On Apr 06, 2006, at 8:58 pm, Adam Sroka wrote:

> Cooking walnut oil at high temperature will damage the oil and  
> produce an unpleasant taste. Also, be careful with store bought  
> walnut oil. Like other commercial oils it may have been treated to  
> extend its shelf life. A sure sign that walnut oil is treated is if  
> it comes in a clear or lightly tinted bottle. Walnut oil should be  
> stored in a dark container in a cool, dry place, because the PUFA  
> (polyunsaturated fatty acids) it contains are easily damaged by  
> light and heat. Better choices for cooking include olive and  
> macadamia nut oils since both are high in healthy monounsaturated  
> fats and tolerate normal cooking temperatures. I like to use a  
> blend of coconut and mac or olive oil, and occasionally palm kernel  
> oil. I will leave out the coconut oil if I think that the flavor  
> will offend, although for my own tastes I can't get too much coconut.


Haven't bee paying much attention to the list lately - too busy  
eating :) - so I missed this.

I buy walnut oil from Tesco.  It comes in clear bottles and stays  
fresh for ages.  I never heat it though, only use it for making  
mayonaisse.  Is this healthy or not?  I *could* use macadamia oil,  
but it costs twice as much and I'd be looking at £5 to make a small  
jar!  (Not that I'd mind paying if the alternative is own-brand 69p  
vegetable-oil based glop.)

On the subject of heating oils, I almost never eat nuts raw.  They  
taste MUCH nicer roasted (the exception being macadamias which I  
think taste about the same either way).  I take this to mean they are  
better for me cooked than raw.  How does this stand with the idea of  
not heating oils?  Whats the difference between heating the oil IN a  
nut and heating the oil OUT of a nut?  If any?

Ashley