I have been searching and searching for some answers about olive oil, virgin and extra virgin, and I wish I had something good to share…but the more I learn, the more I find conflicting information.

I emailed a couple websites and browsed others, only to get a yes and a no on the same question.  *raspberries* to that!

Nonetheless, we might as well trudge through the jungle of information together.  I wrote a post on How to Buy, Use and Store Olive Oil: Some Precautions when we looked at EVOO as a Super Food.  I was left unimpressed with what I found and felt there were still more questions to be asked.  The discussion in the comments at this post at Kelly the Kitchen Kop inspired me to keep looking.  Here are the questions to which I’m looking for answers:

• Is it Safe to Saute with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
• Is it Safe to Roast Vegetables with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
• What Happens to EVOO when Heated?
• Can I Bake (Bread, etc.) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Safe Under Heat?

California Olive Ranch actually wrote a whole series of posts to answer my questions.  You can find them here and here so far.  They give an unequivocal yes to all heating with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I don’t know that I’m convinced, though, because I have to run the source through my “smart-media filter” and remember that they’re trying to sell a product.

I strongly disagree with some of the info in the first post, because one expert says that heating an oil to its smoke point is “not harmful, per se,” whereas my research tells me that hitting the smoke point oxidizes the oil, creates free radicals, and can damage your system working to cause cancer, heart disease, yadda yadda.  Not exactly what I’d call “not harmful”.  I feel like their experts are mostly focusing on flavor, where I want to know about my health.

I did appreciate this breakdown (from the second post) when considering roasting potatoes with EVOO:

The temperature of the oven or stove top is not the same as the temperature of the food being cooked. For instance when you roast a turkey in an oven set at 325 degrees F, the heat does not make the turkey also 325 degrees. Instead you roast the turkey at 325 degrees until it reaches the temperature of 165 degrees (or so).

However – the 165 is internal temp.  What happens to the oil on the OUTside of my potatoes?  More research needed!

Find out more next week in a second installment of EVOO news!

Visit Kitchen Stewardship for research notes and more tips on how to make small changes in your kitchen to balance your time, your budget, the environment, and your family’s nutrition.