Can You Cook With Cold-Pressed Oils? A Simple Smoke Point Guide
Cold-pressed oils have so much flavour. So it is natural to want to cook with them. But can you? The short answer is this. Some you can warm gently. Some are best kept cold.
It all comes down to one thing: the smoke point.
What is a smoke point?
The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil starts to smoke and break down. Past this point, the oil loses its flavour. It can taste bitter and burnt, and the goodness in it fades.
As a rule, refined oils have a high smoke point. Cold-pressed, unrefined oils have a lower one. That is the trade-off for keeping all that flavour and colour. Smoke points also vary a little from batch to batch, so take the figures below as a guide.
Best kept cold (do not heat)
Some oils are too delicate for the pan. Heating them spoils the taste. Use them cold, after cooking.
- Flaxseed oil has a very low smoke point, around 107°C. Never cook with it. Stir it into smoothies, yoghurt or porridge instead.
- Wheat germ oil is much the same. Keep it for dressings and finishing.
- Our sunflower oil is cold-pressed from dried seeds. It is best used cold, not for frying.
For finishing and gentle warmth
These oils have more character. A touch of warmth is fine. But they shine brightest added at the end.
- Walnut oil sits around 160°C. Lovely drizzled over a finished dish, not used for searing.
- Pumpkin seed oil is similar. Save it as a finishing oil to keep that dark, nutty flavour.
- Hemp seed oil and corn oil are best for cold dishes or very gentle warmth.
The one that takes the most heat: coconut
Of our range, coconut oil copes best with heat. Its smoke point is around 177°C. That makes it a good choice for baking, gentle frying and curries.
Even so, there is no need to push any oil to its limit. Lower and slower keeps the flavour intact.
A simple rule to remember
If in doubt, keep cold-pressed oils for cold or warm dishes, not hot pans. For high heat, use a refined oil with a high smoke point. Then finish the plate with a drizzle of something special.
Want to know why refining changes an oil so much? We cover it in Refined Oils vs Unrefined Oils. You can browse the whole range in our shop.
Be one with nature.