Carla’s Cooking Tips: Cooking with Olive Oil

The Smoke Point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Organic extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined vegetable oil containing 77% monounsaturated fats, the fat known to lower triglycerides and LDL, or “bad cholesterol”. Cold-pressed and extra virgin mean temperatures are kept below 80°F during extraction and no chemicals are used to extract the oil. I get asked many times about what type of cooking is suited to extra virgin olive oil, as it is believed to have a low smoke point. The smoke point of oil is the temperature at which compounds in fats begin to burn and break down, forming unhealthy free radicals. In order to be labeled extra virgin, an olive oil must be unrefined. Refining is the industrial means of bleaching, filtering, or deodorizing oil to remove the compounds that break down under high heat. Here is the contradiction. Many vegetable oils that have been refined have a higher smoke point, but as far as unrefined oils, extra virgin olive oil performs extremely well.

The compounds removed during refinement also give the oil flavor, color, and nutritional value, and this is one reason why extra virgin olive oil is so much more flavorful and colorful than refined vegetable oils. Avocado, canola, safflower and high oleic sunflower contain high amounts of monounsaturated fats, but they are not readily available unrefined. I use jovial Reserve Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for all of my cooking because its smoke point is at 395°F. That covers almost everything for me, because pan-frying usually takes place at 250°F, while deep-frying should not exceed 375°F. If I have to bake over 400°F or am looking for a vegetable oil with less flavor that is less expensive for baking or frying, I personally keep organic high-oleic sunflower oil on hand. Not that sunflower is better than other vegetables oils; it’s just what is readily available and local to where I live most of the year.

Get To Know Your Oils

Fat is an essential ingredient in cooking, and I prefer to choose my fat for how it flavors the dish I am cooking. A piecrust made with butter is different than one made with lard, just as cooking a slice of turkey in butter tastes different than when it is cooked in olive oil. It’s important to explore and understand these differences and to base your choice of fat on how you envision the flavors and textures of your foods. Avocado oil contains a high percentage of monounsaturated fats, but it is very expensive and hard to find organic and unrefined. The refinement makes a difference in the smoke point, with an unrefined avocado oil having a smoke point of 375°F, while a refined avocado oil had a smoke point of 500°F. Coconut oil has become very popular, and excuse me if I share my thoughts, but I just cannot reach for this oil knowing that it is made up of 90% saturated fat compared to 64% in butter and only 40% in lard. The only time I use coconut oil is when I am looking to achieve a certain flavor in baking. I think many would frown upon lard, but in reality, it contains 45% monounsaturated fats compared to 19% in butter and has a smoke point of 375°F compared to 250°F of butter. When you get to know your oils and make the choice that is right for you, I think extra virgin olive should come out on top.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Cooking With Oil

It is important to understand that fat makes nutrients in food more bioavailable. Carotenoids are fat-soluble so you’ll absorb more of lycopene in your tomato sauce if you cook it with a little extra virgin olive oil. Don’t be afraid of cooking with oil, I learned that from my Italian mother-in-law. She never told me that in words, but I observed how much olive oil she started her cooking off with compared to me. Her food always tasted much better than mine, too. One tip for avoiding the smoke point in cooking is to start off with a cold skillet when you can. I often see people put the skillet on the stove, pour oil in the pan, turn up the heat, then turn to start chopping garlic. By the time they add the garlic to the pan, the oil is already smoking. When you need to sear in a hot skillet, let the pan heat up to the right temperature, and then add the oil, as you are ready to start cooking.

Get A Good Helping Of Fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil Each Day

While I don’t frown upon butter, I do know that the high percentage of monounsaturated fats in raw olive oil not only helps to keep my cholesterol at healthy levels, it is also soothing to my digestive tract. When my husband first moved to the United States, my brothers were shocked to see him pouring extra virgin olive oil all over scrambled eggs and cooked steak. They used to joke with him and say he needed an oil change. I think the joke was on them when his first stateside doctor’s appointment showed his good cholesterol to be so high, the doctor said he had never seen anything like it.

I love to eat salads, and I change up the types of vegetables I use to keep things interesting. When I first arrived in Italy, I was surprised when they served lettuce greens with just extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. In fact, bottled salad dressing is an anomaly in Europe. If you used bottled dressings on salads, I would advise you to try to break the habit. Even the healthiest of dressings contain gums, thickeners, sweeteners, and they are pasteurized, heating the oils up to high temperatures. You can easily come up with your own dressings using fresh herbs, mustard, vinegars, buttermilk, and goat cheese. Even in small quantities, adding fresh herbs lends powerful antioxidant capabilities to your salad.

Here are a few of our of our favorites!
Green Goddess Salad Dressing
Creamy Herb & Olive Oil
Garlic Herb Vinaigrette

How much olive oil do I use in one year? My family uses about one liter of jovial extra virgin olive oil per adult family member per month. We do not eat out and cook every meal with olive oil, and again, we add a drizzle of fresh oil to almost all of our cooked foods, whether it be a soup, steamed vegetables, pasta sauce, fish or meat dishes, so our consumption is definitely on the high side. When I first moved to Italy years ago, I noticed how healthy and fit everyone looked. I attribute this to eating simple and seasonal foods, as well as extra virgin olive oil being the fat of choice. High quality extra virgin olive oil tastes good, and it will elevate the flavor of your cooking.
Purchase some of this special oil today!