In my pantry ... Oils ...

Good Morning, I hope this finds you and your family well!

Once again I have got side tracked with the (meant to be) weekly updates of ‘What is in my Gluten, Dairy and Preservative Free’ Pantry….here I am though to share with you what I have in the range of OILS!

OILS!

Now I have to be honest and tell you I don’t normally have this many oils in my pantry but I am going through a moment of ‘testing’ a few to see which ones I like the best! Oils confuse me (probably more than) the topic of which sugar to use! My aim with the ‘testing’ of oils is to end up with ONLY TWO OR THREE! One or 2 for baking, cooking etc that can handle heat and another for other for salad dressings / cold.

My naturopath recently told me to ONLY buy cold pressed (where possible) and leave oils (unless stated clearly on the bottle) in the fridge….the only issue with this is that my oils are not so oily now and I have to set them out of the fridge for 10 minutes or so before I want to use them!!!!???? Hmmm….clearly no expert on oils, but anyway….here is what I have and use….I hope it is of some help to you….

Avocado Oil –  The only ingredient is Avocado oil. It is cold pressed and extra virgin (storage on this says DO NOT refrigerate – so I don’t) – it states it is perfect for high temp cooking, to use as an alternative to butter in baking and use for salad dressings. I personally have only ever used this in salad dressings…it has a nice almost creamy texture.

Flaxseed Oil – Organic, brown, cold pressed naturally, unrefined and GMO free. The only ingredient is Flaxseed oil. You DO NOT cook with flaxseed oil. I use this for salad dressing also – it has quite a nutty flavour which I really enjoy.

Rice Bran Oil – No cholesterol, light flavour, plant sterols, vitamin E, high smoke point. It states it is “the most versatile oil in the kitchen” – Ingredients: Extra-cold filtered rice bran oil. Ideal for all types of cooking, baking, grilling and deep frying.

Sesame oil – Delicious Aromatic oil. Use only a little bit of this as it has such a STRONG flavour. Used mainly in asian meals, stirfrys and in dipping sauces.

Hemp Seed oil – Cold pressed, unrefined, pure hemp oil. Personally I think this has a strong unique nutty flavour – my naturopath suggested I get this for my RAW salad dressing. On the tin it says it is nature’s healthy oil with a perfect balance of omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. Regular use relieves symptoms of eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and other dry skin conditions. Great for sunburn.

Coconut oil / butter – I LOVE coconut oil and it seems to be the number one choice for people to use these days for EVERYTHING. It has the most delicious flavour, however it can sometimes override other flavours in cakes and biscuits etc. Coconut oil is a healthy fat that helps support metabolism and cellular health. If you haven’t tried cooking homemade chicken schnitzel in coconut oil then you are missing out on the most amazing taste sensation! Sadly though too much coconut oil upsets my stomach so I don’t use it as often as I would like to. THANKFULLY though it doesn’t upset my skin…I have thrown out all my expensive and chemical filled moisturisers, hair treatments and bath oils and this is what I use now….my skin has never felt SO good! (YES I have a different jar for the kitchen to my bathroom!)

Olive Oil – Australian Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, Mild and Mellow. Used for dips, dressings, sauces, marinades, light frying and roasting. I buy this one as it has a mild taste – I often find olive oils can be quite strong in flavour – it depends what you use it for if you want that strong flavour or not. I have heard a LOT lately how BAD olive oil is for you – my naturopath disagrees as long as it is COLD PRESSED and EXTRA VIRGIN – she believes that Olive Oil has not carcinogenic issues when only heated ONCE – so buying cold pressed and using it on the bbq, stir fry etc is OK.

Like everything you eat and use, you have to do what is RIGHT for you and your family and what you believe in….remembering that there will be pro’s and con’s for anything and there will always be opinions for both sides – you simply have to listen to who you TRUST and ‘go with your gut’.

The only other oil I normally have is ‘Sunflower Oil’ but have not been able to find this cold pressed in the supermarket so I will wait and grab some next time I go to the local organic store or place and online order. I am keen to try Macadamia Oil also but will wait until I get through some of these first!

Would love to know what oil you use and what you use it for….

Wishing you a lovely day and a beautiful weekend!

Take Care of You,

Collette x

PS GUESS WHAT….If you haven’t heard already, I have decided on a front cover for “Cut out the Crap with Style” that is due out October…cheekily though you will have to wait until then to see it

In my pantry ... Oils ...