What You Need To Know About Cooking Oil Smoke Points

Do you ever start heating up butter or oil on the stove, turn away for just a second (or, you know, sometimes a minute or two), and suddenly your butter or oil starts smoking in the pan? Eureka! it has reached a smoke point — now turn down the heat!

Cooking with Fats, Oils, and Their Smoke Points

The smoke point of coconut oil, or other fats and oils, is just as it sounds: when the oil is heated, it begins to smoke at a certain temperature. While a smoking pan is never ideal in the kitchen, the cooking oil’s smoke point signals that it is breaking down, releasing harmful free radicals, and producing ignitable gases. Just ask me about the time my friends and I caused a pan to go up in flames for five seconds. That stovetop inferno introduced me to high-temperature cooking oils!

Besides scorching pots and pans, heating cooking oils in high temperatures can accelerate the rate of oxidation. When the smoke point of coconut oil, or other cooking oils is reached, the quality of that oil is severely degraded. Degraded cooking oil becomes rancid and can cause many health problems with your blood and heart. Overall, you should try to avoid crossing a cooking oil’s smoke point threshold.

We’ve looked at a few charts regarding oil and fat smoke points and combined them in the table below. In ascending order, here are the smoke points of some oils and fats used for cooking:

In general, you should use oils with high smoke points for high-temperature cooking, and oils with low smoke points for lower temperature cooking and salad dressings. Coconut oil’s high smoke point makes it a great option for searing, sautéing, deep-frying, or stir-frying, as they require high-temperature cooking oils. Keep in mind what you’re cooking, how hot you want your cooking vessel ⏤ stove, oven, grill, etc. ⏤ to be, and what flavor you’d like to have. Then, choose your oil or fat accordingly.

Looking to try some new oils? Start Here with Wildly Organic’s Cooking Oils!

No matter what kind of cooking you’re doing, we have cooking oils of varying smoke points here at Wildly Organic! Try out some of our favorites:

Wildly Organic Sauté Oil

Try Wildly Organic Sauté Oil. This unique oil is made by blending organic virgin coconut oil, extra virgin organic olive oil, and organic sesame seed oil. The extra virgin olive oil, sesame, and coconut oil’s high smoke point make this blend great for sautéing food in a skillet and can even be used in dressings due to its unique, yet mild flavor.

Try Wildly Organic Sauté Oil in these recipes:

• Grilled Peaches with Almond Butter Drizzle {Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free}
• Kabocha Squash Soup

Coconut Oil

Are you looking for high-temperature cooking oils? Wildly Organic carries three different types of coconut oil: Refined Coconut Oil, Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil, and Centrifuge Extracted Coconut Oil for high-temperature cooking. If you aren’t sure which coconut oil is best for you, you can learn about Why All Coconut Oils Aren’t Created Equally (& how to find the best one!).

Coconut oil’s high smoke point makes it so versatile and great for sautéing, frying, roasting, and even baking! Besides the cooking oil’s high smoke point, coconut oil is also great to use for beauty applications and around the house. In fact, check out these 7 Ways to use Coconut Oil Around the House! Trust me, coconut oil is a must-have in any household.

Try Wildly Organic Coconut Oil in these recipes:

• Dairy-Free Fruity Coconut Nice Cream Cake
• No-Bake Fudgy Frosted Coconut Bites {gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, no refined sugar}
• DIY Homemade Chocolate Lip Balm

Popcorn Oil

Made from red palm oil and organic coconut oil, Wildly Organic Butter Alternative can be used for much more than just topping your popcorn! It does give popcorn a buttery taste without any dairy, though! With coconut oil’s high smoke point and mild buttery taste, you can also use this oil for stir-frying, baking, and sautéing!

Try Wildly Organic Butter Alternative in these recipes:

• Sweet ‘n Spicy Nuts
• Blissful Holiday Cranberry Bars {gluten-free, grain-free}
• Low-Oxalate Green Superfood Soup

Red Palm Oil

With a smoke point of 232°C/450°F, red palm makes a great high-temperature cooking oil. Wildly Organic Red Palm Oil is sustainably sourced, RSPO-certified by the supplier, and minimally processed to preserve its many nutritional qualities. Palm oil has been getting a bad reputation in recent years, but you can read all about our sustainably sourced palm oil to see how ours is different!

Red palm oil has a beautiful red-orange hue, and a rich, earthy flavor. The cooking oil’s high smoke point makes it ideal for sautéing and is a customer favorite in soups and stews!

Try Wildly Organic Red Palm Oil in these recipes:

• Paleo Brazilian Fish Stew
• Cheesy Herbed Cauliflower Rice {Low Carb, Keto, Grain-Free}
• Make-Ahead Vegetarian Egg Bake {easy for busy mornings!}

Olive Oil

Olive oil is perhaps one of the most popular cooking oils found in most kitchens. But did you know that some olive oils are actually fake? Don’t worry, Wildly Organic Olive Oil is the real deal! It’s produced by a co-op of small farmers through an extremely careful and rigorous process.

Similarly to coconut oil’s high smoke point, extra virgin olive oil can be used in high and low-temperature cooking. Olive oil is great for sautéing, marinades, salad dressings, and drizzling over finished dishes.

Try Wildly Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in these recipes:

• Greek-Style Salad with Olive Oil Dressing {10-minute recipe!}
• Real Food Tapenade {a healthy olive spread for bread, crackers, & pasta!}
• Colorful Vinegar Coleslaw {Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo}

Sesame Seed Oil

Wildly Organic Sesame Seed Oil is cold-pressed, never roasted, and never toasted. The flavor is light, mild, and slightly nutty, with the gentle hint of tahini. It’s completely unrefined and similar to coconut oil’s smoke point, making it a great high-temperature cooking oil. The cooking oil’s high smoke point makes it wonderful for sautéing and stir-frying.

Sesame seed oil is delicious and versatile. Along with high-temperature cooking, you can use the oil in salad dressings, over pasta, or on rice dishes. It also pairs well with other oils for a unique flavor.

Try Wildly Organic Sesame Seed Oil in these recipes:

• Quinoa Sesame Stir Fry {with a peanut-free satay sauce!}
• Moringa Sesame Vinaigrette

Shop Healthy Cooking Oils From Wildly Organic

As you’ve learned, all oils are not created equal. Cooking oils have different smoke points and characteristics, making each ideal for specific cooking needs. You can’t use unrefined flaxseed oil to fry chicken as it can burn your food and create stovetop fires. Coconut oil’s high smoke point, on the other hand, makes it versatile for frying, roasting, and drizzling over rice dishes.

Now that you know about different cooking oil smoke points, which oils do you plan to have in your kitchen? Wildly Organic has the largest selection of nutrient-rich cooking oils to satisfy diverse tastes and cooking needs. From high smoke point coconut oil to butter alternatives, we have every cooking oil you need to make nutritious and flavorful food. Shop our organic, naturally delicious cooking oils and get free US shipping on orders over $49.