Smoke Point – Simply Explained

Oils and fats have different smoke points

If oil or fat for frying or deep-frying is heated to a high temperature, it starts to smoke above a certain point. This smells unpleasantly “burnt” and is not healthy because, among other things, the pollutant acrolein is produced. Each oil or fat has an individually different smoke point determined by its chemical composition.

• The chemical structure of fats and oils consists of a glycerol building block that is connected (esterified) to three different fatty acids depending on the type of fat.
• The number of carbon atoms (C-atoms) in the fatty acids partly determines their chemical properties in the kitchen and for metabolism. There are short (C1-C6), medium (C6-C12), or long chain (over C14) fatty acids. The more short-chain fatty acids an oil or fat contains, the lower its smoke point is pushed.
• In addition, there is also a certain proportion of free fatty acids and fat-related substances in every fat. These are vitamins and chemical compounds with names like sterols, ubiquinones, and squalene. These substances are most sensitive to heat.
• The more free fatty acids and fat by-products in oil, the more likely it is to smoke when heated. That is why highly heatable oils are usually refined. During refining, the vast majority of heat-sensitive substances are removed.

An oil with a high smoke point is best for frying and steaming

The smoke point is the lowest temperature, measured in degrees Celsius, at which a clearly visible development of smoke begins over a heated fat or oil sample. They should never be heated above the smoke point, because then substances that are harmful to health, some of which are carcinogenic, are formed.

• Many classic salad oils and native, natural oils with a high proportion of long-chain and unsaturated fatty acids should be left out when roasting and deep-frying. These are, for example, walnut oil, unrefined olive oil, or cold-pressed, unrefined rapeseed oil
• If you want to fry or stew, you need stable oils or fats that heat up well and have a suitably high smoke point.
• However, this does not always have to be strictly chemically refined, there are also fats and oils that have been steam-deodorized or gently cleaned by filtration that you can use for frying, for example, rapeseed oil, olive oil, or coconut oil
• The best thing to do is test your oil yourself at home because the information in smoke point tables can vary considerably. If a lot of burning smoke develops during frying, then you should better look for a more suitable alternative.

Smoke points of oils and fats in the overview

We have compiled the smoke points of individual fats below. Fats and oils for frying should only smoke above around 200 degrees Celsius. Fat with a smoke point of at least 170 degrees Celsius is also suitable for steaming vegetables and meat.

• Butter: 175 degrees Celsius, clarified butter (ghee): 200 degrees Celsius
• Safflower oil, cold-pressed: 150 degrees Celsius; refined: 210 degrees Celsius
• Coconut oil, native: 180-200 degrees Celsius; Coconut fat, deodorized: 220 degrees Celsius.
• Linseed oil, native: 105 degrees Celsius
• Olive oil, cold-pressed: Depending on the quality, 130 to 175 degrees Celsius; extra virgin, filtered: 210 degrees Celsius; refined: 220 degrees Celsius
• Sesame oil, unrefined: 180 degrees Celsius
• Sunflower oil, high-oleic: 180 to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Rapeseed oil, cold-pressed: Depending on the quality, 130 to 190 degrees Celsius; refined: 220 degrees Celsius
• Walnut oil, unrefined: 160 degrees Celsius