Olive Oil vs Other Cooking Oils: An Honest Compare
Olive oil has its devotees, but a good cook keeps perspective. It is not the only worthwhile fat, and the kitchen has room for several. Here is an honest comparison — what olive oil does well, where other oils earn their place, and which popular claims deserve a raised eyebrow.
Extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat and carries antioxidant compounds that more refined oils lose, which is much of why it is well regarded. A persistent worry is that it cannot take heat — but a good extra virgin is more stable in cooking than its modest smoke point suggests, thanks to those same compounds, and is perfectly fine for everyday frying and roasting. By contrast, many neutral seed oils are heavily refined for a high smoke point and a flavourless result: useful for deep-frying or baking where you want no taste, less interesting on the plate. Butter and animal fats bring flavour but more saturated fat. None of these is simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
The smoke-point myth
Smoke point gets treated as the whole story of whether an oil is ‘safe’ to cook with, but it is only part of it. Oxidative stability — how well an oil resists breaking down under heat over time — matters at least as much, and here extra virgin’s natural antioxidants and low polyunsaturated content work in its favour. In practice, a decent extra virgin handles a home sauté or a tray of roast vegetables without trouble. Where a genuinely high smoke point earns its keep is hard deep-frying, and there a cheap neutral oil is the sensible, unsentimental choice.
Choosing by job, not by hype
The honest position is to match the fat to the task. Reach for good extra virgin where its flavour and quality shine — dressings, finishing, gentle cooking, roasting vegetables — and keep a cheaper neutral oil for high-heat deep-frying or for baking where olive’s taste would intrude. Butter for what butter does best. Studies have associated diets rich in olive oil with various benefits, but most of that research sits within whole Mediterranean-style eating, not olive oil acting alone, so treat sweeping single-food health claims with care. This is general information, not medical advice.
| Fat | Best at | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin olive oil | Dressings, finishing, roasting, everyday cooking | Costly to waste on hard deep-frying; fades if old |
| Refined / ‘light’ olive oil | Higher-heat cooking with mild olive character | Stripped of polyphenols and flavour |
| Neutral seed oils | Deep-frying, baking where you want no taste | Heavily refined; little to offer on the plate |
| Butter / animal fats | Flavour, baking, richness | Higher in saturated fat; burns at moderate heat |
The cook’s takeaway
- Keep a good extra virgin for flavour, finishing and everyday cooking.
- Keep a cheap neutral oil for hard deep-frying and taste-free baking.
- Keep butter for baking and richness — use all three with judgement.
- Buy a real, fresh extra virgin — not one quietly cut with cheaper oil — and use it where it counts.
Cooking oils: common questions
Can I fry with extra virgin olive oil?
Yes, for everyday frying and roasting. Its antioxidants make it more heat-stable than its smoke point suggests. For hard deep-frying, a cheap neutral oil is more economical.
Is olive oil the healthiest cooking oil?
It has a favourable fat profile and useful compounds, and it is well regarded — but ‘healthiest’ oversimplifies. The best kitchen uses several fats by job. This is general information, not medical advice.
Does a high smoke point mean a healthier oil?
Not really. Oxidative stability matters as much, and extra virgin does well there. Smoke point mainly tells you when an oil visibly starts to smoke.
Should olive oil be my only fat?
No, and be wary of anyone who insists it must. Butter and neutral oils have their jobs. Quality and freshness matter more than loyalty to one bottle.
Is ‘light’ olive oil healthier?
‘Light’ refers to flavour and colour, not calories — it is refined, with the polyphenols stripped out. It is useful for higher heat, not a health upgrade.
You do not have to make olive oil your only fat to eat well, and you should be suspicious of anyone who insists you must. Keep a good extra virgin for flavour and finishing, a neutral oil for high-heat work, and butter for baking and richness. The smartest kitchens use all three with judgement. Quality and freshness matter far more than loyalty to a single bottle — and a tired, cut extra virgin is worse value than an honest neutral oil that is not pretending to be something it is not.
General guidance on cooking fats and their culinary uses. This is general information, not medical advice.