Ever had only oil in a pan and it literally starts to smoke? I’m talking about actual blue tinted smoke. This is what us folks in the oil business call the smoke point.
When I buy any type of food I want it to be fresh, taste good and generally I try to eat it when it would nutritionally be at its best. The same goes for my oil. When your oil starts to smoke it is starting to breakdown. This is going to lead to off flavours and a decrease in the nutritional content of the oil. Who would want that?!? Not me. I paid for great taste and I need all the nutritional help I can get. In my home canola oil is my go to oil. I use it because no matter what I’m doing I know that it can take the heat.
Boasting a high smoke point of 242°C (468°F) it is an excellent choice when doing any high heat frying or deep frying. You will notice in the chart below that there is a wide range of temperatures. The smoke point varies based on the kind of oil (its source) and how it was refined or expressed. Next time you’re heating up the kitchen check to see what you are pouring in that pan.
Here’s how canola oil measures up:
Oil | Smoke Point (°C) | Smoke Point (°F) |
Canola | 242 | 468 |
Canola High Oleic | 246 | 475 |
Canola Organic Expeller Press | 240 | 464 |
Corn | 234 | 453 |
Grapeseed | 224 | 435 |
Olive Processed | 220 | 428 |
Extra Virgin Olive | 166 | 331 |
Peanut | 244 | 471 |
Safflower | 230 | 446 |
Safflower High Oleic | 242 | 468 |
Safflower Cold Press | 168 | 334 |
Soybean | 234 | 453 |
Sunflower | 240 | 464 |
Sunflower High Oleic | 248 | 478 |
Sunflower High Oleic Cold Press | 198 | 388 |
Note – Smoke points were analyzed according to AOCS Method Cc 9a-48. Presented results are averages of triplicate runs, where error of estimation was within 3.5% of measured value. University of Lethbridge. |
Be Well…Jenn