Extra virgin olive oil - AIBU not to use it for frying, sauteing etc?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

I love EVOO but (a) it's extremely expensive, (b) I have read that it has a low smoke point and (c) in so many cases where something I'm making starts with frying or sauteing there will be lots of other flavours in there and I can't see how you would taste the EVOO in the finished dish. I therefore use either cold pressed UK rapeseed oil or blended olive oil for cooking and reserve EVOO for salads, dipping bread in and occasionally drizzling over a completed dish. What do others do/think?

The same. EV olive oil is for drizzling and dressing.

I use extra virgin olive oil for all cooking just use as normal oil as well as drizzling on salads etc.

I agree with you, OP. I just use extra virgin cold.

I use normal olive oil and/or butter for other cooking.

I agree with you and do the same.

Yeah you aren't really supposed to use olive oil for frying as the heat transforms the fats and it will ruin the flavour anyway.

I use groundnut oil or ghee as my hot cooking oil. Vegetable oils are fairly processed so stopped using them a few years ago.

I buy a really delicious unprocessed olive oil from Sainsbury's for salads. It's expensive but I only use a 2-3 bottles year so worth it. its only recently I started appreciating that quality makes a big difference to taste.

I prefer the taste so use it for everything. Don’t fry much anyway. Only use first cold press — I buy a couple of bottles from an Italian guy in the market who brings it in from his home place. Delicious.

I use it for all cooking except very very very high heat like roast potato type cooking

For cost purposes I swap with other olive oil from time to time

Yeah I used regular olive oil for light frying and veg oil for deep frying.
I save my good extra virgin for dressings and stuff.

The myth that olive oil shouldn’t be used for frying has been pretty much debunked these days.

Check out the research from the International Olive Council (IOC) which is the world's only international intergovernmental organisation in the field of olive oil:

https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/about-ioc/list-of-ioc-members/

Is that EVOO or blended oil, though?

Honestly, you’re wasting your money! The heating process destroys all the flavour and antioxidants. I use grape seed oil for cooking and EVOO for dressings and dips.

Read the research but EVOO is fine and neither the flavour nor the antioxidants are “destroyed” by heat.

OK, I'll have a look at the research, but not being made of money I am not going to switch over to EVOO for sauteing onions etc, which is the basis of most of what I cook.

The flavour is not lost at all, you can really taste the difference.

So I’m still alright using extra virgin olive oil for my curries etc ?!

I use avocado oil for cooking.

I love that there is an international intergovermental organisation in the field of olive oil.

I use it for almost everything so glad it’s OK again.

Non-virgin olive oil isn't any cheaper than extra virgin in this country so I just buy the cheapest extra virgin from Lidl.

I do the same unless the recipe tells me to specifically to use EVOO for the frying part

I use EVOOnfor dressings etc, I find avocado oil brilliant for frying.

I just use EVOO for everything, can’t be dealing with the admin or counter space for multiple bottles for different activities!

I do the same as you, OP.
Maybe my information is out of date but I use ordinary OO for cooking and only use EVOO raw. I often fry in a combination of OO and butter.
I tend to buy the Aldi OO that brands itself as "perfect for frying". (I think the other one is for baking).

Is anyone else sceptical about the International Olive Council being impartial on their research into the wonderful world of olives.

I use EVOO (or butter or occasionally ghee) for everything. I don’t like the idea of chemically extracted oils and they don’t taste good so I haven’t eaten them for years. Hot EVOO tastes fine to me. I can live with the risk that I might die of olive oil related causes.

I do wonder where the new 'received wisdom' about not ever using extra-virgin olive oil to fry things came from? It wasn't something I was ever aware of before about 6 months ago! I'm fairly sure that south European cuisine always has used, and continues to use, extra-virgin olive oil for most cooking. Do most of you have a whole row of bottles of oil by your stove, then? (I mean I suppose I do, in a way - EVOO, rapeseed oil which I mostly use in baking, sesame wok oil...)

Youre right, I have said this for years on threads about cooking, no one ever listens

Thank god for the Olive Oil association or whoever they are!!