Oils & Vinegars, Savoury Convenience Foods
Exotic and everyday oils and vinegars in a wide variety are part of this category as are many savoury cooking ingredients and lots of fun mixes for things like gravies, falafel, tabouleh, couscous, vegetarian chili … You’ll also find traditional “health food store” things like brewer’s yeast, lecithin granules, tofu, bee pollen – you know the sort of thing – in this category.
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How to Store Oil.
The quality of fats and oils is greatly affected by their freshness. They become rancid when exposed to light, warmth, and air for long periods of time. Rancid fats and oils will usually smell and taste bad.
All fats and oils are subject to rancidity, but at different rates depending on their type and the way they are processed. Unsaturated fats and oils will generally become rancid sooner than saturated fats and oils.
Most unrefined vegetable oils are rich in Vitamin E (tocopherol) which acts as an antioxidant and natural preservative. Wheat germ oil, corn oil, and safflower oil are high in Vitamin E. In the refining of oils, about 1/10 to 1/3 of the Vitamin E present is removed. Solvent Extraction destroys some of the oil’s natural Vitamin E. Therefore, manufacturers of refined oils often extend the products’ shelf life by adding preservatives such as BHA, BHT and Citric acid.
Heat and oxygen promote rancidity, so the best place to store fats and oils is in a tightly closed container in your refrigerator. Dark or amber coloured bottles will protect oil longer than clear glass bottles. Natural or unrefined oils will keep from 4 to 6 months or longer if stored properly. Refined and heavily processed oils will keep at least twice as long.
All About Oils
Canola oil has a high smoke point, light colour and a bland flavour. It contains about 93% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 6.8% saturated fatty acids.
Olive oil has a sweetish, nutty flavour and a golden or straw colour. It contains mostly monounsaturated fatty acids and becomes semisolid when refrigerated. Virgin olive oil is the oil that is skimmed off after olives are crushed and the pulp settles, making it a true cold-pressed oil.
Peanut oil contains about 30% polyunsaturated 45% monounsaturated. Peanut oil has less vitamin E than other oils, but it has a high smoke point of 440 to 470 F.
Safflower oil has a mild, slightly nutty and earthy flavour. It contains 78% polyunsaturated and 6% saturated. The remaining fatty acids are monounsaturated. Its smoke point is high, 440 to 480 F, which makes it suitable for deep-fat fraying.
Sesame oil is dark yellow to amber in its unrefined state, with a pleasant, mild flavour. Its smoke point is 465 F and it contains about 42-44% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 13-14% saturated fatty acids. Vitamin E is also present.
Sunflower oil is light amber in colour and has a distinctive flavour. It contains about 75% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 8% satured fatty acids.
Coconut oil contains about 90% saturated fat. It is much more shelf stable than unsaturated oils and has a smoke point of 350 F. Recent research suggests that hydrogenated coconut oil increases the risk of heart disease, but unhydrogenated, virgin coconut oil does not.
Coconut oil is a medium-chain triglyceride, unlike most other oils which are long-chain triglyceride. MCT’s are broken down faster than LCT’s, making them more easily digested and utilised.
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