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Posts: 915

Shifu

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Q: So now it's canola oil...

Just logged on and skimmed the article about GM canola seeds contaminating the food stock/stockpile/supply/whatever. I don't get it. I thought peanut oil was the darling of Chinese frying-drowning cuisine. If it's canola or peanut oil - I really can't tell the difference between the two (Can you?) - that is used in 100% of all Chinese restos I frequent, which one is giving me and my GI system a hard time?

I need to eat at home more often. Olive oil is my choice.  Never had a GI issue with "aceite de oliva" imported from Spain.  I think it's from Spain...

Anyone else got oily problems? (Shit. A Silva-type question...)

10 years 26 weeks ago in  Food  - China

 
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Posts: 9631

Emperor

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We're pretty much only using olive oil. With my non-Chinese passport I can go to Hong Kong and Macau as much as I like, and bring back nice Mediterranean safe, tasty olive oil. 

 

I've noticed that a lot of the Chinese olive oils actually are mixed products, so it is sunflower seed oil with a bit of olive oil in it. Probably the sunflower seed oil is gutter oil. 

 

We do use sunflower seed oil for some things, e.g. frying eggs, as they otherwise end up tasting too much of olive oil. 

Choosing a good oil is of course a good idea, but when it comes to cooking, using the right amount is probably going to be of biggest impact to your health. Any dish in restaurants here are drenched in oil.

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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 443

Shifu

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I have 3 oils in my home.

 

Olive oil (which I buy from the import store or a reputable supermarket), this I use for general frying such as burgers and meats.

 

Sunflower oil (Arawana Brand, I have always used this brand in China without problem). I use that for deep frying and for making sauces.

 

Pig Lard (I know, I know) which I use for eggs, they just taste better! The lard I find here is of good quality and I haven't had any problems from it.

 

-

 

I totally suggest trying a different brand of oil, such as  the brand I use. I NEVER use peanut oil or any of those "mixed" oils, they just give a weird taste.

 

 

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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 83

Governor

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Proper peanut oil has a strong peanut flavor, like sesame oil to sesame, so it's not possible to use for every dish or in too large of an amount without overpowering everything, where as canola is usually pretty tasteless, like sunflower oil.

 

Saying this I have never used peanut oil here in China so I don't know if it's the same as back home. At home I have Olive oil, Peanut oil, Sesame oil, as well as animal shortening in the deep fryer (hell if it's deep fried with all that oil no matter what, who gives a toot) and Canola oil all sitting on the shelf, lucky to use a litre in a month as opposed to here with frying everything in the one pan, I manage to use 2 litres sometimes more. My partners mother and sister easily use the 5 litres in a single month. I'd say the fat intake is somewhat balanced by the fact that what goes into the frying pan is 90% vegetables and more or less fat free. 

 

Here in China I also use Arawana brand, sunflower or corn embryo. 

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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19801

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I use olive oil for cold meals, or adding it to the meal just before consuming. Fillipo Berio 'Extra Virgin OO', Italian, 3 l can for less than 350 Rmb. No Chinese on the can, except small sticker about nutritional value of the can. Taste and color is good, so it looks can was imported (full) from EU, butt....'you never know...'

 

For frying and cooking, I use Arawana Brand with the fish on the sticker. Before use, I mix 2/3 Arawana and 1/3 of Olive oil.

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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 915

Shifu

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Lots of excellent comments re oil.  Thanks, boys.  I'll stick to olive oil for green salads and Italian & Spanish dishes.  I'll look for Arawana next time I go to RT Mart and try it for frying.  (Never heard of it before.) Cheers, gents! Thumbs up to all.

Hulk:

Dude, stay away from Arawana. Even my wife won't eat that shit. It's super low quality.

10 years 26 weeks ago
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Red_Fox:

@Hulk: Whoa, horsey! Why is everyone endorsing the stuff then? (Well, almost everyone.) You give me food for thought...

