butter or oil?

[queenmab_roo]

which is healthier to cook with, butter or oil? for arguments sake lets say sunflower oil.

does it depend on what you are cooking?

[Simba T Lion]

Do you mean in the recipe? Or to cook on (that really doesn't make any sense, I can't explain things :( )

If it is to coat a pan, I'm all about pam :thumb: 1 calorie and 0 fats ;)

I grew up with it and use it now. My family *never* used any type of oil or butter for pans. Just the fat free cooking spray.

[Skive]

Sunflower oil is going to be healthier, but that doesn't mean that using butter is unhealthy.

I use all sorts of oils and fats to cook. From sunflower and olive oil through to goose fat and lard. Depends what I'm cooking.
Would you roast a joint of beef in olive oil? Of course not.

[queenmab_roo]

ah ok maybe i should have specified my question to pan cooking, saucepan or frying pan. but yes coating the pan

[RubberSkin]

Depends. Sauces, risotto, mushrooms, steak - butter. general frying, meat, veg - oil.

[Fiend_85]

Sunflower oil is going to be healthier, but that doesn't mean that using butter is unhealthy.

I use all sorts of oils and fats to cook. From sunflower and olive oil through to goose fat and lard. Depends what I'm cooking.
Would you roast a joint of beef in olive oil? Of course not.
my dad does. he does an ace roast.

[Skive]

my dad does. he does an ace roast.

I've done it, put you can't beat lard for meat and roasties with goose fat.

[otter]

depends what you are cooking.
a general rule is use butter for taste and oil for colour.

[Fiend_85]

I've done it, put you can't beat lard for meat and roasties with goose fat.
I'll give you that, the roast potatoes were best when he was using the goose fat from our fat bird at christmas. But the meat tastes just as good.

[Skive]

Saturated fats taste better. IMO.

[lipsy]

the majority of the time i will cook food in extra virgin olive oil. apart from scrambled eggs, they get margarine. we rarely have butter in our house.

[Fiend_85]

I never understand why people cook with extra virgin, when plain olive oil tastes the same in cooking. Extra virgin drizzled over salad is fine, but it's so much more expensive when you wash most of it away from your pans and stuff it's pointless cooking with for zero difference in taste.

[lipsy]

no idea, i dont buy it

[Fiend_85]

There's no difference in healthiness either. The only difference is uncooked smoothness of taste. Odd people.

[lipsy]

There's no difference in healthiness either. The only difference is uncooked smoothness of taste. Odd people.
actually extra virgin olive oil contains more antioxidants.

[Kermit]

If you use olive oil it is healthier as it is less saturated, definitely.

As for taste, it depends what I'm cooking. We do tend to do our roasties in olive oil and they are nice anyway, although using lard or dripping is tastier, and when I'm cooking curry I use butter ghee.

[budda]

the majority of the time i will cook food in extra virgin olive oil. apart from scrambled eggs, they get margarine. we rarely have butter in our house.

But frying or cooking with that is pointless, it has a far too low boiling point, so none of it stays in the pan.

If you are doing a stir fry for example even sunflower oil is not good enough, you need peanut oil or seseme oil otherwise it all just spits out of the pan.

[lipsy]

oil shmoil who gives a fuck

[budda]

oil shmoil who gives a fuck

You dont seem to, and if you want to eat crappy food go ahead.

[lipsy]

You dont seem to, and if you want to eat crappy food go ahead.
i dont eat crappy food, i just think this conversation is boring.

[Fiend_85]

feel free to leave tbh.

I'm very chuffed that I picked up some lovely wok oil for my stir fry

[Replicant]

But frying or cooking with that is pointless, it has a far too low boiling point, so none of it stays in the pan.

If you are doing a stir fry for example even sunflower oil is not good enough, you need peanut oil or seseme oil otherwise it all just spits out of the pan.


definately. I tend to use butter for scrambled eggs / soups / lower temp stuff (I would say cakes, but I dont know how to bake any), olive oil for most over things, seasame oil for stir frys :yes:
chilli oil is useful too, but it gets hotter the longer you keep it (if it's got dried chillis floating in it) I've had mine over a year and it only takes a drip to spice things up :p

as for healthiest option... the less saturated the better really, but there's still nothing wrong with using fat to cook with if you use it in moderation.