Ask Ottolenghi: should you cook with extra-virgin olive oil?

The commonly held belief about smoking point isn’t true, which may explain why Mediterranean cultures have been cooking with the stuff for millennia

Should you (that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil?
Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US
There’s no blanket “should” to most things culinary, and the short answer is, it depends. There’s personal preference: budget (extra-virgin olive oil is often a lot more expensive than regular olive oil, or indeed other oils); what you’re cooking and how; what role the oil is playing in the dish, and so on.

If something is being cooked above a certain temperature, for instance, many people will insist that you absolutely should not cook with extra-virgin olive oil. It has a lower smoke point than some other oils (for instance, a light, refined olive oil or a blended vegetable oil), and some of its flavour and health benefits start to diminish when it’s subjected to heat over about 180C.

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