# Olive Oil

Olive oil is a cooking fat pressed from olives, sold in grades set by the International Olive Council: extra virgin (free acidity at most 0.8 %), virgin (at most 2 %), refined-and-virgin blends labelled "olive oil", and pomace oil. Which one is best for cooking depends on heat and on whether you want the flavor to survive.

**Olive oil** is a cooking fat pressed from the fruit of the olive tree, used for sautéing, [searing](https://fond.kitchen/glossary/searing/), roasting, dressing, finishing and baking. What separates it from other cooking oils is that it is sold in legally defined grades, from peppery extra virgin to neutral refined oil, and each grade suits different temperatures and jobs. This entry lists the types of olive oil, what the labels mean, and which olive oil is best for cooking.

For how olive oil compares with other fats, see the [cooking oil smoke point guide](https://fond.kitchen/blog/cooking-oil-smoke-points/) and [butter vs oil](https://fond.kitchen/blog/butter-vs-oil/).

## What are the different types of olive oil?

The International Olive Council (IOC) trade standard defines the grades by how the oil was extracted and by its free acidity, expressed as grams of oleic acid per 100 g. Lower acidity means sounder fruit and gentler handling.

**Types of Olive Oil at a Glance**
- Extra virgin (EVOO) | Mechanical extraction only. Free acidity at most 0.8 %. No sensory defects. Fruity, sometimes peppery.
- Virgin | Mechanical extraction only. Free acidity at most 2 %. Minor defects allowed. Milder, less common in shops.
- "Olive oil" (refined + virgin blend) | Refined oil with some virgin oil added for taste. Free acidity at most 1 %. Neutral.
- Light / extra light | A refined blend marketed for mild flavor. "Light" means taste, not calories.
- Olive pomace oil | Solvent-extracted from the leftover pulp, then refined and blended with virgin oil. Free acidity at most 1 %. Mostly food service.

**Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)** is the top grade. It is obtained from olives "solely by mechanical or other physical means", with no solvents and no heat that would alter the oil, and it must have free acidity of no more than 0.8 g per 100 g and no defects on a tasting panel. Flavor varies with variety and origin: Tuscan oils tend to be grassy and peppery, Spanish Arbequina oils softer and buttery.

**Virgin olive oil** is extracted the same way but may carry up to 2 % free acidity and slight sensory defects. It is fit for direct consumption and is the grade most supermarket "virgin" bottles belong to.

**Lampante virgin oil** (free acidity above 3.3 %) is not sold to consumers. It is sent for refining.

**Refined olive oil** is lampante or defective oil cleaned up by refining methods that do not alter the glyceride structure. It is nearly flavorless and colorless. In most countries it cannot be sold to consumers on its own; it appears on shelves blended with virgin oil under the plain name **"olive oil"** (sometimes marketed as "pure" or "classic"), with free acidity capped at 1 %.

**Light olive oil** is a marketing name for a refined blend with a mild taste. Every olive oil has the same energy content, about 120 kcal per tablespoon, so "light" says nothing about calories.

**Olive pomace oil** comes from the solid residue left after pressing. Solvents pull out the remaining oil, which is then refined and blended with virgin oil. It is the lowest grade and mostly used in food manufacturing and restaurants where volume matters more than flavor.

## Which olive oil is best for cooking?

Two questions decide it: how hot the pan will get, and whether you want the flavor of the oil in the finished dish.

| Task | Typical temperature | Best type of olive oil | Why |
|------|--------------------|------------------------|-----|
| Salad dressing, drizzling, dipping | Room temperature | Extra virgin | The flavor is the point; nothing gets heated |
| Sautéing vegetables, softening onions | 120-175°C (250-350°F) | Extra virgin or virgin | Well below the smoke point; some fruitiness survives |
| Roasting vegetables at 200°C (400°F) | Oven at 200°C; food surface stays lower | Extra virgin | Cooks fine at roasting temperatures; use a cheaper bottle |
| Pan-frying, shallow frying | 175-190°C (350-375°F) | Virgin or refined "olive oil" | Near the smoke point of a delicate EVOO; refined oil has more headroom |
| Searing steak in [cast iron](https://fond.kitchen/glossary/cast-iron-skillet/), deep frying | 200-230°C (400-450°F) | Refined "olive oil" or light | Higher smoke point, neutral flavor |
| Baking (cakes, muffins) | Oven heat, batter stays below 100°C | Light olive oil | Neutral swap for vegetable oil |
| Finishing soups, pasta, grilled fish | Off the heat | Extra virgin | Aroma compounds are volatile; add at the end |

The short version: **extra virgin for anything at or below sautéing heat and for finishing, refined "olive oil" or light for high-heat searing and deep frying.** Keeping two bottles, one good EVOO and one inexpensive refined olive oil, covers almost every recipe.

## What is the smoke point of olive oil?

The [smoke point](https://fond.kitchen/blog/cooking-oil-smoke-points/) is the temperature at which an oil starts to break down and give off continuous smoke. It depends on free fatty acids, impurities and refining, so it varies from bottle to bottle. The figures below are the ranges reported for each grade.

**Olive Oil Smoke Points**
- 374-405 / 190-207 | Extra virgin | Lower end for ordinary EVOO, upper end for low-acidity, high-quality oil. Fine for sautéing and roasting | ideal
- 410 / 210 | Virgin | Everyday sautéing, pan-frying | good
- 390-470 / 199-243 | Refined "olive oil", light | Searing, deep frying, high-heat roasting | safe

A low-acidity extra virgin oil (0.2-0.4 %) smokes noticeably later than a defective one, which is one reason to buy fresh, well-made EVOO even for cooking.

## Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil?

Yes. The claim that EVOO is "only for salads" does not hold up: normal sautéing happens around 120-175°C (250-350°F), well under its smoke point, and roasting vegetables at 200°C (400°F) does not push the surface of the food anywhere near that. Heat does drive off some of the aroma and polyphenols, so a pricey single-estate bottle is wasted on a hot pan. Save it for finishing and cook with a plainer EVOO.

Where EVOO stops making sense is prolonged deep frying and hard searing, where the pan sits above 200°C (400°F). There a refined "olive oil" costs less and smokes later.

## How is olive oil made?

Olives are harvested in autumn and early winter, washed, and crushed into a paste, pits included. The paste is slowly stirred (malaxation) for 20-40 minutes so oil droplets merge, then a centrifuge separates oil from water and solids. For virgin and extra virgin grades that is the whole process: no solvents, and no heat high enough to alter the oil. The oil is settled or filtered and bottled.

Refined grades go through extra steps (neutralising with alkali, bleaching, deodorising) that remove defects and most of the flavor, leaving a neutral oil with a higher smoke point and fewer polyphenols. Pomace oil starts from the pressed pulp, extracted with solvents, then refined the same way.

## How do you store olive oil?

**Olive Oil Storage**
+ Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove
+ Prefer dark glass or tins over clear bottles
+ Close the cap tightly after every use
+ Use an opened bottle within a few months
+ Buy bottles that print a harvest date
- Don't store it next to the hob or on a sunny windowsill
- Don't leave the cap off while you cook
- Don't keep it for years; olive oil does not improve with age
- Don't worry if it clouds in the fridge; it clears at room temperature

Light, heat and oxygen all degrade olive oil, and once the bottle is open, oxygen does most of the damage. Rancid oil smells like crayons or stale nuts and tastes flat or waxy.

## How do you read an olive oil label?

**"First cold pressed"** is largely a marketing phrase. Any genuine extra virgin oil is extracted without solvents or damaging heat, so the claim describes the standard method.

**"Product of Italy" (or Spain, Greece)** can mean bottled there, not grown there. For guaranteed origin look for a PDO/DOP or PGI/IGP designation, or a named estate.

**Harvest date** is the most useful quality signal. Olive oil is at its best within a year or so of harvest. A "best by" date alone tells you little.

**Free acidity** printed on the label (0.2-0.4 % is typical of a careful producer) is a chemistry number, not a taste. It cannot be tasted directly, but low values usually go with sound fruit and quick processing.

**Awards and IOC certification** mean the oil was evaluated by a tasting panel. They are a reasonable tiebreaker between two unfamiliar bottles.

## Olive oil in emulsions and sauces

Olive oil is the base of classic [emulsions](https://fond.kitchen/glossary/emulsification/): vinaigrettes, aioli and herb sauces like salsa verde. Whisked with acid and an emulsifier (mustard, egg yolk), it breaks into tiny droplets and forms a stable, creamy dressing. EVOO belongs here because its flavor carries the sauce. It also works as the fat in a [pan sauce](https://fond.kitchen/blog/how-to-make-pan-sauce/) when you want something lighter than butter, and it is the standard fat for [confit](https://fond.kitchen/glossary/confit/) preparations such as garlic or tomato confit. For [seasoning cast iron](https://fond.kitchen/blog/how-to-season-cast-iron/), a refined olive oil works if you have nothing with a higher smoke point.

## Olive oil in Fond

Fond keeps the ingredient as the recipe wrote it, so "extra virgin olive oil" and "olive oil" stay distinct in your ingredient list and on the shopping list. When a recipe gives oil by volume and you cook by weight, the [unit converter](https://fond.kitchen/tools/unit-converter/) uses a density for oil (about 218 g per US cup) rather than treating it like water.

## Frequently asked questions

**What are the main types of olive oil?**
Four are sold to consumers: extra virgin, virgin, "olive oil" (a refined-and-virgin blend, sometimes labelled pure, classic or light), and olive pomace oil. Lampante virgin oil and unblended refined oil exist but are not sold at retail in most markets.

**Which olive oil is best for cooking?**
Extra virgin for sautéing, roasting and anything you finish with; refined "olive oil" or light for searing and deep frying above 200°C (400°F). The refined grades have higher smoke points and no flavor to lose.

**Can you fry with extra virgin olive oil?**
Shallow frying, yes: 175-190°C (350-375°F) is at or under its smoke point, so use an ordinary EVOO rather than a delicate one. For deep frying, a refined olive oil is cheaper and has more headroom.

**What's the difference between virgin and extra virgin olive oil?**
Both are mechanically extracted. Extra virgin must have free acidity of 0.8 % or less and no sensory defects; virgin may reach 2 % and show slight defects. Extra virgin tastes fruitier and cleaner.

**What's the healthiest olive oil?**
Extra virgin. It is the least processed grade and keeps the most polyphenols and vitamin E. Refining strips most of those compounds out.

**Does olive oil go bad?**
Yes. Once opened it oxidises steadily; if your EVOO has lost its peppery kick and smells waxy, it is past its best. Buy sizes you will finish within a few months of opening.

**Is olive oil better than butter for cooking?**
They do different jobs. Olive oil tolerates more heat and is mostly unsaturated fat; [butter](https://fond.kitchen/blog/butter-vs-oil/) brings milk solids that brown and add flavor. Many cooks sear in olive oil and finish with butter.


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*Published: 2026-02-05 | Last updated: 2026-09-14*

*Category: ingredients*

[View on Fond](https://fond.kitchen/glossary/olive-oil/)