Pams Prep Kitchen – Choosing the Right Oil

Oils are an integral part of cooking, with so many options to choose from. Frying, roasting, sautéing, drizzling, salad dressings and all, there’s an abundance of oils and one for every meal. How do you choose the right oil and which oil is best for your recipe? Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Pams cooking oils that will help you make the best choice. We have all your bases covered! As a handy hint, all Pams Oils have usage suggestions on the front of the packaging with notes on flavour so you never get stuck!

Best Oils for Baking

The best oils for baking are neutral flavoured oils such as canola oil and sunflower oil. These provide moistness to cakes and muffins, without any kind of overwhelming aroma. An exception to this is when you do want the oil to contribute to the flavour of your baking, like olive oil or coconut oil which can add a lovely olive-y or nutty flavour.

Best Oils for Dressings

When making delicious salad dressings and vinegarettes, extra virgin olive oil is our number one choice. With a delicious and distinct olive flavour, this kind of oil is versatile and flavourful. It’s also perfect for drizzling when finishing your dishes to add a hit of flavour.

Best Oils for Deep Frying

For deep frying at home, it’s important to choose the right oil. Cooking oils and fats react differently to heat, but in general, the hotter they get, the more they break down and eventually start to smoke. This means that you need to choose an oil with a high smoke point where the oil stops shimmering and starts smoking. Our favourite oil to use for deep frying is rice bran oil as it can sustain a high temperature as well as maintaining a neutral-tasting flavour. Other oils which are good for frying are sunflower oil, canola oil and peanut oil.

Best Oils for Stir Frying

Similar to deep frying, when it comes to stir frying it’s best to choose a neutral flavoured oil with a high smoke point. For this, we recommend canola oil, peanut oil or soy bean oil. Or, if you would like to add a rich & distinct toasted flavour to your next stir fry dish, try using sesame oil!

Best Oils for Roasting

Unlike extra virgin olive oil, an extra light olive oil has a more neutral taste and lighter color, as well as a higher smoke point. With a light aroma and flavour, it will not change its taste after cooking. This makes it suitable for high-heat cooking, like roasting the perfect crispy potatoes.

Most Versatile Oils

Pams Salad & Cooking Oil is a great multi-purpose oil which is suitable for dressings, baking and frying. With its light taste and colour, it’s the perfect everyday oil for all kinds of cooking.

Spray Oil

Spray oil like Pams Canola Cooking Spray, Pams Rice Bran Cooking Spray or Pams Olive Oil Spray can be a home cooks best friend! Spray oil is great for baking when you need to quickly and evenly grease a cake tin, also working well at holding baking paper in place. Another secret hack is to spray measuring cups and spoons with neutral oil before scooping sticky ingredients, like peanut butter or honey, so they slide straight out!

Choosing the right oils for the right kinds of cooking can change the taste and flavour of the meal. Spend some time experimenting with different oils and different oil smoke points and see what your favourite type and kind is! Looking for more Cooking hacks? Check out the article Guide to Cooking Substitutes for easy solutions.