Rice Bran Oil--what to look for?

[CathyB]

I was looking into the price of Rice Bran Oil since it's supposed to be an affordable substitute for Olive Oil, and I've found the prices fluctuate wildly--from as low as 17.99/gal from Amazon, to 29.99 at Tractor Supply (equine nutritional supplement).

Then I found it is 11.99 at Smart FoodService.

It all seems to be 100% Rice Bran Oil. What's up with these prices? Are there different quality levels like Olive Oil has?

TIA.

Cathy

 

[Kcryss]

I was looking into the price of Rice Bran Oil since it's supposed to be an affordable substitute for Olive Oil, and I've found the prices fluctuate wildly--from as low as 17.99/gal from Amazon, to 29.99 at Tractor Supply (equine nutritional supplement).

Then I found it is 11.99 at Smart FoodService.

It all seems to be 100% Rice Bran Oil. What's up with these prices? Are there different quality levels like Olive Oil has?

TIA.

Cathy

Wow, wish there was a Smart FoodService in Colorado. I would think if it says 100% Rice Bran Oil and there is a valid expiration date it would be ok for soap making. I think the date should be at least 1 year out for Rice Bran Oil, but someone else may know if that is true or not.

 

[blueginkgo]

I ordered just this week from Amazon, 3 gallons for $39.00 with free prime shipping. It's the one listed there as Turkey Fry Oil from Riceland. The same jug ordered direct from Riceland is $45.99 plus almost $35 in shipping charges.

 

[Kcryss]

I ordered just this week from Amazon, 3 gallons for $39.00 with free prime shipping. It's the one listed there as Turkey Fry Oil from Riceland. The same jug ordered direct from Riceland is $45.99 plus almost $35 in shipping charges.

Interesting! I just looked it up on Amazon and they also have Fish Fry Oil - 100% Rice Bran Oil for 17.99 a gallon which is the same price as a gallon of their 100% Rice Bran Oil. All about marketing I guess.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I was looking into the price of Rice Bran Oil since it's supposed to be an affordable substitute for Olive Oil, and I've found the prices fluctuate wildly--from as low as 17.99/gal from Amazon, to 29.99 at Tractor Supply (equine nutritional supplement).

Then I found it is 11.99 at Smart FoodService.

It all seems to be 100% Rice Bran Oil. What's up with these prices? Are there different quality levels like Olive Oil has?

TIA.

Cathy

It could be that the equine supplement version is cold pressed oil. I believe the Riceland brand, which is what I use, is solvent extracted.

 

[Arimara]

I was considering this one by Gamma. In truth, if I could cook with it, I'd be more inclined to buy it.

 

[KiwiMoose]

So if one gallon is equivalent to 3.78 litres of oil, y'all are paying too much! In NZ 1 litre of RBO can be obtained from the local supermarket for $NZ5.00. Even cheaper if you buy a 2 lt or 3 lt bottle. $NZ5 is equivalent to $US3.19 - so approx $12 per gallon. Can you not buy it from your local supermarket? It's a fairly common cooking oil here now that canola has fallen out of favour.

 

[penelopejane]

We get it for the equivalent of $6.99 USD for 1 gallon.
It’s cheap but it is not a perfect substitute for olive oil.
I use it at about 10% max.
It never gets as hard as olive oil in a soap and it’s a bit sticky in high percentages.
I know the alchemy and ashes experimenter says it’s as good as OO so I suggest you try it for yourself since we all have different skin. But if it is expensive for you I don’t know that I’d bother with it.

 

[shunt2011]

A year or so ago I got the Riceland 3 gallon box from Lowes for 12.00. Unfortunately, I found I don't like Rice Bran at a high percentage.

 

[lsg]

You might look on the Internet for coupons for Riceland. I order bulk, six gallons at a time. I usually wait until they send me an e-mail with a coupon code. The thing about their oil is that you can use it for cooking or for soap.

 

[dibbles]

The Turkey Fry and Fish Fry oils on the Riceland website list those as having a 490 degree smoke point. The regular rice bran oil says 'high' smoke point. It is offered at 17.99 for one gallon or 45.99 for 6 gallons (48 pounds). It would take me forever to use that much.

 

[Kcryss]

So if one gallon is equivalent to 3.78 litres of oil, y'all are paying too much! In NZ 1 litre of RBO can be obtained from the local supermarket for $NZ5.00. Even cheaper if you buy a 2 lt or 3 lt bottle. $NZ5 is equivalent to $US3.19 - so approx $12 per gallon. Can you not buy it from your local supermarket? It's a fairly common cooking oil here now that canola has fallen out of favour.

I've never seen Rice Bran Oil at the grocery store.

 

[dibbles]

I've never seen Rice Bran Oil at the grocery store.

At the grocery store here, it is sold in a small bottle - organic and on the shelf with other specialty oils. I don't remember how much it was, but it was quite expensive. Canola is still widely used here, so that may have something to do with the availability and price of rice bran oil.

 

[Kcryss]

At the grocery store here, it is sold in a small bottle - organic and on the shelf with other specialty oils. I don't remember how much it was, but it was quite expensive. Canola is still widely used here, so that may have something to do with the availability and price of rice bran oil.

Agreed. Same here, although I'm starting to see generic oils using soy instead of corn or canola. There are only two grocery stores where I am now and Walmart is one of the two. This Walmart has twice the amount of Olive Oil as it does all other oils combined.

 

[lsg]

The Turkey Fry and Fish Fry oils on the Riceland website list those as having a 490 degree smoke point. The regular rice bran oil says 'high' smoke point. It is offered at 17.99 for one gallon or 45.99 for 6 gallons (48 pounds). It would take me forever to use that much.

I don't buy the Fish Fry oils, I buy the regular rice bran oil at 6/$45.65. I use it up as salad oil, cooking oil and soaping oil. I usually wait until I receive a coupon from them. I keep my oils in my basement so it is at a regular temp. I have never had a problem with rancidity.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I have not found RBO in any grocery store in my vicinity. I can buy OO for less, but decided to move away from the cheapest OO available locally after having a run in with DOS in soaps I made last summer. I looked at the Riceland website at one point and, as I recall, I couldn’t determine if the various lines of oil differ in FA profiles. RBO is somewhat unusual oil for a “soft oil.” I like it because it lets me increase the hardness/longevity in my soy wax (GW 415) recipe due to the high palmitic FA, while adding conditioning due to the high linoleic FA. I then adjust the oleic in my recipe using OO. From the SMF calculator:

RBO vs OO (percentages, first is RBO)
Lauric 0,0
Myristic 1,0
Palmitic 22, 14
Stearic 3,3
Ricinoleic 0,0
Oleic 38,69
Linoleic 34,12
Linolenic 2,1

I break the 3 gallon jug down into smaller units and store it in the frig or cold garage. I’m using it at 20-30% of recipes and just now finishing up the 3 gallons I bought last fall.

 

[dibbles]

When I use RBO, I use smaller percentages - 10-12%. I should make a batch with higher RBO again. I can't really remember why I didn't like it at a higher usage rate, but I do remember I didn't care for it as much as OO.

 

[amd]

I use at 30-35% (I think these days I'm actually running at 32%) and I like it better than OO. The bars don't have the slick feeling that OO had... not sure I can explain it, but I always felt like OO soaps rinsed too quickly to actually clean, like the lather falls off my hands. RBO seems to rinse a bit slower so I feel like it has time to clean. I know, know, lather doesn't really clean, but there's that perception in my head (and hopefully others). I find myself using less soap at the sink when it's one of the RBO bars.