Vegetable Oils

In France an inexpensive, commercially available peanut oil (huile d’arachide) is used whenever a tasteless oil is needed. In the United States, the situation is somewhat more difficult because many of the widely available brands of peanut oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, and safflower oil have a peculiar and unpleasant taste. When heated, these oils often smell like fish. Relatively tasteless and odorless brands of these oils can be found (avocado oil is great but expensive), but a little searching and comparative tasting may be needed. It is also possible to buy French huile d’arachide, but it is almost as expensive as olive oil. A good-quality pure olive oil will often work better than vegetable oil when a relatively tasteless oil is needed.