a discussion on oil smoke points

danielle: any idea what can be substituted for veggie oil
lawrence: what's the use for?
danielle: making banana bread (from a box) and it calls for it
lawrence: corn oil, canola
lawrence: BUTTER
lawrence: =D
lawrence: i think,
danielle: i can almost hear my arteries clogging
lawrence: that it calls for veggie oil because of its neutral flavor
lawrence: and not because of its high smoke point properties
danielle: hmmmm
lawrence: because you're baking, it won't matter that olive oil or butter have lower smoke points
danielle: what on earth does that mean?
danielle: im a new cook-er lawrence
danielle: :D
lawrence: smoke point
lawrence: when you heat oil over high heat
lawrence: the longer it takes for the oil to start smoking... aka start to burn... the higher the smoke point
danielle: ok
lawrence: so
lawrence: when you're stir-frying things at high heat temperatures
lawrence: you want to use an oil that has a high smoke point, so that you can get the temperature of the oil up really high so it cooks the ingredients quickly without burning the oil, which would make the dish taste bad
lawrence: chinese cooks use peanut oil to stir fry
lawrence: which has one of the highest smoke points
lawrence: and cause it also adds flavor to the dish
lawrence: if you were to use butter in a stirfry
danielle: i see
lawrence: the butter would've been completely burned by the time your veggies and meat start to cook
danielle: true
lawrence: and that'd add a charred flavor to your dish
danielle: but what about the banana bread?
danielle: is all that dirty bad for you oil my only option?
lawrence: which is why many cooks add olive oil to the butter when they want a buttery flavor but want to be able to cook at higher temps
lawrence: no
danielle: o i see
lawrence: what oil do you have at home
danielle: veggie
danielle: oliv
danielle: *olive
danielle: and i think canola
lawrence: uh
lawrence: but you said you wanted a sub for veggie oil
danielle: ya
danielle: bc i read the nutrition facts and it was BAD
lawrence: for veggie oil??
lawrence: vegetable oil is soybean oil
lawrence: it's 0 cholesterol
danielle: canola maybe? i dont remember
lawrence: anything can be subbed for veggie oil
lawrence: just depends on the use
lawrence: in yours,
lawrence: you can use canola, corn or olive oil
lawrence: although olive and corn will have a slightly stronger flavor
lawrence: how much oil are we talking about here?
danielle: not sure
danielle: i will have to look at the box when i get home today and report back
lawrence: can i post this convo on my blog?
danielle: are you joking?
lawrence: no