*Click on the photo to pull up a pdf printable!
Smoke point is essentially the point where the oil begins to smoke; and
degrade.
Not only can it impart a burned flavor on your food, but it also removes
beneficial nutrients from the oil and can be harmful to your health.
As a general rule of thumb, the more refined the oil is, the higher of a
smoke point it has. This is because the refining process removes impurities
that can cause the oil to smoke.
The higher the smoke point, the more cooking methods you can use it
with. However, some of the highly refined oils can also be inflammatory.
*(Not a nutritionist, do your own research)
When you’re cooking on the stove though, you don’t really know what
temperature you’re heating your oil to, so my advice as always is to pay
attention to what your food is doing. Rarely do you cook on very high heat,
so you can manage the heat by lowering if necessary. Below is a chart with
general guidelines.