Can Olive Oil Be Used For Cooking?

Last updated on August 30th, 2022 at 05:16 am

Olive oil is one of the healthier cooking oils that are available. Olive oil comes from pressed olives and is not a highly processed oil. 

Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed oil. Olive oil does contain saturated fats just like vegetable oil but olive oil also contains large amounts of monounsaturated fats such as linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid. 

Monounsaturated fats have anti-inflammatory benefits as well as heart-health benefits. 

When you are cooking you might be wondering if you should use olive oil or not. 

Olive oil can be used for cooking, in fact, many doctors recommend using olive oil for cooking especially when cooking over low heat.

Extra virgin olive oil is very minimally processed so it is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and tocopherols. It can also contain vitamins K and E. 

Olive oil has a similar smoke point as vegetable oil, between 374 and 405 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can Olive Oil Be Used For Regular Cooking?

Olive oil is the healthier cooking oil choice. It has a smoke point that is fairly similar to vegetable oil. The smoke point for vegetable oil is 400 degrees Fahrenheit while the smoke point for extra virgin olive oil is between 374 degrees Fahrenheit and 405 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Vegetable oil is a blend of several different oils. The ingredients of vegetable oils can be a mixture of sunflower, safflower, corn, canola, soybean, and even peanut oils. Olive oil is simply made from pressed olives. 

Olive oil is processed less than other cooking oils and has some great health benefits.

Olive oil can be used for everyday cooking. With a smoke point between 374 degrees Fahrenheit and 405 degrees Fahrenheit olive oil can actually be used in much of your cooking. 

You can even use olive oil for frying.

Which Olive Oil Is Best For Cooking?

While all olive oils are made from pressed olives there are different types of olive oil that you can use. You have three different types of olive oil that you can choose from for your cooking needs. 

Extra virgin olive oil is the most expensive of the three kinds that you can purchase but it is also the highest quality. Extra virgin olive oil is simply the pressed oil of olives. There is no other processing that goes into creating this cooking oil. 

Extra virgin olive oil has a distinct olive flavor to it, that can almost be described as slightly spicy. 

Virgin olive oil is one step down from extra virgin olive oil. It will be slightly cheaper than extra virgin olive oil but still contains much of the olive flavor.

Light olive oil has a lighter color than virgin and extra virgin olive oil and a more neutral flavor. This olive oil is more refined than the extra virgin and virgin olive oils. 

After the oil is pressed from the olives it is then processed with heat which lightens the color from a deep green to a light yellow. This oil has a higher smoke point than virgin olive oil but it also has fewer nutrients due to the heat pressing. 

There are also three terms that could appear on your bottles of olive oil that you will want to be aware of. If your bottle of olive oil says it is “refined” then that means that this particular olive oil has gone through a second round of production after the initial pressing of the olives. 

This could be that it was heat treated or that it was treated with chemicals to refine it some more. It could also mean that it has been mixed with other types of oils which will reduce the quality of oil that you have. 

“Unrefined” olive oil means that nothing extra happened in the creation of that oil. The olives were washed and then pressed. The oil was then filtered and decanted. That is all that happened to create that oil. 

The unrefined type of olive oil is going to have more beneficial health benefits. 

“Cold-pressed” olive oils have gone through the least amount of processing. This oil will be the most expensive and the most beneficial. 

The kind of oil that you use for your cooking needs comes down to your personal preferences. You will want to select an oil based on flavor, smoke point, and price. 

The extra virgin and virgin olive oils have more of an olive flavor while light olive oil has a neutral flavor. Light olive oil will not alter the taste of your food at all. 

The smoke point of olive oil is between 374 degrees Fahrenheit and 405 degrees Fahrenheit. That is why many people will tell you to use canola oil when frying food. When frying food, you will want your oil to be heated to anywhere between 350 degrees Fahrenheit and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

You can certainly use olive oil to fry your food but you have to be careful not to heat the oil too hot. 

You will also want to check into the prices of the oils before you decide which one you want to cook with. Extra virgin olive oil is going to be more expensive than other oils that are on the market. 

Even virgin olive oil can come with a higher price tag.

Can You Use Olive Oil For Frying Eggs?

Olive oil does not really have as many limitations as people seem to think it does. Oftentimes on cooking shows we see the chef using olive oil. It has a great flavor and some excellent health benefits. 

A doctor recently told one of my family members that they needed to switch over to olive oil for all of their cooking needs. If you love eggs can you fry them  in olive oil?

Of course, you can fry eggs in olive oil. Frying your eggs in olive oil will give nice crispy edges to your eggs. 

For years people have been saying you can’t use olive oil if you are cooking with high heat but that is simply not true. Olive oil actually has a relatively high smoke point that is very similar to vegetable oil. 

If you want to use olive oil to fry eggs then all you need is a large flat-bottomed pan with flat sides and a lid and some olive oil. You will place a small amount of olive oil into the bottom of your pan and heat the pan. You will want your pan to be hot and the oil to shimmer but will not want it to be smoking. 

When the oil begins to shimmer, it is time to add your eggs. Gently slip your cracked eggs into the pan and cover with the lid to prevent the oil from splattering. 

Allow your eggs to cook for anywhere between 30 seconds and a minute. Then remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to retrieve your eggs from the pan.