10 years 26 weeks ago
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Hulk:

They're endorsing it because they're on crack, and they walk into a random supermarket and see the bottles there. "Oh, it's everywhere. Must be high quality! Must be... the best quality. They don't know what else to buy.

 

Anyway, when my wife wakes up, I'll ask her for the specifics. She told me to stop buying that oil because of health and quality concerns, and this is someone who grew up next to a pig sty.

 

The taste wasn't very good, either. Peanut Oil and other stuff were okay... olive oil was second-best. Pig LARD WAS THE MO'FUGGIN' BOMB. GET YO'SELF SOME LARD, SON.

10 years 26 weeks ago
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icnif77:

Animal fat clogs your (lard) arteriessurprise, so while you're breathing 'fresh' air and drinking all 'pristine' stuff (if you're in China?), you might succumb to premature death, if you 'lard' too mucho!

10 years 25 weeks ago
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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4935

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Pig lard >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> everything else.

 

Olive oil is a close second. You can get it imported at the METRO, but it's a bit expensive and you don't get much. I don't get why some people don't like olive oil that much. When I invited my wife's friends over for dinner, they cooked and insisted on using Chinese-brand oils instead of my high-quality, expensive olive oil.

 

Then I tried pig lard. Pig lard is the best.

icnif77:

Mediterraneans believe diet rich in olive oil makes you live longer. Apply some OO to your face before sleep. Your skin will feel different (softer) in the morning. I never remember to do that on time! You got to do it before sleep, not when you wake up.

10 years 26 weeks ago
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Red_Fox:

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most healthful diets on the planet thanks to olive oil, fresh fish, lots of legumes, fresh veggies and fruit, mineral water, and red wine. "From Algerciras to Istambul..." (Joan Manuel Serrat).

10 years 26 weeks ago
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icnif77:

Huhaaaa, you 'lardies'

10 years 26 weeks ago
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Red_Fox:

I gotta admit that lard (Isn't lard always made from pigs?) is effin' awesome for the flavor it imparts to certain sauces and fry-ups. When I lived in Puerto Rico as a boy, lard was essential for a number of cooked dishes, especially stewed red beans (habichuelas). And lard works wonders when cooking certain tubers and roots.

I haven't tried Chinese lard. Good, you say? I'll look for it and will try it next time I make a big pot of lentil stew. Been using bacon and some weird Chinese sausage (fake?) which doesn't make the grade. Lard definitely would.

10 years 26 weeks ago
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Hulk:

Yeah, the quality of the lard is actually pretty good. We used it for a while, and it was just famazing.

10 years 26 weeks ago
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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 376

Governor

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A moment of silence for Mediterranean cheese and salads. Weep weep.

Unfortunately, I can't cook here. The only thing I can do is pray that the oil restaurants use is GMO free. I avoid KFC and the rest of the bunch and places that look like they lack basic hygene.

Scandinavian:

ah, nothing like the Mediterranean cuisine, eaten on a warm summers evening, by the water in a place like St. Raphael, followed by s cold draft beer

10 years 25 weeks ago
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angelina8:

Never been to St. Raphael myself, but our cuisine (Macedonia) is Mediterranean-ish. :(

10 years 25 weeks ago
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10 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 9631

Emperor

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Gutter Oil info. Maybe not as bad as you thought http://beijingcream.com/2013/10/want-to-see-how-gutter-oil-is-made/

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10 years 25 weeks ago
 
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A: Add-it: Getting into the recruiters ... You could also research a
A:Add-it: Getting into the recruiters ... You could also research any school/job offering posted by the recruiters ... as an example:"First job offering this AM was posted by the recruiter 'ClickChina' for the English teacher position at International School in Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province, China...https://jobs.echinacities.com/jobchapter/1355025095  Jinhua No.1 High School, Zhejiang website has a 'Contact Us' option ...https://www.jinhuaschool-ctc.org ... next, prepare your CV and email it away ..." Good luck! -- icnif77
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