Why Does the Smoke Point of Olive Oil Matter?

There is a lot of confusion around smoke points and its impact on the health benefits of olive oil. To understand and sort through the questions, it’s first important to know what smoke point actually is and isn’t.

For some, smoke point is measured by how long it takes for the smoke detector to sound! Before we make that a step in our recipes, let’s explore the components of smoke point and its connection to olive oil.

What is Smoke Point?

Let’s start with clarifying some terms that are frequently used to describe and explain oils and cooking.

Smoke points are usually a range of temperatures. When oils reach the temperatures within this heat scale, they begin to burn. Burning causes the components of the oil to begin breaking apart causing fats in the oil start to smoke. When this occurs, oils begin to lose some of their health benefits.

Additionally, harmful fumes can be emitted when oils burn past their smoke point. Plus, if we’re being honest, food just doesn’t always taste great if it has been cooked in oil that reaches its smoke point.

How Does an Oil ‘Get’ a Smoke Point?

Now, you may be wondering how you can control an oil’s smoke point. We as consumers can control how we store and use our oils. But, the oils we purchase will already have a smoke point. And, yes, all oils have a smoke point.

One factor that impacts an oil’s smoke point is their processing. Vegetable and corn oils are typically classified as refined oils. This grouping of cooking oils has been manufactured in processes that are heavily reliant on chemicals. Usually, refined oils are clear in appearance and neutral in taste. As part of their processing, refined oils are formulated to cook at higher temperatures, so these oils have a higher smoke point.

You may be thinking, that’s great. I’ll cook with refined oils and eliminate concerns about smoke points. However, because of the purification or refining process, these oils create health concerns. Their natural goodness of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants have been manufactured out of them.

Let’s look at unrefined oils and their smoke points. Unrefined or virgin oils have not been processed using heat or chemicals. Without the application of heat during the manufacturing, unrefined oils are more delicate; therefore, they have lower smoking points. But virgin and unrefined oils retain their health benefits due to how they are made.

Can You Cook at High Heat with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

The short answer is yes, you can use extra virgin olive oil in your cooking, including cooking at higher temperatures. Most quality bottles of Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be heated to just over 400 degrees. Most recipes that are created in home kitchens will not require you to heat your oil to that temperature and certainly not any hotter. So, this means that you can safely sauté and fry your delectable recipes using your quality EVOO.

Making the news even better, when you reach higher temperatures with your EVOO, the oil is not breaking apart and releasing toxins. You can cook your favorite foods with healthy EVOO and not worry; you can actually begin to add more flavor to your food. EVOO remains very stable at high temperatures.

You might wonder why there has been so much confusion about extra virgin olive oil and strong suggestions that it should not be used for frying or sautéing. Many in the food world believe that earlier tests were not always conducted with high quality EVOO. The widespread use of all ranges of olive oil in the United States is a fairly recent trend. Therefore, it is also a relatively new phenomenon to be able to purchase high quality oils.

There are better indicators of an oil’s ability to withstand high temperatures than its smoke point. One measurement of an oil’s stability when heated is how much it has been refined in its manufacturing process. EVOO does not go through a refining process, which is another reason that it performs so well at high heat levels.

Additionally, the composition of an oil is another measurement of its performance. Oils with lower levels of polyunsaturated fats are more stable at high temperatures. Again, EVOO is a great choice because it has a low percentage of polyunsaturated fats.

Does an Oil’s Smoke Point Matter?

This has another straightforward answer, yes, an oil’s smoke point does matter. Most oils will provide a wide enough range of temperatures to cook most foods. However, if you do reach or exceed the smoke point of your oil, you do want to remove your pan from the heat. You definitely want to avoid causing the temperature of the oil to escalate to its flash point.

Acrolein is released when oils begin to smoke. This acid is what causes the burnt scent that you might be smelling. Once the oil has cooled off, do a taste test. You want to make sure that it doesn’t have a bitter flavor. If the oil does have that acrid smell and flavor, you should safely discard it, and start your meal prep again.

What Are the Temperature Ranges for Olive Oil?

The range of temperatures that olive oils can be used to cook with vary greatly. Extra light olive oil has a much higher smoke point than extra virgin oil olive. Since extra light olive oil has been formulated using a different process, it can withstand temperatures of more than 480 degrees. The smoke point for virgin olive oil falls between extra light and extra virgin at around 430 degrees.

While different types of olive oil provide great versatility in how you can use them because of their high smoke points, the healthiest option is extra virgin olive oil which is processed in a way that allows it to retain all of the health benefits.

There are so many great options available for extra virgin olive oil, including both fused and infused flavored options. That means one of your biggest decisions, and the most fun, is choosing the oil that tastes best in whatever dish you’re preparing.

Stop in to your local specialty shop to select ones that will complement the type of cooking that you do. Shops that sell quality olive oils will offer tastings that will help you in your selection process. If you’re still not certain which olive oil to buy, try a variety pack.

Next time you’re cooking, grab a couple of bottles to try. Sounds like it’s time to invite friends over for a tasting party! Have fun!