For years, fried foods have held a special place in the hearts of food enthusiasts around the world, offering a satisfying texture and deep flavor. However, conflicting information about the health implications of frying, especially when using olive oil, can be confusing. Let's dispel some long-held misconceptions and explore whether food fried in olive oil can be part of a healthy diet.
Debunking Myths About Frying with Olive Oil
Several myths surround the use of olive oil for high-temperature cooking methods like frying. Let's examine some of the most common ones:
Myth #1: The Smoking Point of Olive Oil Is Too Low for Frying
Some cooking oils and fats reach what is referred to as the smoking point before reaching temperatures required for a good fry. The smoking point is the temperature at which a chemical change occurs, resulting in undesirable smoke and flavor. However, the smoking point of extra virgin olive oil is somewhere between 380°F (193°C) and 410°F (210°C), depending on the impurities and acid content of the olive oil: the better the quality, the higher the smoking point. The smoking point of olive oil is well above the temperature required for all but the highest-heat cooking.
Myth #2: Frying Temperatures Will Change Olive Oil From a ‘Good Oil’ to a ‘Bad Oil’
Cooking fats and oils are considered dietary fats of which there are three types: saturated, trans, and unsaturated. The first two are bad, but the third, unsaturated fat, includes olive oil, a healthy plant-derived dietary fat. The heat required to raise the temperature of olive oil high enough to fry food cannot change the chemical composition of olive oil from good to bad.
Myth #3: Fried Foods Absorb Cooking Oil, Making You Fat
Properly fried food will absorb much less cooking oil if the temperature is hot enough before introducing food. Otherwise, the food will soak up the oil, producing a soggy, flaccid product.
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Why Olive Oil Is an Excellent Choice for Frying
Stability at High Temperatures
Many people avoid olive oil for frying due to concerns about smoke points. However, studies have shown that olive oil, including extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), is among the most stable cooking oils available. Published research in ACTA Scientific Nutritional Health confirms that olive oil remains stable even when subjected to high heat during frying. Stability in cooking oil is critical, as it determines how well the oil holds up without breaking down and forming harmful compounds. You can confidently use olive oil-especially high-quality La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil-for sautéing, pan-frying, and even shallow deep-frying without compromising safety or flavor.
Heart-Healthy Fat
The Mediterranean diet is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest eating patterns in the world, based on olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants like polyphenols, which have been linked to reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, improved heart health, and better brain function. Choosing olive oil over refined vegetable oils helps reduce your intake of trans fats and highly processed ingredients.
Retains Nutritional Value When Heated
While it’s true that some antioxidants degrade slightly when heated, olive oil retains most of its nutritional benefits even during cooking. Unlike many refined oils, EVOO still provides beneficial fatty acids and a portion of its antioxidant content after frying.
Taste Better
Food fried in extra virgin olive oil will take on the oil’s fruity, bitter, and/or peppery notes. Those polyphenols responsible for EVOO’s health benefits also create the best flavor.
The Science Behind Olive Oil Stability
Several key factors contribute to olive oil's stability when heated:
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- High antioxidant content: Antioxidants protect the oil’s structure during cooking.
- Low polyunsaturated fat content: Polyunsaturated fats break down more quickly than monounsaturated fats, which dominate in olive oil.
- Natural tocopherols and polyphenols: These compounds help preserve oil integrity at higher temps.
Compared to highly refined oils like soybean or corn oil, olive oil undergoes far less oxidation during cooking, meaning fewer harmful by-products and a better overall health profile.
Choosing the Best Olive Oil for Frying
Different types of olive oil bring different characteristics to your dishes.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Perfect for light sautéing, shallow frying, and recipes where you want that bold, fruity olive flavor to shine. It is high in antioxidants, unrefined, and cold-pressed, making it ideal for Mediterranean recipes, finishing dishes, and light frying.
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
All the flavor and benefits of EVOO with the assurance of certified organic farming. Best used when purity and quality matter most.
Classic Olive Oil
This more refined option offers a neutral flavor profile, making it ideal for everyday frying and recipes where olive flavor shouldn’t overpower other ingredients. It is also suitable for smooth blending in marinades or sauces.
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Tips for Frying with Olive Oil Like a Pro
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: It causes the oil temperature to drop, leading to soggy food.
- Use a thermometer: Keep frying temps between 325°F and 375°F.
- Drain excess oil: Place fried foods on a paper towel or wire rack.
- Reuse with care: Strain used oil and store it properly to use it a second time.
- Avoid letting oil smoke: It’s not dangerous in small amounts, but prolonged smoking can degrade quality.
Olive Oil and Aldehydes
It recently has been suggested that using vegetable oils to fry food may be bad for your health due to the production of toxic chemicals called aldehydes during the heating process. Aldehydes are simple organic structures - compounds which contain a carbon-oxygen double bond - and are abundant in nature. They are formed in the human body in small amounts as by-products of normal fructose and alcohol metabolism. Consumption of dietary aldehydes is thought to contribute to human diseases including diabetes and heart disease.
Of the vegetable oils that have been tested for heating-induced aldehyde content, olive oil actually performs reasonably well. Researchers from the University of the Basque Country analysed olive, sunflower and flaxseed oils for their aldehyde content after the oils had been heated to 190°C. They found that heating the polyunsaturated sunflower and flaxseed oils produced greater quantities of aldehydes more quickly, whereas heating monounsaturated olive oil created fewer aldehydes and much later in the heating process. This is thought to be because of a structural difference, with polyunsaturated oils containing more regions ripe for chemical reaction. Experiments performed for BBC’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor confirmed this, suggesting that heating olive oil, butter and goose fat produced similarly lower levels of aldehydes.
Importantly, very little is known about what constitutes a low or high dose of aldehydes in food in humans. There is some data from animal studies, but the conclusions we can draw from them are limited.
The Impact of Fried Food on Aging
Fried food has usually shown neutral or detrimental effects on many chronic diseases, possibly depending on the type of food fried and the frying oil, but its relationship with unhealthy aging is unknown. Prospective cohort study in Spain with 2043 individuals aged ≥60 years, recruited in 2008-2010 and followed-up to 2012 and 2015. Compared with participants who reduced fried food consumption, those who increased it showed less deficit accumulation over 3 years (multivariable β [95% confidence interval]: -1.45 [-2.30, -0.61]), but not over 6 years of follow-up. More 3-year deficit accumulation was observed when replacing 100 g/day of fried food with an equal amount of non-fried food (1.48 [0.59, 2.37]); corresponding values in substitution analyses were 2.03 [1.03, 3.03] for fried protein-rich food, 10.76 [5.20, 16.33] for fried eggs, and 2.06 [0.68, 3.43] for fried fish. In a Mediterranean country, where olive oil is the most common frying medium, increased fried food consumption was associated with delayed unhealthy aging over 3 years of follow-up; consumption of olive oil and fried protein-rich food (especially eggs and fish) were its main drivers.