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I used to worry about that but it turns out that cooking (even flying) with extra virgin olive oil is totally fine. The problem with the low smoke point in evoo

I used to worry about that but it turns out that cooking (even flying) with extra virgin olive oil is totally fine. The problem with the low smoke point in evoo is a myth. https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/olive-oil-smoke-point-measured https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/olive-oil-smoke-point-measured

delfinom 7y ago
That little snippet misses the entire point. EVOO having a "low smoke point" isn't myth, it's a scientifically measurable fact. The stupidity of that article is yes, their pan didn't go past 180 degrees but its because the moisture content of the item being cooked was removing heat from the pan. The entire problem of smoke point has to do with how you cook.
latch 7y ago
This is doesn't pass the burnt smell test. First of all, anyone's who's done even a little bit of cooking will notice that extra virgin olive oil smokes / burns very quickly. Secondly, this article claims "the oil and the food did not exceed 180⁰ F" which is well below the point where Maillard reaction occurs. Maybe in their specific "we represent the olive oil industry" environment, it didn't exceed this temperature, but I'd take that with a grain of salt.
- Zardoz84 7y ago
  I always cook with virgin oil and NEVER I get it to burn. Even putting the fire to max.
kevinmchugh 7y ago
I deep fry above the temperatures given for evoo. Certainly my stir frying is also above those temperatures, though harder to measure. Certain kinds of shallow frying won't burn evoo but I have burnt it in the past and am not ready to trust the word of an olive oil industry group on this matter.
newnewpdro 7y ago
It's not a myth. Searing scallops in EVOO produced consistently burnt-oil tasting results until I switched to avocado oil. My Italian mother growing up would insist on using EVOO to pop popcorn and it always tasted like burnt olive oil. My results are far better using the exact same process but a higher smoke point oil like avocado oil. I also prefer the results of seared steaks with a higher smoke point oil than EVOO. Especially when I use the iron skillet outside on an oversized bed of glowing hot coals so hot I can barely stand to be near it. I've used EVOO here in a pinch, but it immediately starts to smoke before I've even put the meat on.
mutagen 7y ago
There’s a bunch of articles on this site digging into the chemistry of cooking with EVOO. I haven’t dug into the references but it looks like a thorough look at exactly what heating various oils does to the chemistry of fatty acids. https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-quest-for-optimal-cooking-oil-heat.html https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-quest-for-optim...
amluto 7y ago
That is an extremely unconvincing article. > Not even close. We used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of food (here, Brussels sprouts and garlic) being sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. ... As you can see in the video below, the oil and the food did not exceed 180⁰ F. I watched the video. Indeed, the Brussels sprouts cooking in oil did not exceed 180F. No kidding — wet food, e.g. Brussels sprouts, won’t exceed the boiling point of water until it’s quite dry. But this is entirely missing the point — the oil in the pan is considerably hotter, hence the sizzling.

delfinom 7y ago

That little snippet misses the entire point. EVOO having a "low smoke point" isn't myth, it's a scientifically measurable fact. The stupidity of that article is yes, their pan didn't go past 180 degrees but its because the moisture content of the item being cooked was removing heat from the pan. The entire problem of smoke point has to do with how you cook.

latch 7y ago

This is doesn't pass the burnt smell test. First of all, anyone's who's done even a little bit of cooking will notice that extra virgin olive oil smokes / burns very quickly. Secondly, this article claims "the oil and the food did not exceed 180⁰ F" which is well below the point where Maillard reaction occurs. Maybe in their specific "we represent the olive oil industry" environment, it didn't exceed this temperature, but I'd take that with a grain of salt.

Zardoz84 7y ago
I always cook with virgin oil and NEVER I get it to burn. Even putting the fire to max.

kevinmchugh 7y ago

I deep fry above the temperatures given for evoo. Certainly my stir frying is also above those temperatures, though harder to measure. Certain kinds of shallow frying won't burn evoo but I have burnt it in the past and am not ready to trust the word of an olive oil industry group on this matter.

newnewpdro 7y ago

It's not a myth. Searing scallops in EVOO produced consistently burnt-oil tasting results until I switched to avocado oil. My Italian mother growing up would insist on using EVOO to pop popcorn and it always tasted like burnt olive oil. My results are far better using the exact same process but a higher smoke point oil like avocado oil. I also prefer the results of seared steaks with a higher smoke point oil than EVOO. Especially when I use the iron skillet outside on an oversized bed of glowing hot coals so hot I can barely stand to be near it. I've used EVOO here in a pinch, but it immediately starts to smoke before I've even put the meat on.

mutagen 7y ago

There’s a bunch of articles on this site digging into the chemistry of cooking with EVOO. I haven’t dug into the references but it looks like a thorough look at exactly what heating various oils does to the chemistry of fatty acids. https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-quest-for-optimal-cooking-oil-heat.html https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-quest-for-optim...

amluto 7y ago

That is an extremely unconvincing article. > Not even close. We used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of food (here, Brussels sprouts and garlic) being sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. ... As you can see in the video below, the oil and the food did not exceed 180⁰ F. I watched the video. Indeed, the Brussels sprouts cooking in oil did not exceed 180F. No kidding — wet food, e.g. Brussels sprouts, won’t exceed the boiling point of water until it’s quite dry. But this is entirely missing the point — the oil in the pan is considerably hotter, hence the sizzling.