Yes you can cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil..

Recent scientific studies in Australia have proven that it is safe to cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). In fact, EVOO is by far the safest oil to cook with.

In the past, it was believed that the smoke point of the oil determined whether it was heat resistant but this recent study has shown that the stability at high temperatures is determined by the total unsaturated fat level, oxidative stability and UV coefficients.

Australian researchers compared the effects of heating on a range of commonly used cooking oils (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, refined olive oil, canola, grapeseed, coconut, avocado, peanut, rice bran and sunflower). After heating the oils to high temperatures, they performed a range of tests to assess parameters connected to stability. Extra Virgin Olive Oil was the safest and most stable at the highest temperatures and it produced the lowest quantity of harmful substances called polar compounds. The notion that canola oil is good for your health was completely discredited. It was the most unstable and produced 2.5 times the quantity of polar compounds of EVOO and close to 2 times the polar compounds of refined olive oil.

When an oil is exposed to heat, chemical and physical changes occus in the oil and it breaks down to produce polar compounds which are detrimental to your health and are linked to the development of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers and Parkinson’s Disease.

So recent unsubstantiated claims that EVOO is not safe to cook with have been completely disproven by this latest research. EVOO is not only safe to cook with at high temperatures, but it by far the safest oil to use for cooking.