When oil starts smoking, it can produce toxic fumes and harmful free radicals, so knowing the smoke point of your oils is important. Because each oil is different, the all have different smoke points.

A good guideline to remember is that the more refined an oil is, the higher the smoke point will be. Use the following chart to learn more about the fat content and smoke point of common cooking oils. prev next. Prevea Health P.

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Please be on the look out for a verification email send to your email address within the next minutes. Stay Informed With The Latest News From Prevea Health. FIRST NAME:. EMAIL ADDRESS:. Smoke Point. Olive Oil. Many of the highest quality refined culinary oils are now pressed and refined without using chemical solvents.

Those that are expressed from soft fruit or nuts olive , avocado , walnut, etc. are expeller pressed and then put into a centrifuge to separate the oils from the waters. Harder oilseeds soybean oil is a good example often need to be steamed before pressing to achieve a good extraction, so there is some heat in that process.

Often, however, these oils are not ideal for more delicate applications like salad dressings, sauces, and flavored oils for drizzling.

The smoke point of an oil is when it reaches its burning point, when it stops shimmering and starts smoking. The smoke point varies greatly among oils, ranging from less than °F to more than °F.

Oils with high FFA content are more susceptible to oxidative aging, become rancid more quickly, and smoke sooner when heated. In general, however, it means your oil is breaking down, which in turn means it is releasing chemicals that can give your food a burnt or off flavor.

Overheated natural fats can also begin releasing free radicals unstable atoms that can damage cells. Additionally, the beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals found in many unrefined oils are destroyed when oil reaches its smoking point. In general, the more refined an oil is, the higher its smoke point will be.

A higher smoke point gives an oil a wide range of uses because you can use it at higher temperatures to fry, grill, deep-fry, and more. Some oils, like olive oil, are naturally high in monounsaturated fat but are also high in polyunsaturated fats which makes them less stable for both super-high-heat cooking and long-term storage.

Interestingly, food scientists have been working with sunflower seeds to develop an unrefined oil that is high in monounsaturated fats but low in polyunsaturated fats in hopes of creating a more shelf-stable unrefined oil that will be appropriate for a variety of uses.

They are rich in polyunsaturated fats and are lovely in smoothies, drizzles, salad dressings, etc. Naturally refined oils like coconut , grapeseed , and sunflower have much higher smoke points, ranging between °F.

Although there is growing evidence that saturated fats are not as bad as we all used to believe , recent studies show that replacing some saturated fats with polyunsaturated fat or nutrient-dense carbohydrates like whole grains can be beneficial for heart health.

This makes choosing a good culinary oil a smart choice because the unsaturated and monounsaturated fats in these oils come from nuts and seeds which often have beneficial fatty acids like Omega-9 and Omega Extra virgin olive oil , avocado oil , and flaxseed oil are excellent examples of oils with beneficial fatty acids.

From a tastebud standpoint, the other consideration on oil choice is whether you want a flavored oil or a neutral one. If you want the flavor of a food to stand out without any accompanying flavors from oils, you may want to look for a neutral-tasting, naturally refined oil.

Sometimes, of course, the flavor of an oil is integral to the dish itself. Truthfully, there is no reason most of us need to know the nutritional values and smoke points of every oil, but it is helpful to know how to best enjoy the oils you commonly use and to learn about a few new ones that could enhance your culinary expression.

Topics: Culinary , Specialty Ingredients , Green Living. Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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