Duck fat is worth trying for potatoes, especially roasted potatoes. Toasted sesame oil is another frequently recommended option, particularly for adding flavor at the end of cooking. These suggestions come from a cooking discussion among home cooks, whose preferences varied by dish rather than pointing to one fat for every use.
Which fats should you try on potatoes?
Duck fat drew repeated recommendations for potatoes, making it a useful place to begin if you want to try a less-familiar cooking fat. Roasted potatoes were a particular favorite among the cooks who recommended it.
Other options came up, too, though with less support than duck fat:
- Tallow was recommended by multiple cooks for potatoes, fries, and other savory cooking.
- Goose fat was mentioned alongside duck fat for potatoes.
- Rendered chicken fat was suggested for roast potatoes as well as other uses.
One participant proposed a practical comparison: try different fats on potatoes while keeping the seasoning the same. That keeps the tasting focused on differences in flavor, a useful approach when choosing a fat for potatoes.
How should you use toasted sesame oil?
Many home cooks in the discussion suggested toasted sesame oil as a finishing flavor. Adding it to a finished dish or cold noodles was one participant’s approach; another described using only 2 drops at the end of a stir-fry.
Cooking with it was more contentious. Some cooks said it can burn or turn bitter and preferred adding it at the end, while others reported cooking with it without noticing a burnt taste. The discussion supports trying it as a finishing oil, but it does not establish a single rule about cooking with it.
For other finishing options, one participant suggested walnut or hazelnut oil in dressings or drizzled over finished dishes rather than used for cooking. Those were individual suggestions, not recommendations with the same level of support as toasted sesame oil.
Does olive oil belong in everyday cooking?
Olive oil had broad support, but cooks differed on how often they wanted to use it. Some treated it as an everyday oil, while others reserved it for particular recipes or finishing.
The question of using olive oil for everything came down partly to flavor preference. One participant used it only for Mediterranean recipes because they did not want every dish to taste like olives. Others were comfortable making it a regular part of their cooking.
Avocado oil also appeared as a general-purpose choice among some participants. The discussion did not resolve how much neutral oils contribute to flavor: one cook said they barely impart flavor, while others described choosing particular oils according to their own preferences.
Which fats did cooks prefer for eggs?
Eggs brought out different preferences rather than agreement on a single choice. One participant favored butter, while others mentioned avocado oil or a high-heat oil for a crispy-bottomed egg.
For cooking eggs, butter and avocado oil were both options named in the discussion, but neither emerged as a universal choice. Ghee was also mentioned elsewhere for butter flavor and higher-heat cooking, though the discussion did not establish a definitive high-heat ranking.
What can you do with chicken fat?
Rendered chicken fat received recommendations for roast potatoes, fried onions, and sautéing vegetables. Those uses give it a role beyond the potato comparisons that drew so much attention.
One participant described saving chicken skin and fat, cutting it into pieces, rendering it in a pan over low/medium heat, and then straining the fat. That participant’s method called for 1.5 inch cubes. This was an individual method, not a detailed recipe agreed on by the group.
What should you try first?
Start with duck fat on potatoes or toasted sesame oil added to a finished dish, the two suggestions that drew the clearest repeated support. If you want to compare fats directly, keep the potato seasoning the same and decide which flavor you prefer. Treat the other options as possibilities for particular dishes, not as a settled ranking.
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