Rogers is the Farm Living editor at The Western Producer. She recently judged a canola cook-off contest.
Eight teams of farmers glanced anxiously at me and my two fellow judges.
We approached the cooking tables that were filled with pots of spices, garlic and herb-infused oils and scattered remnants of brightly coloured vegetables. The plates of cooked beef strips, chicken nuggets and shrimp awaited tasting.
It was the moment of truth in the Nexera canola cook-off
challenge Nov. 23 in Saskatoon.
Canola oil is the healthiest of all commonly used cooking oils. It has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and reduce clot formation, which decreases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Read Also
Agriculture needs to prepare for government spending cuts
As government makes necessary cuts to spending, what can be reduced or restructured in the budgets for agriculture?
Canola oil contains seven percent saturated fat compared to 12 percent for sunflower oil, 15 percent for olive oil and 19 percent from peanut oil. The high oleic varieties, of which Nexera is one, have almost no trans fats, making them even better than regular canola oil.
With all those attributes, it’s puzzling that you can’t buy the Nexera variety oil, called Natreon, on grocery store shelves in Canada. It has 10 percent of the market in Japan. It is also used by commercial manufacturers in the United States and Canada to reduce trans fats in their ready-made and snack products, and by restaurants looking to produce meals with less fat and no odours or smoke in the kitchen.
Barb Isman of the Canola Council of Canada estimates that the high stability canola oils will occupy three to five million acres by 2010, more than a quarter of all canola acres, partly from consumer demand and partly because farmers get a premium for growing the specialty canola.
With all this healthy news, you’d think people would be asking for it. Unfortunately canola oil is not known as well outside the Prairies.
Recipes in Chatelaine and House and Home magazines usually call for olive oil, not canola oil.
Tonight, the lack of respect is not directed at the canola oil but at the men who have been chosen to cook with it. More than one farm woman was doubting her husband’s ability to turn out a tasty product and one went over to offer advice on spices.
The organizers gave the men some tips. Canola has a mild bland flavour that doesn’t interfere with the taste of the food and spices. It is food friendly, unlike the swaggering hearty olive oil or the allergy-causing peanut oil.
Light in colour and odourless, canola has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
We judges also had some ideas for the cooks. Don’t stint on the spices; most people like flavour. Also, cook the meat at a suitably high temperature so the oil doesn’t soak into the meat and make it feel greasy in the mouth.
Prepare ingredients before starting to cook, which means cut vegetables, marinate meats, measure ingredients and prepare sauces.
Heat oil before adding ingredients and toss constantly while cooking over high heat. Serve immediately.
The winner had good presentation, with a flower made out of red onion, but also good taste with each meat having its own herbs and spices.
The $5 bills that accompanied one team’s plate were creative, but my taste buds can’t be bought.
