Yes, You Can Cook With Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The “don’t heat olive oil” myth won’t die. Here’s the science — and why EVOO is one of the most stable oils in your kitchen.
Somewhere along the way, a myth took hold: never cook with extra virgin olive oil — save it for salads, and fry in something “neutral.” It’s one of the most persistent bits of bad kitchen advice out there. Here’s the actual science.
The smoke-point scare
The worry is smoke point, the temperature at which an oil starts to smoke and break down. Extra virgin’s is often quoted as low, but in reality a good EVOO smokes somewhere around 190–210°C (375–410°F) — comfortably hot enough for sautéing, roasting, pan-frying, and baking. Most home cooking never gets near the top of that range.
Stability beats smoke point
More importantly, smoke point isn’t the best measure of whether an oil is good to cook with. Oxidative stability is — how well the oil resists forming harmful compounds when heated. And here EVOO shines: its high load of polyphenols and natural antioxidants makes it remarkably stable. Controlled studies heating common oils have found that quality extra virgin olive oil produces fewer harmful compounds than many so-called high-smoke-point oils.
None of this is new. Cooks across the Mediterranean have fried and sautéed in olive oil for thousands of years.
The sensible way to use it
- Reach for an everyday extra virgin for the stove — roasting vegetables, searing, frying eggs, building a sauce.
- Save your finest, most peppery bottle for finishing raw, where gentle heat won’t blow off its aromatics.
That’s the only real rule: you’re not protecting EVOO from the pan, you’re protecting its most delicate flavors, which are wasted under high heat anyway.
Cook confidently with good olive oil. Just don’t waste your showpiece bottle on a hot skillet — drizzle that one at the end.
