Take the RapeseedOilBenefits.com challenge: non-testers add your feedback - you could win a £150 voucher NOW CLOSED

[KatieBMumsnet]

Did you know rapeseed oil, sometimes labelled vegetable oil, is one of the healthiest and most versatile cooking oils you can buy? That's the message from RapeseedOilBenefits.com, a not-for-profit campaign that aims to inspire people to use this cooking oil.

Take part in the RapeseedOilBenefits.com challenge and add your feedback here by to be entered into the prize draw:

~ Official testers (those selected by MNHQ) can win a £250 supermarket voucher of their choice
~ Non-official testers' who add a comment can win a £150 supermarket voucher of their choice

The challenge is to buy two bottles of rapeseed oil - one labelled 'vegetable oil' and the other labelled 'cold pressed' - and then to use these in place of your normal cooking oils for two weeks and tell us what you think. (If you already use rapeseed oil, feel free to take part in this challenge too.)

If you have any questions about rapeseed oil, go to RapeseedOilBenefits.com to ask the nutritionist and check out their guide to rapeseed oil FAQs.

Do try their easy and tasty recipes while you're there.

Please add your feedback here on the following:

~ Let us know what you think of rapeseed oil and if you knew about the benefits already or not

~ Have you tried out any RapeseedOilBenefits.com recipes? How did you and your family find them?

~ Please add any other comments, recipes, tips or ideas you have too - we'd love to hear from you at various stages of the challenge

Thanks

MNHQ

Please note comments made on this thread may be reproduced by Rapeseed Oil Benefits (AHDB)
Closing date: 19 August 2013, winners will be selected at random from all posting a comment: either a tester or non tester - prizes as above.

Thanks wavesandsmiles am just off to bake some ANZAC biscuits - DD has just tried them on guide pack holiday and says they are delicious - will let you know!

Impressed so far!!

I bought 'crisp and dry' which is apparently rapeseed oil - who knew???!, used it in place of other oils when doing a stir fry, it was great as the pan got really hot and the oil showed no signs of burning. I don't tend to use oil very much for any other cooking, as I am not a big baker, and other than stir fry, I don't like to fry food.

I also bought the tesco finest cold pressed rapeseed oil, which I have used to make salad dressings. Very impressed with this v olive oil. I actually prefer the taste, and love the idea that it's less saturated fat.

I have been meaning to try rapeseed oil for ages, and am now converted!

I love ANZAC biscuits, it's years since I had any, so will make some with dd tomorrow. I really like the look of the chocolate and sour cherry muffins on the page waves linked to so might have a go at them later in the week.

i have been cooking with rapeseed oil since the start of the experiment. it may be conincidence, but I have lost a little weight. only a couple of pounds, mind. i would have to see whether this keeps up when back in term time habits though.

While I remember - I've realised that I have a small Berio spray of light olive oil that I use quite a lot when I need just a little oil to say put on the bottom of a baking sheet to stop things sticking when cooking (I know they're supposed to be non-stick but that just seems to mean that the coating then comes off on your food rather than sticking to the baking sheet) or say if I'm doing quorn sausages for dh (I know, I know, I don't like the things!) I give them a quick spray to help them cook. Also if I'm slow roasting a chicken or lamb joint in the slow cooker, I've found that a quick spray will mean that the skin goes brown and relatively crispy (well, it doesn't stay pale and flaccid anyhow!) which is really useful. Or when doing mediterranean roasted vegetables like peppers and aubergines - a quick spray is easier than drizzling oil over.

So what I'm trying to say is - please could you consider doing a spray version of rapeseed oil too! It would be really useful...

Any excuse for a food ponce moment. I've been given some Aberdeenshire cold pressed rapeseed oil and thought I'd do a little tasting to compare it to the borderfields I got with the voucher. I've had a little dunk with some French stick then made a salad dressing. The borders one was mellower and the Aberdeen one was fruitier and worked better for the dressing.

I've ditched the beg oil - yuk but think I'd use the borderfields as a general everyday oil - its great in baking and save the other for dressings.

We've been using the cold pressed oil since the start of the experiment - actually went out and bought it just before the vouchers came as presumed we wouldn't be chosen! The best news is that neither husband nor DCs have noticed the change of oil from light olive oil and food has been consumed as usual! I've enjoyed the cold pressed in particular as part of salad dressing and when cooking scrambled eggs and stir fries. Just waiting for the time to experiment with more of the recipes suggested!

I've been using the rapeseed oils for 3 weeks now and am still very impressed and definitely a convert. I've found myself using it in preference to olive oil most of the time as it seems to flavour the food less, I'll definitely be looking out for and buying it in future.

Did you hear Raymond Blanc extolling the virtues of rapeseed oil on his BBC2 programme yesterday evening? If it's good enough for Raymond it's good enough for us .

We are officially converted so thanks for letting us take part in the product trial - it's been a pleasure, has meant more home-baked products than normal (which can only be a good thing!) and I think tastier food generally.....

Hi

Just wanted to say I have enjoyed the two week challenge and I will buy it again as there is little or no over powering taste on the dishes I have been cooking.

Also there is of course the price difference. :)

Many thanks for the opportunity to try the oils out for myself, but I ask myself why didn't I buy any before??

