Recently, I was invited to do an oil tasting with Maison Orphee. Yes an oil tasting! It’s been a long while since I’ve had the privilege to do one and it’s actually quite enjoyable. I learned a great deal about different oils and the Canadian oil industry and so I’m sharing my notes with you!

Seed oils are often mistaken for poor quality – but the secret is in the refinement – or in this case, the lack of refinement (unrefined). Unrefined oil goes a simple 4 step transformation process, whereas refined oils can go through more than 10 steps including heating the seeds up to 120 degrees, adding chemicals, degumming, bleaching, neutralization and deodorization.

At Maison Orphee, they use premium quality fruits and seeds working with select farmers and suppliers. Maison Orphee uses cold pressed methods using virgin or unrefined oils – these oils are processed without any heat, taking the best seeds possible and crushing at the lowest temperature possible.

Maison Orphee makes a point to test all batches of their Canola seeds to ensure there are no genetically modified ingredients involved. Quality canola oil is a good source of omega 3,6 and 9 – all great fatty acids for your heart health.

First up, we tasted two Canola oils:

Maison Orphee’s organic unrefined Canola oil had a beautiful golden colour and almost a buttery-nutty taste to it. It has natural antioxidants and is also rich in omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids.

The generic canola we tasted had virtually no colour and was bland, greasy/fatty in taste. Truly a stark difference.

The Canola oil is excellent in many settings including baking – particularly anything that needs that bit of buttery taste like muffins, cakes, potatoes and veggies.

Up next was the Sunflower Seed Oil:

Maion Orphee’s organic unrefined Sunflower Oil had a nice taste – very fresh in taste and buttery. It had a good taste of sunflower seeds. This particular oil is rich in omega-9 – an anti-inflammatory.

Sunflower Oil is perfect for a lower-temp cooking, baking or in cold preparations like salad dressing. Its mild flavour complements a variety of recipes and settings.

Next, Sesame Oil:

Maison Orphee’s organic unrefined Sesame Oil keeps very well and has a similar composition of healthy fats and anti-oxidants to that of the sunflower oil. It’s perfect for BBQing. I loved the robust taste of this sesame oil and in comparison to the ones I typically use at home. The sesame oil has a smoke point of 168 degrees celsius, making it a great option for stir-fying, sauteing and light frying.

Finally, we tasted Maison Orphee’s newest oil: The Perfect Oil.

This award winning oil is a blend of Sunflower, EVOO, Sesame, Canola and Virgin Flax seed oil. There’s a great smooth taste to it and it has a nice flavour profile that is buttery.

It’s got a great heat resistance which makes it perfect for baking (up to 200 degree Celsius).

What does it taste like? I tasted mostly Canola, Flax seed and a hint of sunflower and sesame.

If you haven’t had a chance to try any of Maison Orphee’s oils, I highly recommend them – there is always a bottle handy in my home for when I’m cooking and making salads. We love their brand and we love it even more that they’re Canadian! I can’t wait to try out the Perfect Oil in my cooking and baking.

For more information, check out their website here: https://en.maisonorphee.com/

#seedoil4thechange