DEMYSTIFYING THE SMOKE POINT...
Frying sounds dramatic. The sizzle, the splatter, the bubble from your pan. It sounds like extreme heat personified. It isn't. Schnitzel, fries, fish, doughnuts all cook at the same temperature as cake and cookies, between 325° and 375°. It barely registers what your ears think they're hearing. Now the second surprise. You don't need canola oil as your go-to frying oil. It works in exactly the same heat range as our very own fresh, healthy EVOO. In fact, EVOO sails right past it. Centuries of cooks around the Mediterranean already figured this out. Fries, fritters, fish, schnitzel — all of it, fried in EVOO, with a gentle flavour that processed canola can't touch.
Now for the details. The smoke point defined. All cooking and finishings oils (and butter, too) have temperatures at which they begin to break down, usually referred to as the smoke point. This releases free radicals and gives makes what you're cooking taste burnt and bitter. Knowing the smoke point of your oil is a useful tool in everyone's kitchen.
There are two myths that make using EVOO for frying confusing. The first one is a common one and posted everywhere. Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point. This is wrong. High quality olive oil has a smoke point in the range of 410°. The second myth is less common. Many cooks mistakenly believe that fried foods need temperatures above 410°. Very rarely is this necessary. Almost all fried foods are prepared in the range between 325°F to 375°.
A good guide to follow is that the higher the quality of oil and the fresher it is, the higher the smoke point. When frying foods to achieve the right texture both inside and out, it's always a smart move to use a thermometer to guarantee your oil is not too hot or too cold.
With the simple mechanics of frying with EVOO behind us, there's another bonus. Frying with extra virgin olive oil brings out the flavours of meats, seafood and veggies, especially those with coatings. Always remember that in many regions around the world, cooks have been frying with this is extraordinary ingredient for centuries.
Although you are unlikely to be frying any food in oil that reaches its smoke point with, these temps* are reference points.
Note: Processed oil, and more often called refined oil, is a fruit, seed, or nut oil that has been industrially stripped of its natural colour, odour, flavour, and all its original nutrients using high heat, pressure, and chemical solvents to create a uniform, flavourless product that lasts a long time on shelves but is not fresh. Unlike EVOO, other fruit and nut oils are almost always processed and not routinely available in mainstream grocery stores.
And you can save your used EVOO, too. If you're cooking in small quantities and you feel like frying uses up too much quality olive oil, you can simply strain and save in a jar for future frying. There's no need to discard this valuable ingredient, unless you've taken it above 425° for a lengthy cook time which would be a highly unusual for any deep frying of food.
*These are approximate and dependent on quality and whether a cooking oil is heavily processed to make an oil from a seed. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not processed, and is fresh pressed. Most olive oils on store shelves including those labelled as "extra virgin olive oil" have been refined and processed and as a result do not offer low levels of acidity, high antioxidants and quality.