Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.
Here's the bottom line: extra-virgin olive oil is perfectly safe to cook with. It stands up well to heat due to its monunsaturated fatty acid and phenolic compounds content and fares much better than other vegetable oils. It's a great oil to eat both in taste and health and shouldn't be avoided.
All cooking oils have what is called a "smoke point," the temperature at which the oil starts to break down and smoke. And where there's smoke, there will soon be fire. This is why extra virgin olive oil, which has a low smoke point of 350°F to 410°F, shouldn't be used for high heat cooking, especially frying.
Whether used for frying (like in this aubergine parmigiana recipe), braising (as in this artichoke tagliatelle) or sauce-making (like a classic Italian pesto), olive oil is a cornerstone of Italian cooking. Indeed, many Italians see olive oil as the single most important kitchen staple, as well as ingredient in itself.
Celebrity chefs have relied upon extra virgin olive oil for centuries in the pursuit of preparing perfect dishes. With its varied and flavourful palette, extra virgin olive oil has become a favourite among many celebrity chefs because of the layers of flavour it can provide to both simple and complex recipes.
In conclusion, extra virgin olive oil is a favorite cooking ingredient among chefs for its health benefits, unique flavor, and texture. It adds depth to dishes and enhances the taste of food. Not only does it add flavor, but it also provides numerous health benefits that make it an ideal choice for cooking.
All Oils will become unhealthy if heated past the smoke point. Stovetop cooking is generally around 350ºF. Usually, the smoke point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is 350 - 410°F and the smoke point of Olive Oil or light-tasting Olive Oil is about 390 - 468°F.
Myth: Olive oil produces carcinogens when it's heated. Fact. What's true is that when any cooking oil is heated to the point where it smokes (its smoke point) it breaks down and may produce potentially carcinogenic toxins. Different oils reach their smoke points at different temperatures.
However, with any unsaturated oil, including olive oil, heating it repeatedly to a high heat (say for deep frying) will cause the oil to develop compounds that have been found to have carcinogenic properties when tested on rats.
Even when heated past its smoke point, virgin olive oils produce low levels of harmful compounds due to the high antioxidant content in the oil. Polyphenol antioxidants still remain after heating.
While the TV chef does love to drizzle a bit of olive oil over a nice salad, he says that rubbing it all over his body is what keeps his skin looking so youthful. Jamie, 42, is a "massive believer" in swapping extra virgin olive oil for expensive moisturisers. And he's even used the trick on three of his five children.
And for good reason. Jamie Oliver really likes to cook with EVOO. We've already noted the British celebrity chef measures it by the “glug” instead of a “drizzle.”
Like any other oil, olive oil is a processed, concentrated fat extract and thus has lost most of the nutritional value of its original form (the olive itself). If you want some nutritional value, you will find it by eating the whole olive—not by consuming it in its almost unrecognizable extracted oil form.
Global culinary icon Gordon Ramsay is known for his fiery personality, his hard-fought Michelin stars and his deep and abiding love of olive oil. Nearly every Ramsay recipe, from his early days on Boiling Point to Uncharted and the current critic's darling, Scrambled starts with "just a drizzle" of his beloved EVOO.
It's unsafe to cook with olive oil. It isn't stable and oxidizes when heated, causing harm to the body.
Olive oil is used in Mediterranean cuisine because it's locally sourced and readily available. Cattle is usually raised in humid climates with greener pastures, in the olden days butter was a luxury. Many traditional pastries are made with lard instead. And olive oil is delicious and healthy.
It's a lubricant for the pan, and people don't like when things stick.
The many regional expressions of the traditional Mediterranean Diet all have in common the regular use of extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat, for cooking and dressing the many and varied vegetables and other ingredients.
Olive oil is a huge part of Greek cooking and culture. It is used to dress pans before cooking and poured over Greek salads and cheeses to eat. As a matter of fact, most Greeks get a majority of their daily fat from this healthy source.
Grapeseed oil is light green in color and prized by restaurant chefs for its high smoke point (420°)—but also for its clean, plays-well-with-others taste. It's often used in vinaigrettes because it's less expensive than EVOO and allows other ingredients (like specialty oils or herbs) to shine through.
From making toast for breakfast, and salads for brunch, to creating different recipes for supper, olive oil is an essential ingredient in Spanish kitchens. Spain's olive oil, often called Spain's liquid gold, is the most sought after because of its wide variety, high quality, and numerous health benefits.
Extra virgin olive oil contains more polyphenols than regular olive oil. These are a type of antioxidants that sport many health benefits. Furthermore, Italians prefer the taste of extra virgin olive oil, as do most people.
Olive oil actually has a relatively high smoke point and is a safe, reliable option for frying. On top of that, it is one of the healthiest cooking staples around. Olive oil has been named “the healthiest fat on Earth,” in part because of its unique ability to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.