KITCHEN GUIDE
Cooking with
extra virgin olive oil.
Can you fry with it? Does heat ruin it? Which oil goes where? A practical guide for everyday cooking.
Short answer: Yes, you can cook with extra virgin olive oil. Good EVOO has a smoke point of roughly 190–210°C, above typical home frying and roasting temperatures, and its natural antioxidants make it stable under heat. Use an everyday oil for cooking, and save early-harvest oils for drizzling raw.
Which oil for which job
| USE | BEST CHOICE |
|---|---|
| Sautéing, roasting, shallow frying, baking | The Original: balanced, fruity, 750 ml |
| Salads, bread, soups, finishing a dish | First Yield: herbal and pungent, best raw |
| Tasting, burrata, grilled vegetables | Lot 1, Chianti: our most intense oil |
| Pasta, pizza, fish, quick flavour | Flavoured oils: lemon, orange, basil, garlic, chilli, truffle |
Tips
- Heat the pan, then add the oil; stop before it smokes.
- For baking, swap butter for EVOO at about three-quarters of the amount.
- Add a raw drizzle at the end of cooking for aroma.
- Store the oil away from the hob: heat ages it.
Questions
Can you fry with extra virgin olive oil?
Yes. Good extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of roughly 190–210°C, which covers sautéing, roasting and shallow frying at home. Its antioxidants make it more stable under heat than many seed oils.
What is the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil?
Roughly 190–210°C for a good-quality, fresh extra virgin olive oil. Fresher oils with low acidity sit at the higher end.
Does cooking with extra virgin olive oil destroy its benefits?
Heat reduces some aroma and polyphenols, but much of the oil’s quality survives normal cooking. For the full flavour, also use it raw.
Can you bake with olive oil?
Yes. Olive oil works well in cakes, breads and biscuits. Use roughly three-quarters of the amount of butter in a recipe.
Which Yolioo oil is best for cooking?
The Original, our everyday Tuscan blend in a 750 ml can. Keep First Yield for drizzling raw.
What are flavoured olive oils best for?
Lemon and orange suit fish, salads and desserts; basil suits tomatoes and pasta; garlic and chilli suit pasta, pizza and roasted vegetables; white truffle suits risotto, eggs and fries.