• Olive oil is extremely healthy. It’s loaded with beneficial fatty acids and powerful antioxidants and is a dietary staple for some of the world’s healthiest populations. However, many people believe that it’s unsuitable for cooking due to its unsaturated fat content. Others claim that it’s an excellent choice for cooking — even for high-heat methods like frying.

There are two properties of cooking oils that matter most:

• Smoke point: The temperature at which the fats begin to break down and turn into smoke.
• Oxidative stability: How resistant the fats are to reacting with oxygen.

Olive oil performs well in both categories.

• Olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fatty acids, which are largely resistant to heat.
• Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first pressing of the olives and offers numerous bioactive substances, including powerful antioxidants and vitamin E. Because olive oil is high in antioxidants and vitamin E, it provides significant natural protection from oxidative damage.
• Olive oil holds up well during heating due to its high antioxidant and low polyunsaturated fat content.
• Extra virgin olive oil’s smoke point is somewhere around 325–375°F and can reach 405°F (190–207°C). This makes it a good choice for most cooking methods.
• While studies indicate that high heat and prolonged cooking may destroy some of olive oil’s beneficial compounds, these studies are applying extreme methods. Source: www.healthline.com