13

I normally purchase sesame oil from an Asian market, but this time I bought it from the grocery store. I primarily use sesame oil for making stir-fried cashew chicken in a wok on the stovetop.

Kadoya Brand
100% Pure Sesame Oil
Ingredients: Sesame Seed Oil

La Tourangelle Toasted Sesame Oil
Ingredients: 100% Pure Sesame Oil

The new bottle (toasted sesame oil) says on the back that it is best for low to medium heat, including stir-frying, baking, dipping, dressings, or drizzled on finished dishes.

So, what is the difference between sesame oil and toasted sesame oil? I do not taste a difference.

JustRightMenus
  • 10,817
  • 29
  • 65
  • 94

6 Answers6

9

I think the Kadoya brand you bought was toasted as well, it just didn't bother to mention it. Everything I've bought from Kadoya has been toasted. They are easy to tell apart. Non-toasted is about the same color as say safflower oil, toasted is rather dark brown. Toasted is used primarily for finishing dishes, as a final flavor. A little goes a long way. Non-toasted is a pretty marginalized product; you see it at health food stores some times. I can't think of any culinary reason to prefer it over the many other choices and it is quite expensive. Maybe some folks have particular health reasons for choosing it.

Michael Natkin
  • 30,230
  • 16
  • 86
  • 172
  • 1
    Pure *refined* sesame oil can be used for the cooking itself and it's pretty good for Asian dishes. For the unrefined oil I agree, it's hard to find a use for it (except... well, *toasting* it). – Aaronut Sep 14 '10 at 21:15
  • So there's 3 products, then? Refined oil (good for cooking), unrefined oil (undetermined best use), and toasted unrefined oil (stronger taste, not great for cooking, best for dressilngs)? – JustRightMenus Sep 14 '10 at 21:23
  • 3
    @JustRightMenus: That's correct. Refined sesame oil is actually the least common to find in stores, at least where I live. Pure (unrefined) sesame oil is very common but I never use it; toasted sesame oil, I use in almost every single Asian dish I make. Not just dressings but the majority of stir-fry sauces as well. – Aaronut Sep 14 '10 at 21:28
  • @aaronut - well said, i'm the same way – Michael Natkin Sep 14 '10 at 21:51
  • 1
    I have a container of Kadoya "100% Sesame Oil" and it is definitely toasted. – Bob Sep 15 '10 at 12:31
  • Non-toasted sesame oil has a rather nice, refined taste, but NOTHING like the toasted form! I use it when I want a very mild, but not overpowering sesame flavor/smell. – Arafangion Oct 06 '10 at 13:28
3

Honestly? If you cannot taste the difference between toasted and untoasted sesame oil then you might want to try tasting again.

Regular sesame oil is light, almost sweet, with just a hint of flavour. Toasted sesame oil is bold, assertive, nutty.

Cascabel
  • 58,065
  • 24
  • 178
  • 319
  • 3
    I think it's more likely that they're the same in this case (the "plain" sesame oil is actually toasted). I'm not sure it's possible for anyone with a sense of taste (or sight) to mistake the difference. – Bob Sep 15 '10 at 12:29
  • 1
    @roux Thank you! I think these two must both be toasted. I poured some of each out onto a white plate and they're even the same color. I'm going to see if I can find some that's definitely not toasted to compare further, though. – JustRightMenus Sep 15 '10 at 13:56
  • 1
    @bob you would be astonished. –  Sep 15 '10 at 17:38
2

What no one has mentioned is that you shouldn't cook with toasted sesame oil it has a very low smoke point and will burn very easily. No matter what the instructions on the bottle say do not use it for cooking it's only used as an accent after cooking. If you use it for cooking your food will taste very burnt. Most recipes calling for the oil will specifically tell you to add the sesame oil when the pot/pan is off the heat and the pan has cooled for a bit.

The point here is that if you're cooking with sesame oil and it's not burning then you're not start stir frying (or you are not using toasted sesame oil) because the heat required for stir frying will absolutely burn all toasted sesame oil.

The first time I tried to cook with sesame oil It ended up terrible tasting because of how scorched it was. I have not repeated that mistake in the roughly 25 years since!

user23700
  • 21
  • 1
0

I use untoasted sesame oil as a cooking oil, and in dressings where I do not want the overwhelming flavor of toasted sesame oil. Untoasted sesame is one of the most common cooking oils in India, and I use it in preference to peanut oil for cooking. When it comes to Asian cuisines, I pretty much only stock untoasted sesame, toasted sesame, and rice bran oils (many Japanese recipes use this). My family has never used any other brand of toasted sesame oil than Kadoya.

Gemma Seymour-Amper
  • 1
0

You CAN cook with toasted sesame oil - but use it lightly! You use whatever type of oil you would normally use to cook with - and then add a small amount of toasted sesame oil as a SEASONING - after frying - not added to the hot pan, but to the food. Cold pressed sesame oil is used by people obsessed with health but smokes easily (great for salad dressings). Heat pressed sesame oil (but not toasted) is used for higher temp cooking or frying/stir frying. And - toasted sesame oil is a SEASONING oil that you add for flavor. If you got a bad taste from toasted sesame oil - then you added too much or overheated it! Toasted sesame oil is something often kept on the table with the soy sauce to be added to Ramen or other foods as a seasoning which adds a "meaty" richness. It is perfect for vegetarians who want to add a "meaty" (almost "bacony" taste) without using animal fats. It is very rich and adds body to vegetarian cooking/sauces/dressings.

Ron Jones
  • 1
0

Chef Ching-He Huang states to be sure and use toasted sesame oil in her three cup chicken stir fry recipe because it will reduce and become sticky while pure sesame oil will continue to cook. "Wok skills and simple stir fries" on cookingchanneltv.com

user40986
  • 1