Olive Oil Overheated? That’s Why This Shouldn’t Happen

Use olive oil for frying – yes or no? Here is the scientific answer.

Olive oil is not cold-pressed for nothing

A liter of olive oil – that’s how much every German consumes every year. In the Mediterranean countries of Greece, Spain and Italy it is more than ten liters per capita. There it is almost considered a staple food and is used everywhere, including for deep-frying and roasting. In Germany this is rarely done. Among other things, because one often hears that olive oil should not be used for frying.

In fact, you should not use naturally cloudy olive oil for frying: the aromatic substances, i.e. the typical taste of this oil, evaporate if they are heated too much. In addition, naturally cloudy olive oil contains amniotic fluid and small pieces of olives, which change their physical state at around 100 degrees. Then it starts to smoke in the pan. It is not for nothing that these oils are cold-pressed. So they were obtained in the oil mill without heat, purely mechanically.

If the oils start to smoke, not only does the taste suffer, it can even become really dangerous. Fat and food should then be discarded. When the eyes water and the throat scratches, acrolein has formed. This substance is suspected of being carcinogenic.

The smoke point is crucial

Therefore, overheating should always be avoided. Every oil has its smoke point. This is a parameter mostly used by experts. The smoke point describes the temperature at which volatile components in the oil – for example water or free fatty acids – evaporate. These then become visible as smoke. The rule of thumb is: Cold-pressed oils have a smoke point of 120 to 190 degrees, while refined, i.e. more processed oils, are over 200 degrees.

Clear olive oil can be used for frying, for example, as long as the temperature in the pan remains below 180 degrees Celsius. Some of the oils are also specially developed for high temperatures, but in general they are intended for lower temperatures. If you still want the taste of olive oil in your food, you should first fry it in vegetable oils such as sunflower oil or rapeseed oil. The olive oil can then be added just before serving.