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Food Preparation, Cooking and Canola Oil
Q. What are the benefits of using canola oil in a salad dressing?
Q. How do I make a low fat vinaigrette using Canola Oil? A. Mixing your own salad dressing allows you not only to control the fat content but the flavor as well. Traditional salad dressing proportions were 3 to 4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For lower fat versions try a 2 to 1 ratio or experiment until you find the proportions of oil and vinegar you like. Try adding chicken broth, wine, fruit juice or even a little water to stretch your salad dressing without increasing fat content. A basic vinaigrette is the most versatile dressing. Blend canola oil and vinegar, then add herbs and spices such as salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, ginger or whatever your tastebuds desire. Substitute lemon, lime or orange juice for vinegar if you like. To make a vinaigrette, simply combine ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake until blended. For a more stable emulsion and a creamier texture, blend in a blender for one minute. An emulsion is a stable mixture of two liquids such as oil and vinegar that normally separate from each other. Emulsions can be temporary (seconds or minutes) semi-permanent (hours) or relatively permanent (days, months and sometimes years). If you do find your dressing on the runny side, try this neat trick. To thicken a low-oil vinaigrette, once the dressing is blended, add an ice cube and shake well. The ice cools the oil and therefore thickens the mixture. Finally, remember not to use too much dressing! The best features of your salad are lightness and crispness. Three to four tablespoons of dressing should be sufficient for two litres of salad greens. Suffocating a salad with a high fat salad dressing takes away from the crispness and negates the nutritional advantages of eating salad greens.
Q. What are the benefits of using canola oil in marinades?
Marinating foods is an excellent way to add extra
flavors to meats, fish, vegetables or even fruit.
Q. What are the benefits of using Canola Oil for baking?
Baking with canola oil can help reduce your saturated fat intake. By substituting canola oil for melted hard fat, butter, shortening, lard or brick margarine you replace fats higher in saturated fatty acids with an oil, which has the lowest level of saturated fatty acids. When substituting oil for solid fats you use less oil. Not only have you chosen a healthier alternative but reduced the total fat in your baked good! Substituting canola oil does modify the texture, usually making the baked good softer and moister. Use the following chart to convert your recipes, which use solid fat.
Q. How long can one store an unopened bottle of canola oil and can it be kept in the pantry shelf at room temperature? A. All oils eventually change flavor when exposed to light, heat and air. For maximum shelf life (up to one year) store Canola oil in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place. Flavored and cold press oils need to be refrigerated.
Q. What is the difference of oil verses butter for cookie baking? A. By substituting canola oil for melted hard fat, butter, or shortening, lard or brick margarine you can replace its higher in saturated fatty acids with canola oil which has the lowest level of saturated fatty acids. When substituting canola oil for solid fats you use about 20 percent less oil. Substituting canola oil also modifies the texture, usually making the baked good softer and moister. Since canola is light and clear, it does not impart a distinctive flavor to the baked products. Refer to solid fat to canola oil conversion chart above.
Q. Can you substitute canola oil in other pastry recipes? A. Yes! Trying canola oil pastry as a healthier alternative to traditional pastry recipes. When substituting oil for solid fats you use about 20 percent less oil. See solid fat conversion chart. Canola Oil Pastry Measure flour and salt in a bowl. Add canola oil. Mix together until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tbsp. at a time, mixing until flour is moistened and dough almost lifts from the side of the bowl. If dough seems dry, 1 or 2 tbsp. of canola oil can be added. Divide dough into two rounds. Flatten round between two sheets of wax paper. Wipe counter with damp cloth to prevent paper from slipping. Roll pastry to two inches larger than inverted pie plate. Peel off top paper. Place pastry; paper side up in pan. Peel off paper. Ease pastry loosely into plate. Trim edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pan. Fold and roll pastry under, even with the pan; flute edge. Prick bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork. Bake at 425 °F 12-15 minutes. Yield: 2-9 inch shells (8 slices per shell) For a two-crust pie, roll top crust in same way. Cut slits after peeling top paper, trim and complete in the usual manner. Bake according to recipe. Canola oil pastry is to be used immediately as it dries out quickly. If the pastry is not used immediately, wrap tightly and keep chilled.
Q. When making a carrot cake and the recipe calls for cooking oil, but not corn oil, can you substitute canola oil? A. Yes. Cooking oil is interchangeable in vegetable oil and canola oil. Corn oil has a flavor, which the cook probably feels is not desirable for carrot cake.
Q. What is freezing point of canola? A. -18°C to -20°C or 0°F
Q. How can you tell if canola oil is rancid? A. If the oil has a rancid of "off" smell, the oil should be discarded. Canola oil should be stored in a dark, cool place for up to one year. Flavored Oils-Safety
Q. Does the same possibility of botulism apply to infusing oil with dried herbs/garlic as with fresh? A. Yes, there is still a possibility. The product must be completely dry so that there is no water activity. What appears to be dry can still have some water activity. Botulism can kill so it is not worth the risk.
Q. Can you freeze flavoured oils? A. Yes, you can freeze flavoured oils. However, you may loose some of the flavor profile.
Q. Are making home-made flavoured oils safe? A. It is important when making home-made oils to take precautions to prevent botulism. Botulism is a type of food poisoning that is present in soil and carried into kitchens on garden produce such as vegetables, herbs and garlic, as well as clothing and hands. It thrives in a moist, low acid environment, in absence of air and in a temperature range of 21° to 43° celsius. The botulism bacteria are destroyed at 100 degrees celsius and if it produces spores, they re not destroyed until they are subjected to a temperature of 116° celsius.
Q. What is the flash point and smoke point of fats? A. Smoke, fire, and flash points are indirect measures of the thermal stability of a fatty material when heated in contact with air. The flash point is when oil reaches about 320°C (600°F) for most oils when tiny wisps of fire begin to leap from its surface. The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to break down and smoke appears. Knowing an oil's smoke point can save money, as each time an oil is heated the smoke point is lowered irreversibly.
Q. What is the best temperature for deep frying? A. It is important to maintain a frying temperature of 190°C (375°F) . The batter coated surface will quickly form a protective shield, preventing the oil from penetrating the cooled food and making it greasy. The food will cook by conduction or indirect heat. If the oil is not hot enough, oil will reach the food before the coating cooks enough to form the protective layer. If the oil is too hot, the coating will burn from the direct heat of the oil before the food has had time to cook. It is best to preheat the oil to about 7 to 8° C (15°F) higher than its optimal deep-frying temperature. Preheating higher than this may damage the oil's molecular structure. Maintaining Oil Quality
Replace oil when:
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