I'm surprised how often people tell me they're planning to use our extra virgin olive oil only raw. You know? Salads, hummus, dipping bread with or without some interesting vinegar, topping for popcorn with or without spices.

In the homelands of olive trees around the Mediterranean, everyone cooks with olive oil. Have you tried tried Spanish, Italian, North African, Greek, Armenian, Turkish, Lebanese, and other foods of the region? All those people are turning out wonderful, distinctive dishes, that include olive oil, and many of them cooked in olive oil. I'm working my way through a list of delicious authentic and adapted recipes, testing them before sharing with you. But I digress.

What can we learn from the lab about the health effects of heating edible oil?

The article "Smoke Point Not a Reliable Indicator of Cooking Oil Stability" from the North American Olive Oil Association summarizes recent (2018) research comparing ten (10) different edible oils and their performance when heated. 

What factors predict oil stability?

• The percentage of polyunsaturated fats (lower is better)
• The extent to which the oil has been refined (less is better). 

Rancho Milagro Extra virgin olive oil (like all olive oils rated extra virgin) has no (or little) polyunsaturated fat. it remains stable over high heat.

Rancho Milagro Extra virgin olive oil (like all olive oils rated extra virgin) is not refined at all. It remains stable when heated for a long time.

In the research, Extra Virgin Olive Oils performed best, retained anti-oxidants, produced lowest levels of polar compounds or trans fats.

Bottom line:  Go ahead. Cook with olive oil.

#health
#EVOO
#CalifornaGrown

https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/evoo-most-stable-cooking-oil
Note the informative infographic capturing highlights of the scientific report
De Alzaa F, Guillaume C, Ravetti L. Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating. Acta Scientific. 2018;2(6):2-11.