Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions?

Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by misja111 on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @03:30AM (#36041092)

Olive oil is not the best choice for browning meat, because its burning point is too low. Once it burns, it will disintegrate into bitter byproducts, some of which are carcinogenic.

Canola oil has a high burning point so is a better choice, but if you really want to avoid it, sunflower oil is a good choice as well.

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Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by bearmode on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @05:46AM (#36041995)

Light/refined olive oil has a smoke point of up to 470°F. You can sear meat anywhere between 400°F and 500°F.

There is absolutely no reason you can't sear meat with olive oil. You just have to use the light/refined stuff, and not the virgin/extra virgin (which have smoke points closer to 410°F.

Worth noting that canola oil, in the best case scenario, has a smoke point of 450°F.

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Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by misja111 on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @07:29AM (#36042789)

I never said it was not possible to sear meat with olive oil. It is certainly possible, but you have to be more careful not to overheat your oil.

> Light/refined olive oil has a smoke point of up to 470°F.

Where did you get that number? Any source I found gives olive oil a burning point of at most 410F. E.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Smoke_point_of_cookin...

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Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by bearmode on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @08:04AM (#36043118)

Recheck the link you provided, look for refined olive oil. It's just the virgin olive oils that have the lower smoke points.

Also seriouseats puts it at 465°F https://www.seriouseats.com/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-p...

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