Heart Healthy, High Smoke Point Oils for Cooking

Understanding how to cook with oils can completely transform your meals—from achieving that perfect sear to keeping your dishes heart-healthy.

This guide breaks down the essentials of using high smoke point oils, why they’re important for high-heat cooking, and how to choose the right oil for different techniques like sautéing, roasting, baking, or air frying. Keep this as your go-to reference whenever you want to make smarter, more flavorful cooking choices.

Table of Contents

Jump to:

• What Are High Smoke Point Oils?
• Choosing Heart-Healthy Cooking Oils
• Best Oils for the Air Fryer
• How to Know When Your Oil Is Ready for Sautéing
• Why Not Add Cold Oil to a Cold Pan?
• Oils You Shouldn’t Cook With
• Common Cooking Oil Purpose Chart
• Oil Storage Tips
• Artisan Oils
• Explore. Experiment. Taste.: Recipes
• Cook's Notebook: Cooking Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Leave a Comment or Ask a Question

What Are High Smoke Point Oils?

High smoke point oils can withstand temperatures of 400°F or higher before breaking down and producing smoke. When oils are overheated past their smoke point—especially when reheated repeatedly—they release free radicals, which are unstable, reactive compounds that can lead to harmful health effects when consumed.

According to a 2016 study in Toxicology Reports by Perumalla Venkata and Subramanyam, free radicals formed from overheated oil can contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

For everyday high-heat cooking, avocado oil and canola oil (rapeseed oil) are excellent choices due to their high smoke points and mild flavor.

Source: Perumalla Venkata, R., & Subramanyam, R. (2016). Evaluation of the deleterious health effects of consumption of repeatedly heated vegetable oil. Toxicology reports, 3, 636–643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2016.08.003

Choosing Heart-Healthy Cooking Oils

Not all fats are created equal. Oils made up of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can support heart health by reducing LDL cholesterol and inflammation.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Use smaller amounts of oil—especially when sautéing, roasting, or baking.
• Avoid deep frying when possible.
• Opt for oils like olive oil, canola oil, and avocado oil for everyday cooking.

Best Oils for the Air Fryer

Air fryers require oils that can handle high, dry heat without smoking or breaking down. The top picks:

• Avocado oil (high smoke point + healthy fats)
• Canola oil (budget-friendly and neutral)

Both oils are great for air fryer recipes due to their mild taste and stability under high heat. Avocado oil tends to cost more but provides a richer nutritional profile.

Air Fryer Recipes

How to Know When Your Oil Is Ready for Sautéing

The oil should move more freely in the pan and shimmer slightly when it's hot enough. Here are two ways to test:

• Tilt test: Swirl the oil. If it glides smoothly across the surface, it's ready.
• Bread test: Drop in a small piece of bread—if it sizzles and browns in about 60 seconds, the oil is hot enough.

Why Not Add Cold Oil to a Cold Pan?

Starting with a cold pan and cold oil can lead to soggy, greasy food. When oil is added to a preheated pan, it forms an invisible barrier between the pan and the food, helping prevent sticking and giving you a better sear.

This is especially important when cooking delicate proteins like fish or when stir-frying. Always give both the pan and the oil time to heat before adding ingredients.

Oils You Shouldn’t Cook With

Some oils are best enjoyed raw or as a finishing touch due to their low smoke point and intense flavor. These include:

• Extra virgin olive oil – Great for dips, vinaigrettes, or drizzling on hummus.
• Toasted sesame oil – Best used as a finishing oil for Asian-inspired dishes.
• Flaxseed oil, walnut oil, and hemp oil – Ideal in salad dressings or smoothies.

Don’t worry—you won’t get arrested by the oil police if you experiment, but just know the taste and nutritional value can change when overheated.

Olive Oil vs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A good extra virgin olive oil has stronger characteristics in taste and is great for dipping breads, on top of hummus, vinaigrettes, etc.  Regular olive oil has a more mellow taste, making it versatile in cooking despite its low smoke point.

Sesame Oil vs Toasted Sesame Oil

Toasted sesame oil, as its name suggests, is toasted sesame seeds, which gives the oil a more intensified nuttier taste.  And this oil is mostly used to finish dishes, not to cook with it.

Common Cooking Oil Purpose Chart

Name	Salad Dressings	Sauteing	Frying	Baking	Healthier / Everyday Use
Avocado Oil	x		x		x
Almond Oil	x
Canola Oil	x	x	x	x	x
Coconut Oil		x		x
Corn Oil			x
Butter		x
Flaxseed Oil	x
Grapeseed Oil	x	x		x
Hemp Oil	x
Olive Oil	x	x		x	x
Palm Oil			x	x
Peanut Oil	x		x	x	x
Safflower oil			x	x	x
Sesame Oil		x			x
Soybean Oil			x	x
Sunflower			x	x
Walnut Oil	x
Vegetable Oil					x

Oil Storage Tips

Artisan Oils

The fabulous La Tourangelle has released a trio oil set! This is great for giving extra flavor boost to your steaks, fish, and chicken breast meats from searing to baking. I would definitely use the infused garlic oil to dress hummus and curries by using saffron to infuse color and drizzle it over these dishes.

But don't stop there; use the garlic-infused oil for a quick balsamic or Caesar vinaigrette. In addition, the Herb de Provence would be excellent on roasted vegetables and chicken.

Explore. Experiment. Taste.: Recipes

Cook's Notebook: Cooking Tips

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources:

• Perumalla Venkata, R., & Subramanyam, R. (2016). Toxicology Reports, 3, 636–643. Link
• Blondeau, N. et al. (2015). BioMed Research International, 2015, 519830. Link

Disclaimer: 

This article is solely educational and should never replace professional medical advice.

Leave a Comment or Ask a Question

I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or experiences with using oil for cooking—leave a comment or question and get a response from a professionally trained chef!