When I began cooking, I used canola as the cooking medium. Then I got myself a bottle of olive oil. And then a can of coconut oil, maybe.
It was a few years later, after P’s parents visited us, that I moved to sesame oil as the most oft-used cooking medium. Mom took one look at the bottle of canola oil and said, “You guys are young, you don’t need canola or safflower or anything of that sort. You can use sesame oil.” I assume that the other oils are suitable for people who want to watch their cholesterol levels? Whatever the reason, I got myself a large container of sesame oil that day. And that’s what I have been using ever since. Apart from ghee, of course.
Since then, I have been adding to the oil collection, as you can see here.
Oils in my Kitchen
Trader Joe’s has a decently sized selection of olive oils to pick from. Whole Food’s shelves are a lot bigger. I can’t dispense much by way of advice when it comes to selecting a specific brand but I can say this much – Pick one that is cold-pressed and extra virgin. Use it for light sauteing, drizzling over soups and salads, dressings.
What can I say about Idhayam Sesame Oil? I use it all the time. Unfortunately, I have no idea if it’s processed, cold-pressed, whatever. I buy it from the Indian store nearby and use it for most vegetable preparations. Some people think that it tastes too strong to be a cooking medium but I haven’t had that experience.
Old Favorites
Trader Joe’s has a delightful bottle of organic coconut oil that is fragrant and divine and reasonably priced. I came across a recipe for a Thai-style curry soup where you cook the curry paste in coconut oil, add vegetables, then coconut milk, simmer a little… and done! It turned out delicious and I used the coconut oil I got from Trader Joe’s. That bottle costs $6, if I remember right, and a little goes a long way.
I bought a small bottle of mustard oil but I haven’t used it yet. I know that it’s commonly used in Bengali dishes, hope to experiment one of these days!
Seasoning? Braggs liquid aminos, rice vinegar… I got the ginger oil from Dekalb Farmers Market and I use it primarily for seasoning noodles, millet/quinoa salads, etc. It is not intense at all but adds a nice tang of ginger to any dish. The medium is soybean and canola oil.
I also have a small bottle of chili oil that I use to drizzle over noodles, salads, etc. Now that one packs a mighty punch and you need to be extra-careful while using it. A few extra drops, and you’ll have a burnt mouth and an unhappy digestive system.
Oil and Seasoning Cabinet
The large blue container that says ‘Parachute?’ That’s coconut oil for the hair/scalp and believe it or not, that ones gets used a whole lot in this household too!
