No matter how much fact we put out there, the fiction around smoke point and EVOO is still putting some people off cooking with our flavoursome, healthy product.
It’s frustrating, as we know from recent research that smoke point is not a good indicator of a cooking oil’s stability when exposed to heat, and it doesn’t accurately represent the point where EVOO begins to break down and form harmful compounds.
Luckily, the Olive Wellness Institute (OWI) has more help at hand, with a new blog focussed on breaking down more of the myths around smoke point, EVOO and cooking.
In previous blogs the OWI team has unpacked oil stability tests and answered the much-asked question, Can you cook with EVOO? (the answer is, of course, yes). In this new blog they investigate what smoke point is actually telling us and what this means for our food and health.
The blog breaks down what actually happens at smoke point – ie. the chemical changes which occur when heat is applied to any cooking oil over time. These can significantly impact taste, smell, appearance and overall health properties.
It explains how, despite its comparatively lower smoke point, the monounsaturated fatty acids and bioactive compounds naturally found in olives protect the oil from oxidation and increases the time it takes for harmful molecules to form when cooking with EVOO.
It then looks at more refined cooking oils and how research has shown that, while they tend to have relatively higher smoke points, they appear to produce much higher concentrations of harmful elements before smoke point is reached.
And finally, the blog looks at how cooking at smoke point affects taste, in particular the fabulous flavours which EVOO is known for.
It’s great science-based information, made reader-friendly by the OWI team and ideal to share with your customers and networks. Access the blog on smoke point and EVOO here.
And you can find the previous blog Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil? here.
