hahabogus > wrote:

>Kate Connally > wrote in news:f36un8$sj$1

>> I've never heard of "stale" oil, although I would
>> imagine if that were a possible condition of oil it
>> would mean the oil was less flavorful and flatter tasting
>> than "fresh" oil.

>Stale oil might be oil used too much...where it has been used to too high a
>heat...repeatedly in a french fryer or been submitted to over use cooking
>too many differing food items so the basic taste isn't of just nuetral oil
>anymore.

I use cooking oil (other than olive oil) so seldom that while it
doesn't go rancid, the smoke point drops. At that point there's
no point in using it -- it smokes as easily as olive oil, doesn't
taste as good and is not as healthful.

I've had this problem with both safflower and canola oil. So I've made
a recent switch to grape-seed oil for any high-temperature frying;
we'll see how that goes.

Steve