SMOKE POINT
Many people have heard that you shouldn't fry with olive oil. This
is not true. Olive oil is great for frying and even deep frying. Here
are some important points to understand when you heat olive oil.
- The smoke
point for light olive oil is about the same, about 468 °F (242°C) which
is higher than cottonseed oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, canola Oil,
peanut oil, sunflower Oil, corn Oil (Refined), sesame seed oil, peanut
oil (refined), safflower Oil, (refined), lards and butter.
- The smoke
point for extra virgin olive oil is at least 406°F (208°C). The International
Olive Oil Council says olive oil's smoke point is 410° (210°C) and
the Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils says 420° (216°C).
- Since the
temperature for pan frying is normally between 350-375°F (177-191°C)
both light olive oil and extra virgin olive oil are suitable for frying.
- The
longer oil is exposed to heat and the more often it is reheated the
more the smoke point goes down.
- One study done in 2002 showed "The
performance of virgin olive oil and a commercial vegetable shortening
was investigated during 10 successive pan-fryings of potatoes at 180°C
(356°F) for a total period of 60 min and during 10 successive deepfryings
at 170 °C (338 °F) for a total period of 120 min. These are typical
conditions of Greek domestic cooking.... Both oils performed similarly
during pan-frying, while virgin olive oil performed better during deep-frying."
- To
get started try frying potatoes in olive oil.
WHERE AND HOW MUCH OLIVE OIL SHOULD I USE?
Extra virgin olive oil is ideal for raw and boiled salads, plain sauces,
stewed or grilled fish and meat, bread or barley rusks, garlic paste
and in preparations where it is not necessary to heat the oil.
It is
appropriate for baked, grilled, fried, or barbecued dishes. It is also suitable
for kneading dough. Olive oil has a mild flavour and is used for general cooking.
Regarding what amount of olive oil is required for each use, simply replace
other cooking fats with the same amount of oil.