I use peanut and reuse a few times. Otherwise canola is my "clear" oil of choice..Olive doesn't hold up to the heat of deep frying..but for a quick fry or saute..I almost always use EVOO.

I'll go along with Terri - canola oil is my choice, too, even though it's more spendy these days than vegetable oil. If you have any health issues in the house (such as a heart patient), canola is probably a better choice. I've done a quick fry in olive oil. As far as what's in my deep fryer: canola!

Canola comes from Canada. Our local grocery buyer told me that's the reason it's higher priced than vegetable oil, because of the transportation costs to get it down here. Makes sense to me - fuel's gone up, and so has our food. (sigh). When we traveled through Alberta, about 8 years ago, we crossed several fields of canola. I had switched to canola when I ran out of vegetable oil in my RV while in British Columbia - and never switched back when we returned to the States.

DonnaR/CA

I only use grape seed oil for deep frying. It has a very high smoking point and adds no flavor to the food, unlike peanut oil, which has a peanut flavor that I don't like. For sautéing, I use either olive oil or avocado oil, depending on the flavor I want.

Lars

I use safflower if I can find it at a good price - it also has a high smoke point. More often than not though I use canola.

Thanks for the reminder on the grapeseed Lars..I totally forgot about that one. I need to remember to put that on my co op purchase wish list.

Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated. My other question is temperature, is there a rule to follow on that? Again, thanks!

kaelkriver, frying temperatures vary depending on the type and thickness of the food you're frying. That said, most everything I fry, from doughnuts to french fries to fish get somewhere between 350 and 375.

Annie

And one of the simplest ways to keep the oil at the right temp is to use one of those old fashioned electric skillets.

Those were ubiquitous in the sixties, but you don't see 'em as much any more. I learned to fry fish with one of those. My mom exiled me to the back porch with one of those; the thermostat on the skillet kept the oil at the right temp, and the kitchen didn't end up smelling like fish.

Thanks for taking the time to answer, this certainly helps.