Oil and smoke points
Past its smoke point, oil breaks down. Some of the fat splits into acrolein, the acrid smoke that stings your eyes, and the oil turns bitter. Pull the pan off the heat as soon as you see steady smoke.
Pick the oil for the heat
For searing and stir-frying, use a refined neutral oil such as peanut, canola or refined avocado. For medium-heat sauteing, olive oil works. For finishing, with no heat at all, grab toasted sesame or an unrefined nut oil.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
Why does a refined oil smoke later than the unrefined version of the same oil?
Refining strips out particles and free fatty acids that start smoking early. Fewer impurities means a higher smoke point.
True or false: Once oil is smoking, it's fine to keep cooking because the flavor only gets nuttier.
False. Smoking oil turns acrid and bitter, so pull the pan off the heat and start over.
Fill the blank: Oil that smokes is breaking down into irritating compounds like ___.
Oil that smokes is breaking down into irritating compounds like acrolein. Acrolein forms as fat breaks down and causes the sting.
What went wrong? You heat extra virgin olive oil on maximum in an empty pan for several minutes, then add stir-fry vegetables. The kitchen fills with smoke.
The oil sat on maximum heat well past its smoke point. Use lower heat or a refined high-heat oil, and add the food sooner.
You're stir-frying in a very hot wok. Which fat is the best match?
Refined peanut oil. It tolerates wok heat without breaking down.