I mean its always been sitting there on the shelves!

I suppose we are all creatures of habit and tend to buy as we always have done in the past, or we buy what our mother bought etc.... until well we are given an opportunity to be different.

So many thanks again :)

I buy a local rapeseed oil from the Chilterns, it's really good quality and great to cook with, and I love the the fact it is not imported.

Firstly apologies for the late posting, been camping and still drying out.

~ Let us know what you think of rapeseed oil and if you knew about the benefits already or not:

I bought the Borderfields cold pressed oil and think it's a keeper. I love the colour loads more exciting that olive oil. The veg oil is um veg oil. I sort of knew that Rapeseed oil had a higher burn point and might have waffled on about omega 3 and 6 but didn't really know much about it. The biggest benefit for me is that I can buy it very locally to me, so cutting food miles is fab.

~ Have you tried out any RapeseedOilBenefits.com recipes? How did you and your family find them?

Before we went camping, when it was still hot, lots of salad dressings with the cold pressed oil. The tear and share and potato and bacon salad all well received. Whilst camping in the fog and rain a vast amount of bacon butties were consumed all fried in rapeseed oil, no difference at all so happy with that. My fried onions, culinary camping genius that I am took on a good colour cooked in the cold pressed oil.

Today I made a carrot and apricot cake using veg oil for the first time and it looks good, nicely risen far less faff than messing about with butter and much cheaper. So that has got me thinking about cooking more with oil although I am still shuddering a bit about the processing that the cheaper oil goes through.

~ Please add any other comments, recipes, tips or ideas you have too - we'd love to hear from you at various stages of the challenge

Thanks for the vouchers and including me in this challenge it has been interesting and I will now always look above the middle shelf.

Thanks again, this has been a lovely trial and cold pressed rapeseed oil is on our shopping list now!

I have had no problems whatsoever with using the two oils. Really rather pleased with all cooking results, (Cold pressed was even used with great success in a blueberry muffin recipe.) Since I started this trial, I have started to notice how often rapeseed oil is used in a variety of supermarket bought food, even in baby/toddler food. Found this quite interesting.

I am absolutely loving the cold pressed oil. I used it in mash last night and dp commented immediately on how nice the mash was and asked what I had done differently.

I am pleased it is not too pricey as I can afford to carry on using it, and I don't seem to have got through as much as I thought I would. I don't seem to need as much as other oils as the flavour is nice with just a drizzle and in cooking it doesn't burn off so a light coating is fine.

So pleased I took part in this as I honestly had no idea it existed.

GET IT OFF THE TOP SHELF SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT!

Put the cold pressed oil through its savoury paces again today after my recent cake baking spree (and no doubt I'm a convert to using the oil for making cakes)

I treated my DCs to a cooked breakfast and used the cold pressed oil for cooking fried bread, fried egg and scrambled egg (I grill the meat). Tasted lovely, and the brea and eggs took on a gorgeous yellow colour. Will definitely be the way to cook this in future.

For tea it was just sandwiches, so I lightly fried some slivers of chicken in the cold pressed oil. No overpowering flavour, and again, a lovely colour. Both DCs thoroughly enjoyed it. Not even any left overs for the dog and cat I served a side salad and used the oil to make a dressing, was lovely and light and I like the slightly nutty taste. Yum.

I'm so delighted with the results of testing the oils. It is brilliant to discover the health benefits and just as good to know that the food miles are so low. I like using spray oils and have looked up online how to make my own DIY spray oils, but as someone else suggested, perhaps local producers could think about a spray product as that is a very healthy way to cook with oil and would reinforce the health benefits message.

I'm not sure if it tasted delicious or not, as I hate eggs but, my partner does tell me that his fried egg sandwiches this evening were stupendous....he is still non the wiser about my olive oil to rapeseed oil switcharoo :P

I have become a Cold Pressed convert

I am completely converted too. Haven't touched the bottle of olive oil since I started the trial.

I love the taste of crushed new potatoes with the oil, and it is gorgeous with chicken too.

I think I'll try freezing fresh herbs in the coldpressed rapeseed oil - has anyone tried this yet?

Well, I haven't revisited this page for a while but had to update! I used the cold-pressed oil in a potato salad dressing where EV Olive Oil was suggested (oil, tarragon vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper) & it was a hit! Everybody was asking me what oil I had used & commented on the fact that it did not overpower the other flavours like olive oil would have done. The potato salad completely disappeared

Yum, confusedofengland! Sounds lovely :)

I have used cold pressed rapeseed oil for quite a while now, mainly because my 92 yr old grandma has been banging on for years and years about only using cold-pressed oils and it's easier without the ear ache. I like it, and the family has never complained!

Out of curiosity I bought a bottle of rapeseed oil this week instead of my usual olive oil. I'm really impressed - when I've fried off meat to go in stews or curries it gets it nice and brown, but the oil doesn't burn and smoke like olive oil does. Very impressed and will buy again.

Non tester but this has given me the impetus to try the bottle languishing in the cupboard. I'm impressed!
Had previously only used for salad dressings, but have recently used it to roast veg, in pasta, to fry the millions of courgettes in getting from the garden - it's great. I'm a convert.