Heating Olive Oil, Frying, Baking and Searing

It all starts with the smoke point of olive oil

To know the best olive oil for frying, we start with the smoke point of various types of olive oil.

When olive oil starts to smoke, it indicates that the oil has been heated to a temperature that is too high, causing it to “burn” or “char.” This is undesirable, as when food burns, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released. These are harmful substances that can be associated with the development of diseases. ¹

You often hear that extra virgin olive oil is unsuitable for frying, deep-frying, and sautéing because it burns quickly. In the graph below, you can see the smoke points for different types of olive oils.

As you may already know, Gkazas Olive Oil falls under the category of extra virgin olive oil. This means you can safely heat our Greek olive oil up to 207°C. One of the main reasons why all types of olive oil can be heated to at least 207°C is that they contain a high amount of monounsaturated fats.³ These fats are more heat-resistant than oils with polyunsaturated fats, which can release harmful substances like aldehydes when heated.⁴

Antioxidants

Another important reason for this is the high presence of antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil. According to the Voedingscentrum (Dutch Nutrition Centre), the definition is as follows: “Antioxidants is a collective term for substances such as vitamins E and C, trace elements like selenium, and bioactive compounds, which are also found in vegetables and fruits.”

“Antioxidants make your food healthier and have a positive effect on how high you can heat your oil/food.”

Scientific research has shown ⁵ that especially extra virgin olive oil contains a high amount of antioxidants, which are absorbed into the heated food during cooking. Additionally, antioxidants increase the stability ⁶ of a heated substance. In short: antioxidants make your food healthier and positively impact how high you can heat your oil/food.

Another reason why you can heat Gkazas extra virgin olive oil to at least 207°C is its natural self-filtering process ⁷. During this process, the last olive fibers sink to the bottom over the course of 3 months, leaving the olive oil clear and free from remaining particles. These particles have a lower smoke point and can even burn, leading to unhealthy substances like PAHs! ⁸

Heating Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Alright, the smoke point of (extra virgin) olive oil starts at 207°C. What does this mean for heating olive oil? Well, it means that you can use extra virgin olive oil for cooking with heat without any worries. You’ll understand that it’s important to make sure you don’t heat the oil to excessively high temperatures. How do you ensure this?

First and foremost, it’s important to always keep an eye out to make sure your oil doesn’t start smoking. If your oil begins to smoke/steam, it’s burning, and harmful substances like PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) could be released. So, be mindful of this! Additionally, burnt oil won’t have a positive effect on the taste of your food. It’s also recommended to keep the cooking time as short as possible. This minimizes the chance of the oil burning. ⁹

In short: extra virgin olive oil, thanks to its high smoke point (partly due to its healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants), is one of the most stable types of oil to heat. When used correctly, there is no reason to believe that it poses any health risks. ¹⁰ and ¹¹

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Frying

Yes, absolutely! We know that extra virgin olive oil can be heated up to 207°C (405°F), so it’s perfectly suitable for frying and sautéing. In fact, the Voedingscentrum (Dutch Nutrition Centre) highlights that extra virgin olive oil is highly appropriate for cooking at higher temperatures. One of the main reasons for this is its high smoke point, which ensures it remains stable when heated. Additionally, the high antioxidant content in extra virgin olive oil can even enhance the nutritional value of your food – a lovely bonus!

We make our olive oil organically. Did you know that? Here you can read more about it.

Why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sometimes Not Recommended for Frying and Regular Olive Oil Used as an Alternative?
The main reason for this recommendation often comes down to financial factors. Regular olive oil is cheaper. It’s also sometimes suggested that the flavour of extra virgin olive oil (especially with prolonged heating) may degrade. The grassy, flavourful notes of extra virgin olive oil become less pronounced when exposed to heat for a long period.

However, when you’re frying or sautéing with extra virgin olive oil, you’re typically cooking for a relatively short period. This means you’re more likely to preserve those characteristic flavours and actually enhance the taste of your dish. The result is a richer flavour experience, which is why using extra virgin olive oil, such as Gkazas Olive Oil, for frying and sautéing is highly recommended. ¹²

Frying with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You now know that you can bake and fry with extra virgin olive oil, but the big question is whether frying in extra virgin olive oil is advisable. The answer is yes! Since frying usually takes place at a temperature of around 180°C, this is well within the safe range for our olive oil. In fact, it is often recommended¹³ to use olive oil when deep-frying. The main reason for this is the high smoke point of extra virgin olive oil. Additionally, it’s a great bonus that you’re adding extra nutritional value to your food, thanks to the high antioxidant content.

