Is anyone else completely repulsed by the fishy smell of heating canola oil? I'm at the point

M

Marg CDN

Well-known member
finally, at which I'm just not going to buy it anymore.

Honestly, I think I was using it because it is a true CDN product and I've been cautious about the sources of food for the past decade. I've been trying to overlook the stink, but I don't like the smell of fish from fish and sure don't want it from oils.

 
I've never even noticed it Marg

And I use it exclusively with olive oil for cooking, well, there is some butter in there...

I use it because of the omega-3 fatty acids content and its other wonderful properties.

I'll take a extra sniff tonight to see if I am getting that too.

 
canola = rapeseed oil

You have a good nose. What you likely smell is euric acid. Up until the late 20th century canola (a completely made up name - there is no "canola" plant) was never considered a food product and was only used in engines and for oil lamps.

I never buy it and consider it a fake food - a product of 20th century politics and marketing. Monsanto who produces much if not most of the world's rapeseed/canola, is notorious for killing small farms through the legal system by contaminating the small farms with their GMO rapeseed/canola and then suing the farmers for harvesting it (along with their intentionally planted crop)

There are also health concerns associated with Canola but IMHO due to big money political influence, both in Canada and the U.S. these won't ever officially come to light. If I'm not mistaken, Canola is not recognized as a safe food product in some countries and is even banned like many common ingredients in FDA approved food eg. FD&C #5 are banned in many countries in Europe and Asia. But our FDA says they are safe, ...right?

The GMO version of Canola oil is genetically modified to have less euric acid. However there is at least one notable instance where the higher euric acid versions have been sold to the public and then caused health problems.

 
I've never noticed a fishy smell and I use canola oil frequently, many different brands.

I used to sometimes detect a fishy taste with Omega 3 enriched eggs - maybe it is something in the omega fatty acids that carries that aroma?

 
I don't disagree with that

what I was saying is that the GMO version IS within "safe" levels of euric acid. Generally speaking though I don't consider GMO "safe" and I think we're starting to see the long term results with the massive increases in things like Gluten intolerance (who ever heard of that when I was a kid?), Asthma, Alzheimer's; Childhood obesity...

Let me be clear. Up until a few years ago I thought the GMO issue was ridiculous. I voted against restrictions here in Sonoma County. I've completely changed my opinion after several years of dealing with health issues with one of my kids. The best success we've had has been in addressing these issues.

IMHO one of the biggest problems is that we have almost zero diversity in the genetic materials. Almost 100% of the wheat, corn, soy in the U.S. comes from single genetic sources. (And it is patented and controlled mostly by one single corporation) This is very contrary to nature and frankly common sense. Aside from that to think that a large corporation is incorporating brand name pesticides into the genetic makeup of the order of high 90s% of the nations' food supply is creepy.

Over time the genetic modifications and hybrids also mutate and revert. If you garden and have experimented with culled seeds, you may have seen this. So if today's version is at safe levels of something, how long before it changes?

 
No longer use Canola given it's GMO

and an omega 6 oil that easily oxidizes and goes rancid.

Maybe your oil has turned?

 
I use a variety

but generally I use Grapeseed oil, peanut, olive

Also use Sesame fairly regular. You can get both the unfiltered and filtered variety. My daughter buys the unfiltered as it is supposed to have some health benefit for her. I'm not sure what that is.

And contrary to popular opinion I do fry at times with Olive oil. I just do so at a slower pace and lower heat. Generally though I use the Grapeseed Oil.

Now that there are a lot more producers and it is readily available it is a lot less expensive than it used to be. I get it now for less than I pay for Olive Oil. Just a few years ago I was paying twice as much as olive oil.

I really like the grapeseed oil for the widest variety of use. Aside from a very neutral flavor quality, it is good for high heat but also good in salad and it is also a good base for essential oils e.g. I've made some natural insecticides using grapeseed oil, infused with citrus oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, oregano oil and a few other ingredients.

Also when buying olive oil I've noticed that some brands are sneaking in rapeseed oil so I always check that it is 100%

 
I prefer olive oil, peanut oil or soy bean oil. Soy bean oil is what you get...

...in bottles marked "vegetable oil", most of the time. Just in case you didn't read the label.

Michael

 
unfortunately soy

is on my no-no list as well. Touted by the healthfood crowd for years, it definitely has problems. Many people are aware of the hormone issue i.e. soy is known to increase estrogen levels (in men and women) but in addition to that it is one of those single genetic source grains in the U.S. that is increasingly causing allergy issues along the same lines as Wheat - and surprisingly Corn. So if you are gluten intolerant many of the "gluten free" options are full of soy. Unfortunately increasingly more people are soy and corn intolerant as well. If anyone thinks this is silly, I have personally witnessed even tiny amounts of gluten put a person in a near comatose state.

 
Very interesting- I never really thought that much about oils

I wondered about high head and grapeseed oil- I have some and want to start using it. It does not get bitter with high heat? I was afraid it might but haven't tried it yet. I use sesame oil but not frequently. I use a lot of olive oil and have now decided to use up my Canola oil which I thought was good for me- and use other options. Thanks for the oil education.

 
not that I'm an expert but

regarding high heat: Grapeseed has one of the highest heat ratings. It actually has a higher smoke point than Peanut which is my other go-to for deep frying.

I was told recently that grapeseed oil is highly prized among Japanese chefs for high heat cooking but was used sparingly because of the cost.

In my experience it is very neutral and I've never experienced any bitterness or even any added flavor. With Peanut and Sesame I definitely taste some flavoring. Mostly good but when I use sesame I know it has a distinctive flavor so I use it selectively. I have used peanut even with a deep fried pastry dough and had no flavoring noticeable to me - less than vegetable oil IMHO. Of them all, grapeseed is most neutral for me. In my opinion you can't go wrong with it but YMMV and everyone has their own particular tastes.

 
coconut is controversial

in my house. I use it to make popcorn - that's it. But the health nuts in my house consider it miraculous. They put it on rashes and burns and consume it for health reasons. I hate waking up to the smell of coconut oil (used for making "healthy" pancakes)

I was taught however that it is unhealthy so maybe I'm out of date and the newest science says it is good for you but I don't like the way it tastes anyway - except for making popcorn.

 
I haven't noticed it in cooking, but think the Cape Cod potato chips I buy sometimes taste fishy and

they're cooked in canola oil. Dr. Andrew Weil advises to only buy expellar-pressed canola oil and I've done so for several years now and haven't detected the fishy smell or taste. I can find it at Whole Foods and other health food stores.

 
Plus, it is almost impossible to find a pure source of NON-GMO soy beans, worldwide. As part...

...of my business, my partner and I broker soy bean contracts. The crops we sell are from Brazil and India. It is almost impossible to get non-GMO soy beans ANYWHERE. All the crops are cross-polinated with GMO soy.

We are digging ourselves into one mighty big hole, I think.

Michael

 
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