Is olive oil safe at high heat? Does it taste bad?
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Date: 2020-04-28
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Comments and reviews: 9
WarChortle
This video I want to believe, but it's one of those I'm not sure about this. I think there are other factors other than smoke point when it comes to frying oil choice. Of course there is cost, but also about higher heat capacities of different oils. Edible oils with higher saturated fats tend to also have higher heat capacities which I would presume would affect cooking time of batches. If we're going to talk about polyphenols I think a conversation about flavonoids should also enter the mix. I have yet to see research on flavonoid differences in frying, but I have seen large differences between different cooking methods from raw, boiled, steamed, fried etc. These greatly impact the final amount of flavonoids. Any time you essentially cook food you're creating carcinogens from my understand, but that's the trade off for avoiding food bacteria like salmonella. No one heats oil to fry nothing. I think a more valid test would be to fry a food that is considered raw until safe for consumption and then taste test fried item and the oil. I have seen studies that also show that olive oil frying for more than 24 hours show harmful chemicals like you mentioned in the video. Does this mean cooking methods like confit for long periods is also less healthy? I mean. let's be real. You're talking about food cooked in fat. I'm thinking this idea came from tasting food. Most people wouldn't fry food in a highly flavorful oil that's 40 a liter. It makes more financial sense to fry in the cheap stuff and save the flavorful oils as dressings for example.
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This video I want to believe, but it's one of those I'm not sure about this. I think there are other factors other than smoke point when it comes to frying oil choice. Of course there is cost, but also about higher heat capacities of different oils. Edible oils with higher saturated fats tend to also have higher heat capacities which I would presume would affect cooking time of batches. If we're going to talk about polyphenols I think a conversation about flavonoids should also enter the mix. I have yet to see research on flavonoid differences in frying, but I have seen large differences between different cooking methods from raw, boiled, steamed, fried etc. These greatly impact the final amount of flavonoids. Any time you essentially cook food you're creating carcinogens from my understand, but that's the trade off for avoiding food bacteria like salmonella. No one heats oil to fry nothing. I think a more valid test would be to fry a food that is considered raw until safe for consumption and then taste test fried item and the oil. I have seen studies that also show that olive oil frying for more than 24 hours show harmful chemicals like you mentioned in the video. Does this mean cooking methods like confit for long periods is also less healthy? I mean. let's be real. You're talking about food cooked in fat. I'm thinking this idea came from tasting food. Most people wouldn't fry food in a highly flavorful oil that's 40 a liter. It makes more financial sense to fry in the cheap stuff and save the flavorful oils as dressings for example.
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Alex
Adam, the reason I don't cook with extra virgin olive oil is because, as you mentioned it's more expensive 60 for 500 ml. And also, because the smoke itself sets off my smoke alarm, it isn't too sensitive yet whenever I saute some vegetables, the alarm goes off. It would make sense if it goes off when vigorously searing some meat, but no, in every application it sets off my alarm when canola or vegetable oil never does. maybe your kitchen before and after the remodel is WAY less sensitive to mine, but at least for me, I don't cook with extra virgin olive oil because it sets off my alarm.
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Adam, the reason I don't cook with extra virgin olive oil is because, as you mentioned it's more expensive 60 for 500 ml. And also, because the smoke itself sets off my smoke alarm, it isn't too sensitive yet whenever I saute some vegetables, the alarm goes off. It would make sense if it goes off when vigorously searing some meat, but no, in every application it sets off my alarm when canola or vegetable oil never does. maybe your kitchen before and after the remodel is WAY less sensitive to mine, but at least for me, I don't cook with extra virgin olive oil because it sets off my alarm.
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Person
I gotta say, when it comes to smoke point, I don't worry about toxins, I worry about my kitchen filling with smoke and setting off my fire alarm. I don't want a low smoke point oil because I don't want lots of smoke. The real issue with using olive oil for something like deep frying though is that that sounds hideously expensive. Idk if it's maybe cheaper in california (I assume california grows olives) but where I'm from it makes me cringe thinking about using olive oil once and then dumping it all out, even in my little 1-person deep fryer.
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I gotta say, when it comes to smoke point, I don't worry about toxins, I worry about my kitchen filling with smoke and setting off my fire alarm. I don't want a low smoke point oil because I don't want lots of smoke. The real issue with using olive oil for something like deep frying though is that that sounds hideously expensive. Idk if it's maybe cheaper in california (I assume california grows olives) but where I'm from it makes me cringe thinking about using olive oil once and then dumping it all out, even in my little 1-person deep fryer.
