I was just reading the thread about DIY Bread without a breadmaker and a few people commented that they don't use canola oil. I did a quick search and found quite a few reasons why you would not. However, really the only other oil anyone can safely recommend is olive, none of the other vegetable oils seem to be considered safe. I use canola mixed with olive oil for making mayonnaise, I use it if you need oil in a cake batter (its not too strongly flavoured) and I use it to clean the BBQ hotplate and my cast iron pans. I sometimes use it mixed with butter to pan fry fish. Actually if I ever deep fry (rarely) I use canola and as people have pointed out, nearly all the non stick sprays are canola based. If I stop using it what's the best alternative? I wouldn't want to use Olive Oil in cakes or deep frying or non stick spray for cakes or cleaning the BBQ either!

First of all, if you use oil to clean the barbecue etc you can continue to use canola because you will not be eating it but using it as a cleaning product.

Otherwise, I use a mildly flavoured olive oil in mayo (Village Press Barnea), butter or olive oil in cakes, olive oil for deep frying. I don’t use oil spray, but I have seen olive oil ones at the supermarket.

I think a lot of the time when people say they find olive oil too strongly flavoured it is because they are using a poor quality or rancid olive oil. A fresh extra virgin olive oil is a lovely ingredient.

I went through the same thing re: canola. Its very difficult to navigate. I was using village press olive and avocado, but now I just use clarified butter.