Have any of you ever tried CAROTINO? It's a kitchen cooking oil product, a vegetable oil in the most glorious rich orange color...

It's comprised of canola oil and red palm oil. The label claims it's "rich in vitamins A & E" and "rich in Lycopene".

I'm sure this oil is good for you... but the taste! I don't know if any of you are oil painters, but this oil tastes the way painter's linseed oil smells... I've already made two dishes with this CAROTINO-- a sweet and a savory-- and the unpleasant flavor rings right through in both cases.

I'll not use this again, no matter how good it is for me. I feel like I'm eating a canvas impasto. I can't imagine in which context a cook would want to use this oil...

Comments?

Rasputin, I know palm oil is now being used a lot to replace hydrogenated oils because it is hard at room temperature. Many claim it's good for you but I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole--except for making soap! Any oil that hardens at room temperature is a no-no in my book. The nutrition teacher I had in university said it is the most likely of the vegetable oils to cause heart and other health problems. That's my 2¢. I use olive oil.

Palm oil is the worst of all "natural" vegetable oils. The % of saturated fatty acids is highest of all veggie fats. Even worse are industrially treated vegetable oils which contain loads of trans fatty acids. Avoid them like hell if you there is heart / artery problems in your family.

The previous warnings of palm and coconut oils were a swiftboating technique by the margerine industry. It has been debunked by the AMA, but the myth of "death by tropical oils" persists because big business did a boffo job for themselves.

I can't even count the number of times I've held a bottle of this orange oil in my hand and nearly bought it. The cost, and my inexperience with the product, scared me off every time. THANK YOU Rasputin for the critique. Linseed oil on anything edible makes me mental image a big ole' gag.