468105 Mon Dec 10 09:07:43 -0800 2007 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 3194991 I am planning to deep fry my Christmas Turkey and I want to find out what the best oil is. I picked up the frying kit at Pro Bass and I saw they are also selling 3 gallon containers of Cotton Seed Oil? I was planning to use Peanut oil however it occurred to me that some people may have peanut allergies. The cotton seed oil is less expensive however I have never heard of this. Is it a healthy/safe alternative to peanut oil? Any other oil suggestion, recommendations would be appreciated. Mon Dec 10 09:07:43 -0800 2007 76892 Connoisseur 1 3195057 For the first time go with peanut oil 100%. There are also blends on the market which are terrible. Offset the cost by doing some for friends and neighbors. now for the special treat, on the day after get some of the Nathans 1/4 lbs hot dogs and make some rippers. Fabulous. When I break mine out next thanksgiving I'm going to attempt a trip to the dark side. Lard Mon Dec 10 09:26:35 -0800 2007 3194991 135901 Johnny Majors 2 3195109 Forgive me but what are rippers?? Mon Dec 10 09:39:49 -0800 2007 3195057 76892 Connoisseur 3 3196006 When you deep-fry a natural-casing hot dog, it gets a big split down the side with the flesh kind of pooching out. Most delicious dog you'll ever eat! Mon Dec 10 13:31:34 -0800 2007 3195109 11478 Will Owen 4 3196266 Will Owen, extra crrrrrrispy preferred! Mon Dec 10 14:52:54 -0800 2007 3196006 105717 alkapal 1 3195171 I never ever EVER use cotton seed oil! I don't think the law has changed, but as of five or so years ago, cotton seed oil is the ONLY "food" product that is not grown under food agriculture conditions! A lot of cotton seed oil comes from the mill in El Paso, near where I lived until two and a half years ago. Cotton is a major crop in west Texas, and it is treated with the most toxic pesticides known to man! It's grown as a fiber to make clothing. But after they comb and card the cotton, what do they do with the cotton seeds? They haul it off to the press where the oil is extracted and sold as a "by product" for FOOD...! I read labels, and I don't knowingly buy or eat anything that contains cotton seed oil. Rant over. For your deep frying, as Johnny Majors recommends, peanut oil really is your best choice. Mon Dec 10 09:59:18 -0800 2007 3194991 112096 Caroline1 2 3205166 Caroline, As a 25 year vereran of the cotton industry, you have a few facts wrong. The seed is seperated at the gin, not at a textile mill where cotton is carded and combed. I won't debate you here regarding farm practices and cotton plant physiology, but suffuce it to say the seeds are not exposed to pesticides, no more so than an apple seed is exposed to pesticides. All pesticides are applied while the boll is closed, and West Texas cotton is defoliated with something even you would like, FROST. Cotton seed oil is used in a myriad of food products and is inspected by the USDA. Cotton seed oil if fine to deep fry anything (including turkey) you would fry in vegetable, peanut or canola oil. And by the way, vegetables, peanuts and canola are mostly grown with conventional practices which include the use of fertilizer and pesticides. I am a fan of peanut oil too but I thought Connoisseur needed more accurate "cotton" information. Thu Dec 13 11:03:03 -0800 2007 3195171 12607 Tee 3 3205983 Ah, Tee, I admire your allegiance to the industry that feeds you! '-) Seriously, I don't think where the cotton seeds are removed from the boll, or whether the pesticide is sprayed directly on the cotton seeds are important factors. Unless my understanding of botany is "out to lunch," the root system of a plant absorbs water, nutrients and pesticides from the soil (whether from run off of pesticides applied to the plant, or pesticides applied to the soil) and distributes them throughout the plant's system. As far as I know, that includes the seeds. And as far as I know, the pesticides that cotton farmers use are banned by the USDA for use on food crops. And that is the huge loophole that allows a non-food pesticide into our food chain: Cotton is NOT grown as a food crop. Is this information wrong? Or are you saying that the law has been changed and that cotton farmers are now required to use only pesticides on their crops that ARE approved by the USDA for food crops? If I'm wrong on this, I apologize. I got the information from several sources I deemed reliable at the time, including an El Paso cotton farmer who was a neighbor during the quarter century I lived in El Paso's upper valley. Thu Dec 13 14:45:41 -0800 2007 3205166 112096 Caroline1 1 3195506 peanut oil, for sure. btw hounds, why didn't i hear of any "peanut allergies" when i was growing up in the 70's?!?!? Mon Dec 10 11:24:25 -0800 2007 3194991 105717 alkapal 2 3195808 Peanut allergies weren't as common then, but I had a friend I went to junior high with in the '70s who had a peanut allergy. There's a lot of discussion about why allergies are more common now, but no one knows for sure (except the keeping your kids too clean and from exploring their environment with their hands is almost certainly going to increase their likelihood of having allergies). To get back to the original question (gotta keep the mods happy!), cottonseed oil is icky, and I also avoid it. Among other things, the presence of cottonseed oil is an indication that the producer is using the very cheapest ingredients possible, which means that it's an overall poor-quality product. Mon Dec 10 12:47:26 -0800 2007 3195506 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 3195978 thanks, Ruth! Mon Dec 10 13:24:48 -0800 2007 3195808 105717 alkapal 1 3205652 My father has always used peanut oil. The allergen in peanuts is in the protein portion, so there shouldn't be an allergic response to pure peanut oil. Thu Dec 13 13:16:07 -0800 2007 3194991 19537 AlyKen