# Types of Cooking Oil and Which One for Which Use > Choosing an oil depends on **its smoke point** — the temperature at which it starts to break down. For deep frying use an oil with a smoke point **above 200°C** such as sunflower or corn, and keep extra virgin olive oil **for salads and finishing**. **4 min read** The oil shelf now holds ten bottles, each claiming to be the healthiest. The right choice is not a slogan — it is one simple number called the smoke point, and after that, taste and price. ## Smoke point: the first criterion The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to **break down and smoke**. At that point three bad things happen: the taste turns bitter and acrid, the vitamins are lost, and **harmful compounds** such as acrolein form. **The rule:** choose an oil whose smoke point is **above** the cooking temperature you will use. ## Smoke point table - **Refined avocado oil:** 270°C — the highest. - **Palm oil:** 235. - **Refined sunflower oil:** 230. - **Corn oil:** 230. - **Peanut oil:** 230. - **Refined (light) olive oil:** 215. - **Ghee:** 250 — far higher than butter. - **Refined coconut oil:** 200. - **Extra virgin olive oil:** 190. - **Butter:** 150 — it burns quickly. - **Unrefined sesame oil:** 175. ## Refined versus virgin This explains why the same oil has two different numbers. **Virgin oil** is cold-pressed with no processing — it carries solids and plant compounds and a strong flavour, and its smoke point is **lower** because those solids burn. **Refined oil** has been filtered and processed — neutral in taste with a **higher** smoke point, but it has lost some of its antioxidants. **The conclusion:** virgin for flavour and benefit uncooked, refined for high heat. ## Which oil for which use - **Deep frying:** sunflower, corn or palm — cheap and stable. - **Shallow frying and sautéing:** any vegetable oil, or refined olive oil. - **Salads and finishing:** extra virgin olive oil. - **Baking:** a neutral oil (sunflower) or butter depending on the recipe. - **Asian cooking:** toasted sesame oil — in small amounts and at the end. - **Traditional Egyptian cooking:** ghee — a high smoke point and a distinctive flavour. - **Grilling:** a neutral oil on the meat itself, not on the grate. ## Olive oil: myth and reality There is a widespread belief that cooking with extra virgin olive oil is 'harmful'. That is **overstated**. Extra virgin olive oil is relatively stable thanks to its antioxidants, and works perfectly well for **shallow frying, sautéing and the oven** up to 180°C. What makes no sense is **deep frying** with it — its smoke point is below what is needed, and its price makes it wasteful. And its strong flavour also masks many others — so it is not suited to everything. ## Ghee Ghee is butter with **the water, protein and lactose removed**. That gives it a **high smoke point (250)**, a long shelf life without refrigeration, and a distinctive nutty flavour. And it is **practically lactose-free** — so it suits most people with a dairy intolerance. It is a saturated fat, so moderation applies — but it is unquestionably the right choice for traditional Egyptian cooking. ## Coconut oil: an honest assessment Widely sold as a 'superfood', and the reality is calmer than the advertising. It is **90% saturated fat** — higher than butter itself, and it raises LDL cholesterol like any other. **Its sensible use:** in Asian food, curries and desserts where its flavour adds something — not as a general daily substitute. **The refined kind** is neutral in taste with a higher smoke point; **the virgin kind** has a strong aroma. ## Oils to avoid in heat - **Flaxseed oil:** smoke point 107°C — for salads only, and it must be refrigerated. - **Walnut oil:** 160 — for finishing. - **Toasted sesame oil:** for flavour at the end, not for cooking. ## Storing oil Oil has three enemies: **light, heat and air** — and all three cause rancidity. - **A dark bottle** or metal — not clear plastic. - **Away from the stove** — the commonest mistake in kitchens. - **Tightly closed** after every use. - **Buy a size you will use within 3 months.** **The smell of rancidity** is like wax or old paint — at that point the oil is thrown away, not used for frying. ## Reusing frying oil **Three times at most**, if it is strained while warm and stored sealed in a dark place. **Throw it out immediately if:** the colour has darkened considerably, it has turned viscous, it smokes at a lower temperature than before, it foams oddly, or its smell has changed. And **never mix** used oil with fresh — the fresh becomes contaminated with the degraded compounds. ## A note on omega-6 Vegetable oils (sunflower, corn, soy) are rich in omega-6. It is an essential fatty acid we genuinely need, but the modern diet contains **far too much** of it relative to omega-3. **The practical answer** is not to eliminate those oils — it is to increase omega-3 from **oily fish, walnuts and flaxseed**, and to vary your oils rather than relying on one. ## Summary Smoke point is the criterion: above 200 for deep frying, extra virgin olive oil for salads and moderate heat, and ghee for Egyptian cooking. And vary your oils rather than relying on one. ## FAQ ### ينفع أقلي بزيت الزيتون؟ في القلي السطحي والسوتيه والفرن لحد ١٨٠ درجة أيوه وبأمان — هو ثابت نسبيًا بسبب مضادات الأكسدة. اللي مش منطقي هو القلي العميق: نقطة دخانه أقل من المطلوب وسعره يخلّي ده إهدار. ### أنهي زيت أحسن للقلي العميق؟ دوّار الشمس المكرّر أو الذرة أو النخيل — نقطة دخانهم فوق ٢٣٠ درجة وسعرهم معقول وطعمهم محايد. المهم الحرارة تفضل بين ١٧٥ و١٩٠ ومتزوّديش عن ٣ استخدامات لنفس الزيت. ### زيت جوز الهند صحي فعلاً؟ الدعاية أكبر من الحقيقة — هو ٩٠٪ دهون مشبعة، أعلى من الزبدة، وبيرفع الكوليسترول الضار. استخدميه في الأكل الآسيوي والحلويات اللي طعمه بيضيف لها، مش كبديل يومي عام. ### السمن أحسن ولا الزيت؟ السمن نقطة دخانه ٢٥٠ وطعمه مميّز وخالي من اللاكتوز عمليًا، فهو الاختيار الصح للطبخ المصري التقليدي. بس هو دهن مشبع فالاعتدال مطلوب — والزيوت النباتية أخف قلبيًا. --- Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/article/types-of-cooking-oil-and-which-one-for-which-use Edited by: Marwa Mohamed Last updated: 2026-09-12