Specialty #1: La Padella Sauté Oil
A pantry-size box, for a restaurant-level kitchen
An ongoing debate in my household is whether or not we live in a restaurant. It’s a debate in which the two of us frequently switch sides: When I cook something delicious (which is, I’ll be honest, quite often), my wife will remind me she’s lucky to live in a restaurant. When I collect chefs’ knives, fill one of very few kitchen cabinets with duplicitous cookware and stock restaurant-size quantities of ingredients, I’m often reminded that our one bedroom apartment is not, in fact, a restaurant.
I’m not sure what officially makes one’s home also a restaurant, but my 3 liter box of cooking oil certainly makes me feel like I’m running my own kitchen most nights, to serve our oft-booked two-top of regulars, The Hoeffners.
And so I’m kicking off this newsletter with a universal product that can make you feel like you’re a pro cook. Or not! Whatever you believe, this specialty pantry item should greatly improve your life at any level of cooking skill.
La Padella Sauté Oil, made by the olive oil company, Corto, is my go-to for all things sauteed, pan fried, roasted and baked. It’s a signature blend of rice bran oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, avocado oil and grapeseed oil designed to withstand high heat.
The oil itself is excellent, highlighting the rich flavor of EVOO while not getting smoky (like pure olive oil) or soaked up in the food that’s cooking in the pan (like pure avocado or coconut oil), thanks to the mixture of neutral flavored oils.
My favorite: The vessel. Corto’s “flavorlock” box is similar to a box of wine, utilizing a plastic spout to disperse the oil. It’s a delight! And the eco-friendly packaging (the material weighs less than a glass bottle, creating less of a carbon footprint) keeps the oil fresh for months, helping reduce food waste as well. California-based Corto’s sustainability mission includes responsible packaging, waste reduction and water conservation.
At $55, La Padella sounds pricey, so let's break it down. Three liters = 101.4 ounces. I typically use ~2 teaspoons (0.33 oz) to saute, which means a box would yield 307+ sauteed dishes. That’s about $.18 per saute.
I’ve also used the oil for deep frying, strained out any food particles, and kept it in a separate container in the fridge to reuse 2-3 times.
And now, a recipe! While La Padella can be used in any recipe that calls for cooking oil, it’s a staple in my go-to one-pan breakfast, crispy rice with a runny egg, which I make whenever we have leftover rice from takeout and kind of riff on depending on what fresh/wilting greens are in my fridge. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients:
2 tsp cooking oil
1/2 cup cooked white rice
1 large egg
1/3 cup of chopped greens, like spinach or kale (optional)
Pinch of flaky salt (I like Jacobsen Pure Flake)
1 tsp chili crisp
Method:
Warm a metal skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When glossy, add rice in a thin layer across pan, pressing down to get it close to heat. Let cook undisturbed for 4-6 minutes, until the lower layer is golden brown and easily lifts off the skillet. Flip and push to one side of pan.
In leftover hot oil (if oil is too absorbed by rice, add a splash more to the empty side of pan and heat it), crack an egg. Add the greens over the rice. Cover for 2 minutes with a slight opening to let steam escape. Mix rice with greens. Scoop on a plate, top with egg, salt and chili crisp. I like adding microgreens and fresh herbs when I have them too.
