Please advise about sesame oil in Chinese cooking?!


Question: Please advise about sesame oil in Chinese cooking!?
Do you use sesame oil to stir fry your meat and vegetables or do you use it to flavor the sauce!?

I was advised recently that sesame oil was meant for flavoring, and that one did not need to buy toasted oil since heating it altered / toasted the oil anyway!.!.!.!.although I do not see the point of not buying the toasted oil!.!.!.!.do you think the rationale was to economize, to buy just one and that untoasted would do fine for both purposes!.!.!.!.!.and: btw!.!.!.!.!.for what purpose is each one used!?

I ws watching some videos: one chef used the oil to start his dish, and another used corn oil to start her dish, then flavored the sauce with sesame oil, although she did not specify plain or toasted!.

Although I love the taste of sesame oil, I find it should be used with a light touch!. And you!?

thank you
xxWww@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
I always buy toasted sesame oil, and I buy and toast my (white) sesame seeds as well!. I make many dishes that use both, so I buy the quantity that I need!.

It's meant as a flavoring, and I use it in marinades, dips, sauces, dressings for vegetables as well - I cook/prepare/eat Korean food mainly!.

If I make something like fried rice, I also add a drizzle of sesame oil to the pan, however, it is not the main oil IN the pan, but is added for its flavor!.

Until you get used to how "heavy" or "light" a dish should have the flavor of sesame oil, I'd try a few recipes and go by the recipe itself!. Soon you'll have an idea of just how it should taste!. You'll want to taste it, of course, but you won't want that wonderful rich nutty flavor to be the ONLY thing you taste!

:)Www@FoodAQ@Com

Well I think with the toasted oil you get more of the toasted flavor since it was toasted before it was oil!. I don't think it's that easy to toast oil is it!? lol!. Anyhow yes I agree that sesame can be a strong flavor so it should be used more as a flavoring ingredient than as the oil to start your dish off with (unless you're going for a strong flavor like a sauce)Www@FoodAQ@Com

Sesame oil is very strong and should only be used to accent the other flavors not for lubrication!. If Sesame oil is used too much, it will over power all of the other flavors and ruin the dish, so use with care!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

sesame oil should only be used as flavoring !.!.!.not to stir fry!. It's very very easy to "burn" sesame oil !.!.!.!.and use it just to taste, some people like more of it than others, so if you're cooking for a large group, you may want to use less!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I love the strong flavor of the sesame oil, and when I stir fry I use it exclusively!. I may be doing it wrong, but no one has ever complained!.!.!.!.
Good Luck
BWww@FoodAQ@Com





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