Can Corn Oil be Used in Place of Vegetable Oil?
Cooking can sometimes get tricky when it comes to choosing the right oil for the job. If you’ve found yourself in a pinch and are wondering, ‘can corn oil be used in place of vegetable oil?’, then you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two.
Types of Fats
Vegetable oil is a generic term that can refer to a number of liquid vegetable oils, such as canola, sunflower, or corn oil. These types of fats are important in cooking, as they typically have a high smoke point, meaning they can be heated to a higher temperature without burning.
Corn oil is extracted from the germ of the maize kernel, and like many other liquid oils, is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, but low in saturated fat.
Smoke Point
The key thing to consider when comparing vegetable and corn oil is their smoke points, which is the temperature at which an oil begins to break down and smoke. Because vegetable oil is a generic term and can vary in composition, its smoke point can vary quite significantly depending on the type of oil used. Generally, vegetable oils are quite stable when heated, and their smoke point can range from 300-450°F.
Corn oil, on the other hand, has a slightly higher smoke point at around 315-455°F. This means that corn oil is ideal for cooking methods that require a higher temperature, such as frying.
Conclusion
So to answer the question, can corn oil be used in place of vegetable oil?. The answer is yes. While the smoke points of both vegetable and corn oil are relatively high, corn oil has a slightly higher smoke point, which makes it ideal for high temperature cooking methods. So if you’re looking for an oil that can handle the heat, you may want to consider reaching for the corn oil.
