We often get asked which olive oil is suitable for cooking with heat. Well, olive oil is super versatile and can be used in many dishes, both cold and warm. If you want to bake, fry, or deep-fry with olive oil, it’s important to choose the right kind. Let us help you out!
Which olive oil is best for baking?
You’ve probably heard that you can’t bake or deep-fry with extra virgin olive oil. But that’s not (completely) true. Let’s dive into a bit of history. In the past, it was normal to produce unfiltered extra virgin olive oil. Unfiltered simply means that there are still residues from the pressed olives and small amounts of water in the oil. These remaining particles aren’t filtered out. You can immediately tell when an oil is unfiltered because it appears cloudy.
However, nowadays almost all olive oil, just like our extra virgin olive oil, is filtered. The main reason: these olive residues will burn faster when heated, which is harmful. Gkazas Olive Oil is, of course, filtered. After harvesting, our olive oil undergoes a self-filtering process for a few months. The residues settle at the bottom and are filtered out. For this reason, you can heat our olive oil up to 207°C. Butter, for example, can safely be heated up to 177°C…
Since you deep-fry at 180°C and don’t usually go much higher than that when baking and frying, this is perfectly safe and easy. Want to go even higher than 207°C? Try virgin olive oil (215°C), olive oil (225°C), or our pomace olive oil (260°C)!
Always make sure that your olive oil doesn’t start smoking when heating. This can not only give your food an unpleasant taste, but it can also produce potentially harmful substances.
Which olive oil is suitable for cooking with heat?
So, you can use all types of olive oil for baking. Why choose ‘regular’ olive oil? Regular olive oil is generally a blend of extra virgin and refined olive oil. This brings the advantage of a higher smoke point. Additionally, this olive oil has a milder flavor.
During the production process, healthy nutrients like unsaturated fats and antioxidants are lost. So, you’re sacrificing quality, but this also makes this olive oil much cheaper. The choice is yours: do you opt for ‘regular’ olive oil with fewer healthy nutrients, a milder flavor, and a sharper price?
The same applies to pomace olive oil. This type of olive oil is made from the fresh olive pulp left over after pressing our organic extra virgin olive oil. Here too, healthy nutrients like antioxidants and vitamins, and flavor, are lost. However, it’s counterbalanced by a milder flavor and a sharper price…
Which olive oil is suitable for cooking with heat? In our opinion, it’s extra virgin olive oil. If it’s organic olive oil, that’s even better. The benefits: you can heat it up to 207°C, so the risk is minimal. Additionally, this type of olive oil contains the most healthy nutrients. It also has the richest flavor: light and grassy, fruity. Delicious with any dish, in our opinion. The only downside: the price tag. Compared to the other types, this one is the least cheap.
Olive oil versus…
Which olive oil is suitable for cooking with heat? It’s important to note that it’s not just about olive oil, as you have other options that are also suitable for cooking with heat. We’ve written great articles about this, where we discuss olive oil versus sunflower oil, olive oil versus coconut oil, and olive oil versus canola oil – which is healthier. Finally, we also explore is olive oil healthier than butter. Check it out to see who wins and why!
Reuse?
It’s also important to remember that it’s not recommended to reuse oil multiple times (or too often). The more often you heat an oil to high temperatures, the faster residues will remain in the olive oil that can burn. This can lead to the formation of harmful substances and give your food an unpleasant taste. That’s why we recommend the 5-liter olive oil tin, so you have enough oil for a while! In addition to olive oil tins, we also have olive oil bottles by the way!
Baking and frying with olive oil!
Which olive oil is suitable for cooking with heat? Okay, we from WC-eend recommend WC-eend. Luckily, others recommend the same. Now you are armed with all the information to choose which (olive) oil you want to use for baking and frying. Want to fry your steak in olive oil? Looking for more olive oil recipes?
