Searching4Zen

Month: April 2016

Cooking Fats 101: What’s a Smoke Point and Why Does it Matter?

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Great article from Serious Eats (ok so it is two years old).

Type of Fat Smoke Point Neutral?*
Safflower Oil 510°F/265°C Yes
Rice Bran Oil 490°F/260°C Yes
Light/Refined Olive Oil 465°F/240°C Yes
Soybean Oil 450°F/230°C Yes
Peanut Oil 450°F/230°C Yes
Clarified Butter 450°F/230°C No
Corn Oil 450°F/230°C Yes
Sunflower Oil 440°F/225°C Yes
Vegetable Oil 400-450°F/205-230°C Yes
Beef Tallow 400°F/250°C No
Canola Oil 400°F/205°C Yes
Grapeseed Oil 390°F/195°C Yes
Lard 370°F/185°C No
Avocado Oil (Virgin) 375-400°F/190-205°C No
Chicken Fat (Schmaltz) 375°F/190°C No
Duck Fat 375°F/190°C No
Vegetable Shortening 360°F/180°C Yes
Sesame Oil 350-410°F/175-210°C No
Butter 350°F/175°C No
Coconut Oil 350°F/175°C No
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 325-375°F/165-190°C No

*All neutral oils listed on this chart are refined; though unrefined versions of them do exist, these are the varieties most common to a home cook’s repertoire. Meanwhile, the majority of flavorful oils are expeller-pressed and, though available refined, are often quite costly and uncommon.