Serves: 5
Olive Oil:
The most important for salad aficionados. Here's how to decode the label. One day after harvesting, fresh olives are crushed by giant stone wheels. The resulting mash is pressed, and oil and water are released. The water contains the olives' natural bitterness and so is discarded. The oil is rated. If it has superior taste, color, aroma, and less than 1% acidity, it is labeled extra virgin. "Extra" means premium and "virgin" means it's pure, unrefined, and unprocessed--"first cold pressed" is another way to put it. If the oil doesn't make the "extra" cut, it's further processed with heat or chemicals, quality virgin oil is added for flavor, and it's labeled "pure olive oil" (sometimes "classic" is on there, too). "Light" olive oil is not light in calories but rather in flavor it's further refined and fortified with just a little virgin oil. The color of an olive oil is not an indication of its flavor, but rather of the type of olive used. Most olive oils are blends of olive types, but the better oils use a higher concentrate of one olive. Choose an olive oil that suits your tastes--experimenting is half the fun.
General-Purpose Oils:
Neutral-flavored canola (or rapeseed) oil is a darling of the health-conscious because it's lower in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Use it where strongly flavored oils would upset your flavor balance. Colorless, flavorless safflower oil is valued for salad dressings because it doesn't solidify when chilled. Like safflower oil, corn oil has a high smoking point, which makes it good for frying. Odorless and virtually tasteless, it's also often used in salad dressings.
Specialty Oils:
Walnut and hazelnut oils are heavy with the flavor and fragrance of these nuts. They're also strong, so blend them with a less flavorful oil (such as canola) to add a boost of nuttiness to salads or sides such as sautéed spinach. Peanut oil is lighter in flavor but higher in saturated fats. Its neutral flavor and high smoking point make it a top choice for deep-frying and stir-frying, but it's also used in salad dressings, especially those with an Asian bent. The very mildly flavored grapeseed oil (yes, it's made from grape seeds) is perhaps the least known or used try it in salads or for sautéing.
Flavored Oils:
Add dimension to salads and sauces, and are good just drizzled over grilled vegetables or meats. Chili, basil, garlic, lemon, and rosemary flavored oils are fairly easy to find. Truffle oil--extra-virgin olive oil infused with white or black truffles--is harder to come by be prepared to hand over some serious cash for this gourmet treat.
Vinegars:
Also come in a variety of types and flavors. Their bases vary: red, white, or rice wine sherry champagne and apple cider vinegars all start out as their namesakes. The liquid is exposed to air and airborne organisms, then left to ferment, usually in wooden barrels. As the liquid evaporates, acidity and flavor are concentrated. Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. Simple vinegars can be infused with other flavors, e.g. raspberry, tarragon, blackberry, fig, and thyme. Flavored vinaigrettes are great on salads and even on sweeter meats such as game or pork.
Balsamic Vinegar:
Made from the must--that is, the pulp and skins of crushed grapes--of the white Trebbiano grape, balsamic vinegar is aged in wood until it turns inky black (although white balsamic vinegar is also available). The quality (and price) of balsamic vinegar can run the gamut from tabletop condiment to work of art. The original balsamic vinegar is called "aceto balsamico traditionale di Modena." Modena, Italy, is the birthplace of authentic balsamico, which is aged for years in ever smaller wooden barrels as it evaporates. The woods used add complexity and nuance. Some balsamico has been aged up to 100 years and is consumed literally drop by precious drop. You can pay up to $300 for a tiny bottle of the oldest. The balsamic vinegar you find in your grocery store is not authentic, but it's what we use in this cookbook. Usually aged a mere 6 months, these Yankee cousins do achieve balsamic vinegar's characteristic sweetness and thus do the trick. Buy the best you can afford, but don't go nuts. Do avoid any with caramel flavoring or color added.
From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.
This _Oils And Vinegars: Seductive Chemistry recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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