Their skyrocketing popularity took them across the ocean to feed a nation…but then they fell prey to a blight and triggered the near-collapse of that nation. In other parts of the world, they’ve been feeding people nonstop for 10,000 years. They were once a mainstay in the U.S., too, but then they were lumped into [...]
Unrefined oils are a deliciously wonderful thing. They can also be difficult to find even when you know what you want. Fortunately, though, extra-virgin olive oil is in just about every grocery store aisle nowadays, and many non-chain stores and health-oriented stores — read: not Wal-Mart, Costco, Meijer or Kroger’s — also stock unrefined peanut [...]
Ying and yang, night and day, refined oils and unrefined oils. They’re all polar opposites. But while ying and yang are equal halves of a whole and night is just as beautiful as day, refined oils are nowhere near the equivalent of their unrefined counterparts, neither in terms of flavor nor nutritive value. Refined oils [...]
Driven by the craze for polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, we’re so busy making a mad dash for the flaxseed oil that we’re ignoring another oil that’s a great source of omega-3s and compliments everything from pancakes to salads: walnut oil. Although flaxseed is higher in omega-3s than any other oil, walnut oil isn’t too far behind. [...]
Olive oil is a wonderful oil to have on hand for dressing salads, drizzling on breads, tossing with pasta, finishing fish, etc. So is walnut oil and hazelnut oil and sesame oil and peanut oil and lots of other oils that we tend to overlook. (Pistachio oil, macadamia nut oil, pumpkinseed oil…okay, I’ll stop now.) [...]
