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Comment by kom107 | Hacker News Reader

Many years ago, worked as a line cook in a high-end restaurant. TL;DR version of what I learned there (and still my rules of thumb):

-EVOO is best for salad dressings, oily dipping sauces.

-Olive oil is best for raw emulsions (aioli, etc)

-Canola for high heat stovetop

-Vegetable for baking and deep frying

-Sesame for Asian

-Don't worry about flavored oils until a recipe calls for them or you're comfortable experimenting

One of my favorite books for cooking is by Harold McGee, 'On Food and Cooking'. He takes a wonderful look at the science (chemistry and physics) behind your food and cooking, and I learned quite a bit from it. If you get the chance, it's worth picking up.

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just be careful not to overdo it with sesame oil, because it can overwhelm a dish.

Are you telling us or the line cook? :)

This is definitely true. Hence why you should ALWAYS be tasting your food as you are cooking it...not just at the end, but during the process, adjusting your seasonings. Again, Harold McGee does a better job than I, but the points at which one adds, say, salt to a dish, actually make a difference in the outcome of the final flavor.

And remember: you can always add more flavor, but you can never take away when cooking. That's another good rule of thumb.

So a lot of us here are tech inclined and, I think, startup inclined. Think of cooking and learning to cook this way: it is an experiment. You are learning. The fastest way to learn is to talk with people who have done it before (follow the recipe). If you're smart and want to learn really fast, each time you make a recipe, you'll make little notes to yourself about what you learned or noticed about the different ingredients. Then, next time you make the dish, you can tweak it (pivot your idea). If it works, you've learned something that will probably stick with you for a long time.

Have fun in the kitchen guys.

Do you avoid canola for baking because the flavor tends to show up?

In short, yes. I think canola has an umami flavor that I don't usually want in baked goods (although sometimes I will change things depending on the flavors I want in the dish). If you're brave enough, take some time to actually TASTE a very small amount of each oil. You'll notice the differences. Don't do them all one after the other, otherwise they'll blend together, but each time you use one, taste it and see what you think. Here are some recipies I use regularly that I think highlight the different oils well and are easy enough for a beginner to execute. Enjoy!

EVOO: My French Vinegarette: Generous pinch sea salt Generous pinch pepper 1.5 tablespoons tarragon vinegar 1/2 shallot, peeled and chopped 1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I love garlic so I add a lot) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp cream

Throw everything in a blender, and blend until liquid. Great easy salad dressing.

Olive Oil: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/07/aioli-garlic-mayonnaise...

Canola Oil: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/10/skillet-chicken-rec...

Vegetable Oil: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/pandan-chiffon-ca...

Sesame Oil:http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9558-takeout-style-sesame...

DISCLAIMER: I freaking love duck fat and swap it in anywhere I can. But cross that bridge when you come to it...and then never look back. ;-)

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