While EVOO can handle way more heat than most people think, it’s not universal.
If you’ve ever hesitated to cook with olive oil because someone told you it can’t handle the heat, I have some good news: that advice might be outdated. Chef Sohla El-Waylly recently made a compelling case for cooking with olive oil at high heat, which changed how I think about extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO).
EVOO is far more stable and heat-friendly than most of us have been led to believe, and often a better choice for everyday high-heat cooking than the neutral oils we typically reach for. But there’s still one specific scenario where reaching for EVOO doesn’t make practical sense.
EVOO has made its mark as a kitchen staple because it’s richly flavorful, versatile, packed with heart-healthy fats, and backed by decades of nutrition research linking it to all sorts of health benefits. And practically speaking, it does most of the jobs we need it to—like sautéing vegetables, roasting chicken, seasoning pasta, and making salad dressings.
But while EVOO can handle way more heat than most people think, it’s not universal. There’s one cooking method where you’re better off putting the bottle back in the pantry and reaching for something else.
Why Olive Oil Is More Stable Than You Think
The concern about olive oil and high heat usually comes down to smoke point. EVOO sits between 350°F and 410°F, depending on the brand. That might sound low compared to some neutral oils, but the smoke point alone doesn’t tell us how well an oil holds up when you cook with it. What matters more is the oil’s chemical structure.
Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats, which have just one double bond. Polyunsaturated fats—like those in canola oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil—have multiple double bonds, and each one is a point where oxidation can happen when heated. That makes olive oil less prone to breaking down than many oils we’ve been told are better for frying. Plus, EVOO is packed with antioxidants that protect it from degradation.
Simply Recipes / Getty Images
Simply Recipes / Getty Images
When You Shouldn’t Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
So, when should you put the bottle of EVOO back in your pantry? When you won’t actually taste it. EVOO is expensive because of its flavor—those peppery, fruity, grassy notes that make it worth the splurge.
Using it for deep-frying or any cooking method where the oil is purely functional (not finishing a dish or adding flavor) means you’re paying for something you’ll never taste. It’s not that it can’t handle the heat. It’s that the heat erases what makes it special.
Here’s Where Cooking With Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Shines
A better approach is to save your nicest extra virgin olive oil for things like drizzling, finishing, and dressing—anywhere you really want to highlight its flavor. For everyday high-heat cooking, such as sautéing, pan-frying, and roasting, refined or «light» olive oil is a better choice. It’s filtered to increase the smoke point, has a milder flavor, costs less than EVOO, and still offers the stability advantages of olive oil.
For the rare times you’re deep-frying, you’re using oil multiple times, that’s when neutral oils like avocado oil or refined peanut make more sense—not because EVOO can’t handle it, because you’re not getting what you’re paying for. With our grocery budgets constantly being stretched, let’s normalize keeping a few bottles in our pantry. As a food writer, I certainly do, and it makes it easier to get the full value out of each bottle.