Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil in a hot pan?

Somewhere along the way a rumour took hold that extra virgin olive oil must never meet a hot pan. Plenty of Italian home cooks fry in it every day without a second thought. The real question is not "can you" but "is this the best use of this particular bottle", and that comes down to flavour and price more than anything.

What the official body says

The International Olive Council (IOC) publishes the definitions of the olive oil grades. On its olive oil page it says olive oil is particularly suitable for frying, that its smoke point is around 210°C, which is above the roughly 180°C it gives as the ideal frying temperature, and that its composition makes it stable under heat. It recommends not overheating it, not mixing it with other fats, and not reusing frying oil more than four or five times.

The same page defines the grades. Extra virgin is a virgin olive oil with very low free acidity, fit to eat as it is. "Olive oil" without a qualifier is usually a blend of refined olive oil with some virgin oil, milder in taste.

What heat does to flavour

The pleasure of a good extra virgin is in its aroma: cut grass, green tomato, artichoke, almond, and that peppery catch at the back of the throat. Those notes are delicate. In our kitchen, long or fierce cooking flattens them, so an expensive, intensely green oil tastes much like an ordinary one once it has spent a while sizzling under vegetables. The flavour does not vanish completely, and a gentle sauté keeps more of it, but much of what makes a great oil special happens raw.

How we use it

• Raw: the best bottle. On soup, beans, bruschetta, salads, grilled vegetables, a bowl of pasta at the table. This is where the money shows. More in finishing with olive oil.
• Gentle cooking: a good everyday extra virgin. Soffritto, garlic and chilli for pasta, softening vegetables, sauces, frittatas. A reasonably priced extra virgin is ideal here and still adds character.
• Roasting: everyday extra virgin. Trays of vegetables, potatoes and chickpeas take on lovely flavour from it.
• Shallow frying: either. Extra virgin works and gives a characterful result. If you want a cleaner, more neutral taste, a refined "olive oil" or a neutral oil is fine.
• Deep frying: whatever suits your budget. Plenty of cooks deep-fry in olive oil. It takes a lot of oil, so cost is often the deciding factor, and a neutral oil does a good job too.

Signs the pan is too hot

Whatever oil you use, heat with your eyes and nose on it.

• Shimmering, with the oil flowing easily, is the cue for frying and sautéing.
• Wisps of smoke mean it is getting too hot. Turn it down or take it off the heat.
• Acrid smell or dark colour means it has gone too far. Wipe the pan out and start again; burnt oil makes food taste bitter.

Food added to a properly hot pan sizzles straight away. If it sits there silently, the pan was not hot enough.

When a lighter oil makes sense

• When you want a neutral taste, for some sweet bakes or delicate batters.
• When frying a lot of food and the price of extra virgin feels silly.
• When you need very fierce heat for a quick sear and want an oil with a cleaner flavour.

None of this makes extra virgin wrong in a hot pan. It just means there are other tools.