Can you fry with extra virgin olive oil?

It is one of the questions we are asked most often. The short answer is yes: you can fry with extra virgin olive oil, and it is in fact one of the oils that stand up best to heat. Below is what Italy’s Guidelines for healthy eating say, published by CREA, the Italian public research centre for food and nutrition, plus some practical advice.

What the guidelines say

• Temperature, time and reuse matter most. In home frying, with short cooking times, ideal temperatures of 170–180 °C and oil used only once, the guidelines say the type of oil needs no special attention: the choice can depend on taste and cost.
• Olive oil copes better than many seed oils. Seed oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower, corn and soybean oil, are more prone to oxidation than oils rich in monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil also contains phenolic compounds that make it more stable.
• Plenty of oil is better than a little. Proper frying is deep frying, in plenty of oil. Shallow frying in a film of oil produces more oxidation products with any oil, olive oil included.
• Do not reuse the oil. And dispose of used oil properly, never down the sink.

How to fry well

1. Use a deep pan and plenty of oil, so the food floats.
2. Bring the oil to 170–180 °C: a kitchen thermometer is the surest way. Never let it smoke.
3. Fry a few pieces at a time, not too large, so the temperature does not drop: a crust forms at once and the food absorbs less oil.
4. Drain on kitchen paper and salt straight away.
5. Let the oil cool, pour it into a closed bottle and take it to a used cooking oil collection point.

Which extra virgin oil

Extra virgin olive oil gives fried food flavour: we use it, for example, in our recipe for olive all’ascolana. For frying, where you need plenty of oil, use an everyday extra virgin oil like our Blend, ideally in the 3 or 5 litre tin, which costs less per litre and keeps the oil away from light. Keep the more delicate single variety for using raw. To keep an opened tin at its best, read how to store extra virgin olive oil.

Source: CREA, Linee guida per una sana alimentazione (Guidelines for healthy eating), 2018 revision, chapter “I grassi e la cottura”. Photo: PROPOLI87, Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.