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> So they are lying, again? What are normal people suppose to do without expertise on any subject. This is unfortunately just how the world is. Epistemology is

> So they are lying, again? What are normal people suppose to do without expertise on any subject. This is unfortunately just how the world is. Epistemology is hard, and there are a ton of people out there who make it harder (Three guesses as to whether the author of this article, or any other crappy prestige-publication journalist, thinks they're lying). It's a scary and confusing world! At some level you just have to internalize that, build the most accurate model that's worth the overhead, and accept that you'll be wrong a lot.

golem14 5y ago
Off-topic, but another area where it seems hard to get good answers is what cooking oil is actually best. E.g., palm oil / coconut oil gets hyped lately, but is it really healthy (in a meaningful way)? Is it gentle on the environment (very likely not). The industries (merchants of doubt) are so active, it's absolutely nontrivial for a well meaning layman not wanting to invest oddles of time to get to good conclusions.
- Aeolos 5y ago
  Just use olive oil for everything except deep frying. It really is the best, and what is used by high end restaurants almost exclusively. The smoking point is not a problem, the nasty stuff start appearing as couple dozen degrees _above_ the smoking point, so you can use that as an early warning system. It also contains antioxidants, which bind some of the nasty stuff for a while, so it really is better for you for regular cooking.
  - dataduck 5y ago
    > The smoking point is not a problem Could not disagree more. Olive oil will be spewing smoke and changing flavour well before you get to a sensible temperature for shallow or stir frying. It is very tasty and apparently quite good for you, so it's a great choice for low-temperature cooking, but anywhere smoking point is important, olive oil is not what you're looking for.
    - Aeolos 5y ago
      That's a different point though: the fact that it tastes different does not mean it is harmful to consume (which is the point I was trying to make).

golem14 5y ago

Off-topic, but another area where it seems hard to get good answers is what cooking oil is actually best. E.g., palm oil / coconut oil gets hyped lately, but is it really healthy (in a meaningful way)? Is it gentle on the environment (very likely not). The industries (merchants of doubt) are so active, it's absolutely nontrivial for a well meaning layman not wanting to invest oddles of time to get to good conclusions.

Aeolos 5y ago
Just use olive oil for everything except deep frying. It really is the best, and what is used by high end restaurants almost exclusively. The smoking point is not a problem, the nasty stuff start appearing as couple dozen degrees _above_ the smoking point, so you can use that as an early warning system. It also contains antioxidants, which bind some of the nasty stuff for a while, so it really is better for you for regular cooking.
- dataduck 5y ago
  > The smoking point is not a problem Could not disagree more. Olive oil will be spewing smoke and changing flavour well before you get to a sensible temperature for shallow or stir frying. It is very tasty and apparently quite good for you, so it's a great choice for low-temperature cooking, but anywhere smoking point is important, olive oil is not what you're looking for.
  - Aeolos 5y ago
    That's a different point though: the fact that it tastes different does not mean it is harmful to consume (which is the point I was trying to make).