From an article in the NYTimes about olive oil myths:
“Because of its high polyphenolic content, extra-virgin is more stable than many other oils. The widely held belief that disaster lurks at temperatures above 250 degrees Fahrenheit is simply wrong. Extra-virgin remains stable up to about 410 degrees or a bit higher, depending on the extent of filtration (less filtered means lower temperatures). So deep-frying—best at 350 to 360 degrees—is more than acceptable.”
True or false?
Oh, great. Now I have this image of Popeye’s girlfriend rubbing off on a mast. Don’t ask what she’s doing with the belaying pin!
I have heard that olive oil has a low smoke point and shouldn’t be used at high temperatures, but I’ve never heard not to use it above 250º. I cook with olive oil all the time. When I make Cajun salmon, I heat it up in a cast-iron frying pan to just below the smoke point (325-375°F), throw in the seasoned fish for a bit, then finish off in a 400º oven. But that’s not deep-frying.
If EVOO has a smoke point as low as 325º, it wouldn’t be great for deep frying. Also, and this is my personal opinion, I don’t think that olive oil has the right flavour profile for typical deep-fried foods.
Personally, I avoid cooking with it (read: heating it) when there are other good fats (coconut oil, ghee) which I work with. I do use the ecological extra virgin olive oil for salads, though. This article surprised me as I have heard the opposite. I am just wondering how accurate this NYTimes article is and where the write gets his or her information from since the article is presented as FACT.
It is my understanding that the delicate flavor compounds and some of the supposed health benefits in true extra virgin olive oil are destroyed at high temperatures. For high heat use, the same results can be had using much less expensive, more highly processed olive oil.
So, it’s a matter of economics; don’t waste money by using $40/liter extra virgin oil when $5/liter processed oil will give the same results.
I’ve heard plenty of people say that olive oil has a low smoke point, but this low smoke point is never quantified. Every source I’ve seen that gives an actual number for the smoke point, it’s on the high end for cooking oils.
Extra-virgin has an apparent lower smoking point because of the suspended solids in it. It’s not the oil itself smoking. Those also burn and darken the oil and change its flavor. If you’re using it once and don’t mind the smoke go ahead and use it. If you don’t have a thermometer to check the oil temperature or a thermostatically controlled fryer you might be fooled by the lower temperature that the oil starts smoking at. Commercially olive oil of any type is rarely used for deep frying because of the cost.