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swimon
What about the smell though? I find that olive oil smells really pungent beyond a certain heating point. Maybe it's by biased association, but I experience that smell as unhealty smelling, like there's something wrong. Not many people seem to agree. So again, maybe just me. I am a little sad you only focused on olive oil. You briefly metioned coconut oil and some other's which are also healthier than other. You should follow up on this! Btw. Great video as always. You always seem to make the kind of videos about topics I am conflicted about!
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What about the smell though? I find that olive oil smells really pungent beyond a certain heating point. Maybe it's by biased association, but I experience that smell as unhealty smelling, like there's something wrong. Not many people seem to agree. So again, maybe just me. I am a little sad you only focused on olive oil. You briefly metioned coconut oil and some other's which are also healthier than other. You should follow up on this! Btw. Great video as always. You always seem to make the kind of videos about topics I am conflicted about!
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Loreno
This video is a bit silly. I don't think anybody is concerned with how the oil tastes when cooked, but rather the food cooked IN the oil. Case in point, I roasted some potatos over Easter, one batch in peanut oil, the other in olive oil, same temperature, same amount of time. The olive oil batch ended up bitter, brittle and scorched while the peanut oil batch ended up with a delicious, crisp exterior. Any sort of high heat pan frying or oven roasting with olive oil will typically lead to an inferior result.
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This video is a bit silly. I don't think anybody is concerned with how the oil tastes when cooked, but rather the food cooked IN the oil. Case in point, I roasted some potatos over Easter, one batch in peanut oil, the other in olive oil, same temperature, same amount of time. The olive oil batch ended up bitter, brittle and scorched while the peanut oil batch ended up with a delicious, crisp exterior. Any sort of high heat pan frying or oven roasting with olive oil will typically lead to an inferior result.
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Molly
I mostly use olive oil, but I live in a condo where I can get fined if the smoke alarms go off. So if I'm cooking anything on a high heat, like a steak, or if I'm using a rocket hot wok, I'm gonna use the avocado oil. I realize you said your pan cools down when you introduce the meat, so maybe I'm doing it wrong. But that being said, I don't know a single Chinese person that uses olive oil in a wok. It's always peanut or vegetable. It's already smokey as heck as it is!
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I mostly use olive oil, but I live in a condo where I can get fined if the smoke alarms go off. So if I'm cooking anything on a high heat, like a steak, or if I'm using a rocket hot wok, I'm gonna use the avocado oil. I realize you said your pan cools down when you introduce the meat, so maybe I'm doing it wrong. But that being said, I don't know a single Chinese person that uses olive oil in a wok. It's always peanut or vegetable. It's already smokey as heck as it is!
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Hare
like with anything: 'someone makes a study, comes up with a conclusion, media jumps on it - and it becomes the objective truth by being repeated over and over again'. 20 years ago everything was suppose to be fat-free, because fat is so bad for you, but no one seemed to care about the sugar content. same thing with searing meats, i still hear to this day pro-chefs talk about how searing is so important because it will seal in the juices.
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like with anything: 'someone makes a study, comes up with a conclusion, media jumps on it - and it becomes the objective truth by being repeated over and over again'. 20 years ago everything was suppose to be fat-free, because fat is so bad for you, but no one seemed to care about the sugar content. same thing with searing meats, i still hear to this day pro-chefs talk about how searing is so important because it will seal in the juices.
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psych0z3r0
Here is an argument for not using olive oil that I feel was looked over. In smaller kitchens with poor ventilation (a lot of apartments) the increased amount of smoke in olive oil vs vegetable or something tends to smoke out the kitchen fast, which is not very nice for the smoke detector. That being said this is not a huge issue for most people but I feel like it matters, especially when cooking something like a steak or pork chop.
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Here is an argument for not using olive oil that I feel was looked over. In smaller kitchens with poor ventilation (a lot of apartments) the increased amount of smoke in olive oil vs vegetable or something tends to smoke out the kitchen fast, which is not very nice for the smoke detector. That being said this is not a huge issue for most people but I feel like it matters, especially when cooking something like a steak or pork chop.
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Z0mbieAnt
Pretty obvious if you think about it: Extra Virgin usually is produced cold-pressed. Why go through the troublesome work of extracting the oil cold, when you are going to heat it up afterwards anyways? I keep 2 bottles of oil in my kitchen. Corn oil for cooking and olive oil for salads. It's mostly a preference of taste though, as you mentioned at the end of your video. Random funfact: Olive oil is an opaque red under blacklight.
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Pretty obvious if you think about it: Extra Virgin usually is produced cold-pressed. Why go through the troublesome work of extracting the oil cold, when you are going to heat it up afterwards anyways? I keep 2 bottles of oil in my kitchen. Corn oil for cooking and olive oil for salads. It's mostly a preference of taste though, as you mentioned at the end of your video. Random funfact: Olive oil is an opaque red under blacklight.
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