Olive oil toxic at high temps???

[crunchy_mommy]

Does anyone have a link to an actual study on this??

I use olive oil for everything... We don't deep-fry, but we use it in sauteing, roasting, even baking. It's the cheapest oil I can get a hold of but I've been reading a lot about it being toxic but it's all just hearsay... I would LOVE if someone could point me to a study about this so I can figure out if I should change my ways or if it's just a lot of hype!!

ETA: I know someone will say to use coconut oil... but it is not an affordable option for us & I suspect I might be having a funny reaction to coconut products...

[askew]

All oils are toxic when heated. I mean heat oxidizes fat. Period. As far as olive oil, if it smokes throw it away. Otherwise you are fine. I will look for some links when I get home from work. ;)

[Otto]

Yah, applying high heat to any oil is going to produce trans-fatty acids and miscellaneous oxidation products. I don't refrain from pan-frying, but with quality olive oil I do try to keep the temperature as low as possible. If my ancient copy of Udo Erasmus is accurate (and, hey, he was hip to trans-fats back in 1987), measurable breakdown really gets going around 320 F. For onions, etc., I shoot for a temperature not too far in excess of the heat that would have been generated in an oil press to start with, so 210-240 F, just guessed at by how fast moisture seems to be evaporating or a quick, leathery finger to the pan.

Definitely discard anything, refined or not, that smokes, aside from mustard oil.

[ETA.--"I mean heat oxidizes fat. Period."... I should have noticed that relatively anaerobic (e.g., deep-fryer) overheating of unsaturated fats appears to get you cyclic monomers instead of the usual oxidation products. These are even less desirable.]

Edited by Otto - 3/7/11 at 8:50pm

[Ldavis24]

I don't have the link but I agree with PPs any oil is toxic at high temps, although canola is one of the worst from what I've read.

You need to look at what you use oil for and then decide which oil works best. 

I actually use peanut oil for most of our cooking purpose (not for baking because it would affect taste too much). Peanut oil has the highest "smoke point"...The point at which it becomes toxic.

It does have a slight taste but most of the time you don't even notice if you use it a lot!