Olive oil.. heating (cooking)

[rk_sports]

From some of reading on the web, it was suggested that heating olive oil will make it is susceptible to oxidative damage

Now, a friend pointed me to this article from International Olive oil, which seem to suggest otherwise -

Frying with olive oil

Since that article didn't reference any study, I thought of opening up to the TW minds

[slice bh compliment]

They tell you this and they tell you that.

I love olive oil for just about anything.

For high heat, we use coconut oil.
For moderate-low heat, we use blended olive oil.
For low or no heat, we use extra virgin olive oil.

I make eggs with olive oil rather than butter or margarine. Sometimes I use coconut oil for eggs, so they don't stick to the pan, and so they taste like Thai food.

Olive oil is the first ingredient in the muscle rub I use.
At an Italian grocery (in the US), I once bought a few bars of olive oil soap. There ought to be a warning on the box. The fine young ladies were chasing me around that whole summer. I use a cheaper soap now and my life is a lot simpler.

[Bartelby]

Its smoking point is lower than some oils, but as the article points out if you just want to get to 180 that's no problem for blended olive oil.

[vin]

The susceptibility of a fatty acid to oxidation is based on how many double bonds it has. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (most prevalent in vegetable oils) have 2 or more double bonds. Monounsaturated fatty acids have only one. Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated and is therefore less susceptible to oxidation than vegetable oil, but it is more susceptible than coconut oil which is mostly saturated fat (no double bonds).

Personally, I never heat olive oil since coconut oil is a reasonably convenient alternative.

[LuckyR]

Cooking oils IMO have two variables: do they impart a taste and do they have a high enough smoke point to do frying?

Olive oil has a relatively strong taste, a great taste, but a distinctive taste. It's smoking point is way too low to do any serious frying.

I almost never use it in a skillet.

[Bartelby]

Olive oil and a skillet is a yes from me, but a wok not really for smoking point and flavour reasons.

Chips fried in olive oil are great, as well.

[3fees]

I skip oils , my arteries thank me daily.

[Bartelby]

Not if you skip some oils, like olive oil, as they have positive health effects.

[nyc]

Low temps = olive oil

High Temps = Peanut Oil

Better Flavor = Clarified Butter

[r2473]

Originally Posted by nyc

Low temps = olive oil

High Temps = Peanut Oil

Better Flavor = Clarified Butter

You are overlooking bacon grease my friend.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Many olive oils are good for medium heat up to 320F (160 C). For higher temps look for an olive oil with a higher smoke point or cook with a saturated fatty oil or some other high-oleic (mono-unsaturated) oils. Saffola is an example of a high-oleic safflower oil. Avacado oil is also very high in mono-unsaturated fats and will often have a very high smoke point. Some almond oils are also suitable for high temp applications.

Canola oil is often suggested for higher temps (like 400F or 200 C). However, there is some disagreement on this. While it has a fairly high smoke point, there is some concern that the omega-3 fats in this oil can be damaged (and become unhealthy) for temps much above 125F (50 C). OTOH, one canola oil manufacturer claimed that, due to its fatty acid profile, the omega-3 fats were protected. Not sure which camp is correct on this. I normally use canola oil only for very low heat applications.

Suitable saturated fats for high temp cooking would include coconut oil (1st choice), ghee or butter. I'll only use butter for high-temp cooking if I don't have coconut oil on hand. Here is one source that shows smoke points and cooking uses for a large variety of oils. Note, however, that not all oils of a certain type will have the smoke point as others.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/SmokePointOil.htm

Originally Posted by Bartelby

Not if you skip some oils, like olive oil, as they have positive health effects.

I'll use olive oil more for dipping. I don't fry my foods all that often. Trader Joes has modestly-priced olive oil with an outstanding taste (at least for my palate). Their California Estate Olive Oil (TJs brand) was given top marks & Best Buy by Consumer Reports.
.

[Pacific lefty]

I lived in Spain for four years and absolutely everybody cooked and seasoned the food with olive oil. There was a huge variety of oils you could buy which were either suitable for salads and seasoning or frying. The food was delicious and as far as I know, very healthy. I still do it here in Ireland and prefer it to some of the lighter more tasteless oils. And yes, chips (or french fries) cooked in olive oil are delicious....

[El Diablo]

^^ "as far as I know" isn't, in this case, very far. As noted by others above, it's pretty well documented that olive oil at frying temperatures degrades into some very unhealthy compounds. Do it the "Five Guys" way -- in peanut oil.

[North]

I use Safflower oil for high/prolonged heat. Canola oil for moderate heat. EVOO for low heat/dipping/brief brush on quickly cooked food. Butter is really a great alternative in terms of flavor and I like to saute things in butter instead of oil. I've used coconut and peanut oils for high heat or long cooking times but just prefer the less obtrusive flavors of safflower & canola.

I'm not sure I would trust an industry source claiming their product (olive oil or otherwise) did not have a negative aspect that most other, objective (ie; no profits involved) sources cite lol.

I will use olive oil for very brief high heat things like french fries or potato chips. Yum.

[slice bh compliment]

Anyone into grapeseed oil?

[Topaz]

I'm a big fan of coconut oil...I get mine from trader joes.

[AlfaAce]

There are also recent studies that suggest that when olive oil is heated (extremely) that some of the compounds become potentially carcinogenic vs. coconut oil. Of course, unheated EVOO is a very healthy choice. I don't have the specific reference off hand, but check out Dr. Mercola's website.

[Bartelby]

Yes, you're not supposed to heat olive oil to smoking point nor reuse it for frying purposes but otherwise it's fine.

[jtrain_36]

Pretty much all of my cooking needs are accomplished by coconut oil, bacon grease, or ghee (clarified butter).

Everything tastes great!

[Dedans Penthouse]

Question: does anyone know if you can use Astroglide in cooking?

I'm looking for an alternative to either arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken a sauce.