How to use olive oil in cooking – a guide based on scientific research

Cooking with olive oil: can you really fry and sauté with extra virgin olive oil? Discover, based on studies, how to cook safely and healthily with olive oil.

Why is olive oil suitable for cooking?

Extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and phenolic compounds such as oleocanthal, oleacein and hydroxytyrosol, which have strong antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory properties.

Large clinical trials show that a Mediterranean diet, in which extra virgin olive oil is the main fat source, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease compared with a traditional low‑fat diet

One of the best‑known trials is the PREDIMED study:

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra‑Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts (NEJM)

How stable is extra virgin olive oil when heated?

Recent experimental studies have directly tested how extra virgin olive oil responds to heat. These studies measured changes in fatty acid composition, vitamin E, and the formation of degradation products.

These studies show that high‑quality extra virgin olive oil maintains a stable composition at normal cooking temperatures and oxidizes more slowly than many refined oils.

One example is this study:

Effect of Heating Temperature of High‑Quality Olive Oils on Nutritional Indices and Polymerization
in which several extra‑premium olive oils were tested at high temperatures.

Key message for the kitchen: at moderate to medium‑high heat, a good extra virgin olive oil remains stable and produces few unwanted oxidation products, as long as you do not let the oil start smoking.

3. Smoke point and oxidative stability – what does that mean in practice?

The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is roughly between 190 and 210°C, depending on its quality and composition.

Research emphasizes that smoke point alone does not tell the whole story; oxidative stability – determined by fatty acid composition and antioxidant content – is at least equally important.

Analyses of different oils show that oils rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, such as extra virgin olive oil, oxidize more slowly when heated than oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats.

In practice: cook over medium heat, avoid letting the oil visibly start to smoke, and choose oils with a favourable fatty acid profile for everyday use.

4. Frying and sautéing in olive oil – what do experiments show?

Studies that have compared sautéing, frying and deep‑frying with extra virgin olive oil versus other oils show that, at moderate heating, extra virgin olive oil maintains a favourable profile: fewer oxidation products, retention of part of the phenols and a reasonable antioxidant capacity.

At extremely high temperatures and during prolonged deep‑frying, some phenolic compounds decrease, but even then a portion of the antioxidants remains present.

Meer hierover lees je bijvoorbeeld in:

Bioactive compounds in Spanish extra virgin olive oils: Migration and stability according to the culinary technique used

To sum up:

• For sautéing, light frying and oven dishes, extra virgin olive oil is a stable and suitable choice.”
• For deep‑frying at very high, constant temperatures, caution is needed with any oil; avoid repeatedly overheating the oil severely.

5. Olive oil and heart health – what do the major trials say?

In the PREDIMED trial, a Mediterranean diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil was compared with a low‑fat diet in thousands of participants at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Result: a clear reduction in major cardiovascular events (such as myocardial infarction and stroke) in the Mediterranean diet groups, along with improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammatory markers.

Een tweede belangrijke trial is CORDIOPREV:

Long‑term secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet and a low‑fat diet

Hieruit blijkt dat een mediterraan voedingspatroon rijk aan olijfolie bij patiënten met coronaire hartziekte beter was dan een vetarm dieet in het voorkomen van nieuwe cardiovasculaire events op de lange termijn.

Result: a clear reduction in major cardiovascular events (such as myocardial infarction and stroke) in the Mediterranean diet groups, along with improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammatory markers

6. How much olive oil and how do you integrate it into your kitchen?

În PREDIMED, participanții din grupul cu ulei de măsline primeau de obicei în jur de un litru de ulei de măsline extravirgin pe săptămână, cu instrucțiunea de a folosi mai multe linguri pe zi ca principală sursă de grăsimi.

Typical Mediterranean dietary patterns provide about 2–4 tablespoons of olive oil per day, incorporated into cooked meals, salads and other dishes.

What matters is that olive oil replaces saturated fats and industrial oils and is combined with plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.

7. Which olive oil do you use every day? 

For everyday cooking, a mild, gentle extra virgin olive oil is ideal: it does not overpower the dish, yet still provides flavour and healthy fats.

An example of such a kitchen oil is:

Mild Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Myrtoo 750 ml – Smooth Greek Olive Oil

, a gentle Greek olive oil made from Koroneiki olives that you can use every day for frying, sautéing and cooking.

For finishing dishes, you can opt for a more robust early harvest olive oil, rich in phenolic compounds and with a peppery finish.

An example:

Early Harvest Liophos biologische extra vierge olijfolie 750 ml

– an intensely fruity olive oil made from early‑harvest Koroneiki olives, perfect over salads, bruschetta, grilled vegetables, meat and fish.

If you want to see more options, you can check out the full olive oil selection at:

Organic Greek extra virgin olive oil

If you want to keep things simple, you don’t need to remember every single study.
Choose one good extra virgin olive oil, use it every day as your main fat within a mostly Mediterranean way of eating, and cook over moderate heat.
In everyday life, that means you’re basically doing the same thing the big studies have highlighted as so beneficial: fewer heart and blood vessel diseases and more flavour on the table.

En als je wilt ontdekken welke olie bij jouw keuken past, dan vind je een overzicht van onze Griekse oliën here