Smoke point and toxicity [closed]

I was taught to make omlettes with a hot pan and cold (room temp) oil. My wife thinks that I'm giving our family cancer. I heat the pan quite hot, hot enough to smoke the olive oil that I add. The eggs follow the oil after one to two seconds, just enough time for the oil to spread across the pan. The oil stops smoking as soon as the eggs are in, and the omlette is finished within a minute. I have tried cooking at lower temperatures, but the oil is never quite hot enough and I usually get scrambled eggs rather than an omlette. Does anyone else cook an omlette this way? Is it dangerous?

Best Answer

All we can tell you that is provably true is that heating any oil or fat past its smoke point causes rapid oxidation and more-or-less mimics the effect of rancidity.

You should do your own research on sites like Google Scholar or just ask your family doctor or dietitian if you want opinions on whether or not this leads to longer-term health complications. There's certainly plausible evidence in favour of the claim, but the jury is very much still out on most of it, and we are all the time discovering new health risks and/or refuting previously-hypothesized ones.

Meantime, think about whether you really want to be cooking with burnt, rancid oil, and consider preparing your omelettes at lower temperatures and/or not wasting your expensive EVOO on high-heat cooking.

Personally, I can't remember the last time I used anything other than butter or bacon fat for an omelette, and I've never gotten either of them to smoke in my pan, despite unclarified butter having a lower smoke point than EVOO. Not sure why you think you need the pan so hot.

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What happens if you heat oil past its smoke point?

What Happens Past the Smoke Point? When an oil is heated past its smoke point, it generates toxic fumes and free radicals which are extremely harmful to your body. When the smoke point is reached, you'll begin to see the gaseous vapors from heating, a marker that the oil has started to decompose.

What does smoke point indicate?

Representing an oil's resistance to heat, a specific oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it will stop glistening and start to burn and smoke instead, imparting an acrid, burnt flavor to the foods you are using it to cook. This happens when the compounds in the oil break down as a result of heat exposure.

What does a high smoke point mean?

A high smoke point is considered 400 degrees F and higher, and oils with a high smoke point are best used for frying. These include avocado oil, canola oil, corn oil, and peanut oil.

What happens if you cook past smoke point?

Sure, smoke is pesky, but that's not why you should be concerned. Heated past its smoke point, that fat starts to break down, releasing free radicals and a substance called acrolein, the chemical that gives burnt foods their acrid flavor and aroma. Think watering eyes, a stinky kitchen, and bitter, scorched food.

Smoke point and toxicity [closed]

Best Answer

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What happens if you heat oil past its smoke point?

What does smoke point indicate?

What does a high smoke point mean?

What happens if you cook past smoke point?

Is olive oil safe at high heat? Does it taste bad?

More answers regarding smoke point and toxicity [closed]

Answer 2

Smoke point and toxicity [closed]

Best Answer

Pictures about "Smoke point and toxicity [closed]"

What happens if you heat oil past its smoke point?

What does smoke point indicate?

What does a high smoke point mean?

What happens if you cook past smoke point?

Is olive oil safe at high heat? Does it taste bad?

More answers regarding smoke point and toxicity [closed]

Answer 2

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