My Oil Collection, and how I use it.

I love oil.

For cooking, for making salves and lip balms, and for plenty of other uses. I've gathered a pretty nice collection for my apartment, and I thought it would be fun to share it!
 
 Have you heard of those Misto sprayers? Well, I have one. I got it at World Market several months ago, and I personally really enjoy using it. I don't use spray oil often, but when I do, I sure don't want to use Pam. Have you heard what's in that stuff? So, I followed the directions that came with my Misto, and I've never had a problem with it!

 You can fill it with whatever you'd like. I typically fill mine with grapeseed oil. You'll learn more about grapeseed oil below!

 So, grapeseed oil. Probably the most versatile oil you can own. It has a high smoke point, so I'm comfortable doing most stovetop cooking with it. It has a very light/neutral flavor. Generally, I can't taste it at all in my food. Because it emulsifies well, it is also great for making homemade mayonnaise! The two bottles below were purchased at Trader Joe's and a co-op near my town.

 Extra virgin olive oil is a classic, so I'm sure you already have 100 uses for it. I mostly use it in pasta and to make dressings. You can buy it at almost any supermarket or grocery store.

Sunflower seed oil is light, and a good substitute for vegetable oil (for baking oil-based cakes and such). I often use it in baking, when a recipe calls for "vegetable oil." I also used it for some time when I was trying the oil-cleansing method for my face. I bought this particular bottle at Trader Joe's.

 Dark sesame oil is good for stir frying, if you like its flavor. It has a strong and very present flavor, which also makes it good for stir-fry sauces. I don't use it very often, though. Mostly for special occasion stir fry's. You can buy it in the asian section of most supermarkets.

 Mustard oil is pretty new to me! My dad bought it for me at an asian store, and I haven't found a use for it yet. The bottle reads, "For external use only," so naturally I had to research it. It's a pretty controversial oil! If I ever find a good external use, I'll be sure to let you know.

 Peanut oil is great for stir frying. It is my go-to oil (unless I'm making the stir fry for someone who is allergic to peanuts!). I bought this particular oil at a Korean food store.

 Coconut oil. This stuff is wonderful, and it has gained a lot of popularity recently. I use it sometimes for stir-frying, for asian noodle dishes, and as a moisturizer. My newest use involves adding a tablespoon or so to my morning cup of coffee. The one on the left was purchased at an amish bulk food store, and I got the one on the right at a natural food store.

I also own a small container of palm oil (sorry for not having a picture--it's packed away for my new apartment) which I bought at an amish bulk foods store. I plan to use it as a substitute for Crisco in certain recipes.

My oil collection is growing all the time, and I love finding new uses for each of these oils! Let me know if you have any interesting uses for these oils!