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View Full Version : Does canola oil taste like linseed oil?



Stephen Tashiro
09-30-2010, 1:39 AM
I don't like food that is fried in canola oil. It my be very healthy but the taste .... blech! The smell of canola oil reminds me of linseed oil. I suspect that canola oil tastes like linseed oil. The reason that this remains only a suspicion is that I have not actually tried eating linseed oil. This being a woodworking forum and seeing as how that any woodworker who liked canola oil could probably not resist licking his fingers after applying a finish of linseed oil, let me ask if anyone can confirm my suspicion.

Ben Franz
09-30-2010, 11:22 AM
Not sure if this is a serious question - checked the date and it's not April 1st. Linseed oil is not considered toxic in small quantities but is more of an irritant and may cause gastric distress, etc. Canola oil is cheap, thus it's popularity but it does have a slight aroma/taste. Safflower oil is more expensive but much less noticable when used for frying. Peanut oil is great but expensive. We like to use the inexpensive olive oil (Costco) to poach fish at very low heat - i.e. no bubbles. If you haven't tried it you might be surprised at the result. And, for the car, Valvoline, Pennzoil ... :D

Lee Schierer
09-30-2010, 11:25 AM
Canola oil makes good Bio-diesel........

Prashun Patel
09-30-2010, 11:30 AM
BOILED linseed oil is not really meant for consumption. BLO can contain metallic dryers that are not foodsafe.

RAW linseed oil is a different story. It's foodsafe, but not suitable for finishing.

Zach England
09-30-2010, 2:06 PM
I don't don't like food that is fried in canola oil. It my be very healthy but the taste .... blech! The smell of canola oil reminds me of linseed oil. I suspect that canola oil tastes like linseed oil. The reason that this remains only a suspicion is that I have not actually tried eating linseed oil. This being a woodworking forum and seeing as how that any woodworker who liked canola oil could probably not resist licking his fingers after applying a finish of linseed oil, let me ask if anyone can confirm my suspicion.

How about YOU let US know. Try it and report back. If you do not report back by tomorrow I will assume linseed oil is lethal.

Stephen Tashiro
09-30-2010, 2:33 PM
How about YOU let US know. Try it and report back. If you do not report back by tomorrow I will assume linseed oil is lethal.

No, not me. This is a job for someone who actually likes canola oil. (I notice that nobody has expressed any enthusiasm for it, so far.)

Zach England
09-30-2010, 2:38 PM
No, not me. This is a job for someone who actually likes canola oil. (I notice that nobody has expressed any enthusiasm for it, so far.)


Is that what they fry fast food french fries in?

Russ Filtz
10-03-2010, 5:18 PM
I use it a lot and never noticed any real off-taste, or any taste for that matter. It's supposed to be a pretty neutral oil for cooking.

Bill Cunningham
10-03-2010, 10:50 PM
Ahhh maybe 'that's' the problem... We have two KFC's in our neighborhood. One, the chicken tastes like normal KFC, the other tastes like it was cooked in a light machine oil.. KFC said they have changed their oil to a more healthy alternative, but anything that tastes like 3in1 oil can't be all that healthy, unless of course you can't keep it down then KFC would be as healthy as any other fast food:rolleyes:.. My idea of fast food, is hitting the deer at 60 mph :D... Just kidding... it's 40mph:p..

John Packwood
10-04-2010, 1:25 AM
Are you using pure canola oil or a blend. Have to read labels carefully. We use canola, grape seed oil, and olive oil. When I want the old time flavor we use lard and cast iron. Canola has no taste that I can taste. I can taste 0.01% sodium benzoate preservative in apple cider and will not by it. Never tasted linseed oil but the smell is certainly different than canola.

Pat Germain
10-05-2010, 8:44 AM
I agree with John. I sometimes use canola oil when I'm grilling cornish hens. I'm what's known as a "super taster" and I can't taste anything unusual when cooking with canola oil.

Zach, peanut oil is probably best for french fries. But, as mentioned, it's pretty pricey. You can reuse it many times with filtering.

Stephen Tashiro
10-05-2010, 3:05 PM
Are you using pure canola oil or a blend. Have to read labels carefully. We use canola, grape seed oil, and olive oil. When I want the old time flavor we use lard and cast iron. Canola has no taste that I can taste. I can taste 0.01% sodium benzoate preservative in apple cider and will not by it. Never tasted linseed oil but the smell is certainly different than canola.


I don't know who the question is addressed to. I, myself, would never use canola oil. I find canola oil and canola oil blends (as sold by major manufacturers such as Crisco or Wesson) have a recongnizeable taste that I don't like. As I said, the smell reminds me of linseed oil. Peanut oil tastes OK, but It tends to give me acne! I'm sure that fast food places would avoid it because it causes strong allergic reactions in some people. I find corn oil OK and I find 100% soybean oil (such as Mazola "Vegetable Oil" ) OK.

As to "supertasters", the test shown for this on TV science programs is to dye the subject's tongue with food coloring and see how many "taste buds" are there. I don't think all "supertasters" taste things alike.