you and someone always blows your delusions right outta the water!



Someone please tell me that sushi builds fat, while you're at it.

-BigLittleTim

If the olive oil has been cold-pressed it supposedly deals with higher heat better. I'll have to look for that article I read on the same subject one day.

[crazycrab]

I didn't know that about the olive oil. I am going to pickup some the oils Beast rec. and try.

Thanks for the good post guys.

[perfectbeast2001]

Olive oil is a great oil for cooking. Strong flavored olive oils can be used for frying fish or other strong flavored ingredients. A mellow late harvest Mission variety oil could be used in baking a cake. Olive oil has a high smoke point, 410 degrees F, and doesn't degrade as quickly as many other oils do with repeated high heating. Use a variety of healthy vegetable oils when preparing food and incorporate a good extra virgin olive oil when you want its health benefits and wonderful Mediterranean flavor.
There are some myths which have recently circulated about olive oil which we are constantly answering via email and our newsletter. Olive oil has been used for thousands of years and is one of the cornerstones of the healthy Mediterranean diet.
Click here for a more scholarly discussion of storage and rancidity
Olive Oil Myth: Olive oil loses its benefits when heated
The Facts: Excessively heating olive oil will evaporate the alcohols and esters which make up its delicate taste and fragrance. Heating olive oil will not change its health aspects, only the flavor. Use a cheaper olive oil which doesn't have much flavor to begin with if you want to fry with it, add a more flavorful olive oil after cooking or at the table.
Olive Oil Myth: Heating a cooking oil will make it saturated or a trans-fatty oil.
The Facts: As far as making a saturated fat, according to Dr. A. Kiritsakis, a world renowned oil chemist in Athens, (Book - OLIVE OIL FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE -Second edition 1998), all oils will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. Olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil are both highly monounsaturated oils and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem.
The large refinery-like factories which take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 250 to 400 degree hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. We don't know where this weird notion has come from. For more see our olive oil chemistry page
Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove.
Olive Oil Myth: Cooking in olive oil diminishes the nutritional value of the food.
Olive Oil Fact: Heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. I am not aware of any edible cooking oil which of itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it. Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them raw. A touch of a flavorsome olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the "Mediterranean diet" which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits.



been looking at info and it seems the whole trans fat thing is some what of a myth. Bump for opinions

[BigLittleTim]

PBeast,

I also was spurred to do a little research on olive oil turning into a trans-fat.
Sounded a little urban myth-ish to me...

-BigLittleTim


Hydrogenation: Hydrogenated fat is created by bubbling hydrogen through 250 to 400 degree hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. Oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2) are both converted to stearic acid (C18:0) when fully saturated but fully saturated fats are too waxy and solid for use, hence the process is stopped at partial hydrogenation. You cannot accidentally make trans or saturated fatty acids at home on your range when heating olive oil or other oils.

Which cooking oil is the best?
Written by: Gloria Tsang, RD
last updated: June 2005

All manufacturers claim their own cooking oil is the best! Canola oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, butter, margarine and even virgin coconut oil each has its supporters. Before we conclude the best cooking oil(s), let's look at the essential - Fats 101. We classified the following fats as "good fats" and "bad fats" based on their heart-smart values: their ability to raise or lower total and LDL cholesterol.



The Bad Fats
Saturated Fats Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
Trans Fats Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
The Good Fats
Monounsaturated Fats Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Polyunsaturated Fats Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. ***** 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

Therefore, based on the above classification, the "ideal" cooking oil should contain higher amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and with minimal or no saturated fats and trans fats.


The Verdict? As long as you're using fats and oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation, it would be fine to use any one of the following "good" oils. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.

Good Cooking Oils:

canola oil
flax seed oil
peanut oil
olive oil
non-hydrogenated soft margarine
safflower oil
sunflower oil
corn oil
The following "bad" oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats. Some, such as coconut oil, even contain more saturated fats than animal products!

Bad Cooking Oils:

Vegetable shortening
Hard margarine
Butter
Palm oil
Palm kernel oil
Coconut oil

[FearlessFighter]

Thanks, that confirms it then. Not the article I read, but interesting nonetheless!

[perfectbeast2001]

I agree that coconut oil contains saturated fat but it can actually promote fat loss and has been shown to be very healthy (the virgin variety).

some coconut info
Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body's metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.
Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body's immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother's milk. Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet.

A review of the diet/heart disease literature relevant to this oil clearly indicates that coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect to atherogenicity of fats and oils and, in fact, is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of some heart disease. Additionally, the oil provides a source of antimicrobial lipid for individuals with compromised immune systems and is a nonpromoting fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis.

After much reading I am inclined to believe that olive oil is fine to cook with (the only downside being loss of taste when heated)

[Tru2]

Grapeseed oil too. thats what I'm using for cooking at the moment. but I love a good virgin coconut oil.

[crazycrab]

I am now a graduate of cooking oils. Thanks for all the help

[violator1]

Arghhh!! You find ONE friggin' thing that tastes good and is good for you and someone always blows your delusions right outta the water!



Someone please tell me that sushi builds fat, while you're at it.

-BigLittleTim

i second this!!

[cfiler]

Peanut oil is my favorite. Although sunflower oil is good too.

[Phil ORourke]

tthat was a very interesting read tanks