Hi, All!

Some of you know that I've been getting into baking things lately. Most of the recipes call for the addition of vegetable oil.

Are there any alternatives to vegetable oil that you might like to use when baking?

If so, why, please?

Thanks!

Canola oil is a good alternative, but really, any sort of oil will do, even just melted butter.

My other half is a baker and he is racking his brain trying to think of some others, all they really use is canola or vegetable oil.

I like using butter, it adds a nice rich flavor to veggies.

Oh, and he said when baking things like cakes, always add the oil at the very last moment, it makes the cake more moist, especially with mud cakes.

I guess I have used more than just cooking oils,olive oil adds to certain foods cooked,peanut oil for the lower fat,just spray PAM on the pan for those light weight moments,but for the most part,I allow the food I am cooking to produce it's own oils/fats.Being that I love red meats,they produce their own.Other baking needs require different things though.The most common being regular cooking oil and butter(as shaz suggested)The olive oil and other types are for special recipes,not the run of the mill stuff I normally do.

If you use box cake mixes there are all kinds of substitutes. Like yogurt, can pumpkin, soda pop or applesauce. Just replace the liquid and eggs with the same amount of one of the other ingredients. My mother-in-law does it all the time since she is on weight watchers to loose weight. And the cakes come out good!

Thanks for the responses, one and all!

What about brownies?

Canola oil, vegetable oil for cooking
Peanut, canola for frying
Sesame, olive oil for flavoring
Butter or lard for baking
:)

Canola oil, vegetable oil for cooking
Peanut, canola for frying
Sesame, olive oil for flavoring
Butter or lard for baking
:)

Can melted butter or melted lard actually be used in the mixes for things like brownies and types of cakes?

Thanks!

Can melted butter or melted lard actually be used in the mixes for things like brownies and types of cakes?

Thanks!

I don't believe so, because they solidify when cold. Vegetable type oils don't.

So, would butter or lard be those that someone would put into things like baked vegetable recipes only?

Butter I use for flavor
Lard I use for pie crusts and some frying
Bacon grease is also good for flavor (I save mine)

If a recipe calls for a liquid oil, I use a liquid oil:)

I remember my mother saving the grease from bacon in coffee cans.

Butter

To replace oil you can use pineapple juice, applesauce or any pureed fruit, or plain yogurt. Replace it in equal parts. Also for the pureed fruit sometimes you can add skim milk to get the pureed consistency.

My best friend uses pineapple juice instead of oil in her chocolate cake mixes and it comes out perfectly moist and you can not taste a trace of pineapple at all.

Also instead of water you can use 7up or carbonated water which is also supposed to make the cake moist.

The best oil alternatives to vegetable oil are extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.