Oils

The subject of oils could be the basis for a book in itself (maybe I’ll do one!). Most vegetable oils are refined to make them more shelf-stable. Neutral in every way, they impart no flavor of their own. These are the oils—corn, vegetable (generally made from soybeans), sunflower— that many of us knew growing up as “salad oil”; safflower and canola are recent additions to this list. Certainly you need one on your shelf for basic kitchen duty. They are best used for cooking or frying. But in a vinaigrette, because of the mixture’s simplicity, the oil needs to contribute flavor and balance the acid. For this reason, I look for oils that are unrefined and cold- or expeller-pressed; these have the best flavor. And, as with the rest of my pantry, I buy oils from organic sources when possible. Here are my three choices for oils to have on hand beyond basic cooking oil: