Originally Posted by
W3MIV
I was raised on EVERYTHING being fried in bacon fat. Hell, the old lady even fried pancakes in it (no joke!). Some time in the late fifties she started to switch to Crisco, which I hate to this day. I still use BF for my eggs (which I only rarely eat anymore), but for nothing else. Had the virtue of being free, which appealed more strongly to the old Mick than anything else. If she caught anyone frying with butter it was a capital offense.
One problem I find with buying large containers of any oil is that it can go rancid so damned fast. I can't stand the smell or taste of rancid oil. Also olive oil smokes when used for frying and other high-heat uses. I like to stir-fry in a wok, and peanut is better.
Rosemary is very powerful stuff, the more so when fresh. Too powerful. A nice big sprig or two looks great in a photo, so we always used the sprigs when shooting studio setups of food, but the stuff's way too powerful on the palate. Few chopped leaves work much better, IMO.
Try tarragon with chicken next time.