However, we’d like to emphasise once again that you should stay near the pan or fryer when frying with extra virgin olive oil. This way, you can ensure that the oil does not get overheated. Keep an eye on the oil and check regularly to ensure that it isn’t smoking or emitting fumes.

Here’s a tip for you: If you want to know if the oil is hot enough for frying or just want to check if the extra virgin olive oil is at the right temperature, place a piece of bread in the hot oil. Bread becomes crispy and golden brown in about 30 seconds at 160°C, in 15 seconds at 180°C, and in 10 seconds at 190°C. No bread? A rice grain will also work. At the right temperature (around 180°C), the grain will float to the surface and begin to cook. By the way, there are special thermometers available, which makes it even easier.

Finally, a point about replacing your oil. Research has shown ¹⁴ that olive oil can be used for more than 24 hours in a deep fryer before it starts to oxidise significantly (which negatively affects the taste). You can also reuse your olive oil, but we recommend straining it after each use to remove water and debris. This way, you can reuse the oil about 5 times. ¹⁵ Again, attention is key. So, keep checking if the oil starts to smoke or haze. It’s also advisable to replace the oil if it has a strong smell or taste, or if it looks dark and/or sticky.

Alternatives to Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Frying

We want to provide as complete an overview as possible of the alternatives to extra virgin olive oil for frying, sautéing, and deep-frying. Therefore, below we briefly outline some alternatives, along with their pros and cons.

Butter
In short, halvarine, margarine, and (dairy) butter are not the most suitable options for frying or sautéing (and deep-frying isn’t even worth considering, we think). The Netherlands Nutrition Centre ¹⁶ advises against this because they contain relatively high levels of saturated fats. Additionally, halvarine and margarine contain a lot of water, which is also undesirable when cooking.

The fact that these products often contain emulsifiers, anti-splatter agents, flavorings, taste enhancers, thickeners, colorants, dairy ingredients, trans fats, and even meat extracts doesn’t make them a better choice. Cooking with dairy butter is only suitable up to 180°C. Margarine and halvarine often contain a mix of other oils, which makes it difficult to say up to what temperature they can be safely heated before they start smoking. ¹⁷ Interestingly, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre actually recommends olive oil as a good alternative.
Frying and cooking products
Let’s start by stating that liquid butter is healthier than solid butter. This is because the general rule is that solid butter mainly contains saturated fats. So it’s better to avoid blocks of frying and cooking products. However, even the liquid versions contain saturated fats and trans fats. Trans fats are highly harmful and are mainly created through industrial processing of fats.

In short: it’s a healthier option than butter, margarine, or halvarine—definitely. However, the conclusion also is¹⁸ that olive oil, due to its antioxidants and lack of saturated fats and trans fats, is a better choice. And no—you’re definitely not deep-frying with frying and cooking products.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil consists of 82% saturated fat—the highest of all fat and oil types! We know that this has a negative impact on your health. In fact, the idea that coconut oil is (very) healthy is a myth. This is reflected in its nutrition score of just 5.6 on the nutritional value chart. ¹⁹

The smoke point of coconut oil ranges between 177°C and 232°C ²⁰ (for unrefined and refined coconut oil respectively), so it’s important to watch out for smoking or burning. While unrefined coconut oil can technically be used for deep frying, olive oil remains the better choice due to its lower saturated fat content.
Sunflower oil
Like olive oil, sunflower oil also contains a high proportion of unsaturated fats and has a neutral taste (which we actually consider a downside—we love the extra flavor olive oil adds to a dish). One advantage sunflower oil has over olive oil is its higher smoke point, at 227°C.

However, olive oil is still the recommended choice. This is mainly because sunflower oil contains a relatively high amount of polyunsaturated fats. On the nutritional value chart, ²¹ extra virgin olive oil scores an 8.3, while sunflower oil scores a 7.2.
Rapeseed oil
With fewer monounsaturated fats and more polyunsaturated fats, rapeseed oil is a less favorable alternative to olive oil. However, it does score better in terms of its saturated fat content, which is worth noting. Although rapeseed oil has a high smoke point (240°C), it is not recommended for frying, sautéing, or deep frying due to its relatively high content of polyunsaturated fats. ²²

Which Olive Oil for Frying, Sautéing, and Deep-Frying?

Based on a lot of scientific sources, we can conclude that extra virgin olive oil is the tastiest and healthiest choice for frying and sautéing. You can heat this olive oil well above 200 degrees Celsius and still enjoy the taste and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. And the best olive oil for frying, sautéing, heating, and deep-frying? That would, of course, be the organic, 100% pure extra virgin olive oil from Gkazas!

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