Oils, fats and their smoke points
To sear meat choose a fat or oil with smoke point of 180°C or above.
Check the table below to see if you're happy with the way the oil has been processed – and approve of the chemicals used to do so.
For many, you probably won't.
|
Product
|
Smoke Point (°C)
|
Processing Description
|
Chemicals Used
|
Other Industry Applications
|
|
Refined avocado oil
|
271°C
|
Highly refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Safflower oil
|
266°C
|
Refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Rice bran oil
|
254°C
|
Refined
|
Hexane, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Refined or light olive oil
|
240°C
|
Made from refined oils and often blended with extra virgin oil
|
Solvents, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Soybean oil
|
232°C
|
Highly refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Peanut oil
|
232°C
|
Refined
|
Hexane, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Ghee or clarified butter
|
232°C
|
Heated and strained to remove milk solids and water content
|
None
|
|
|
Corn oil
|
232°C
|
Refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Refined coconut oil
|
232°C
|
Bleached, deodorized, and refined
|
Bleaching agents, deodorizing agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Sunflower oil
|
232°C
|
Refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Refined sesame oil
|
210°C
|
Made from toasted sesame seeds and refined
|
Solvents, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Vegetable oil
|
204-232°C
|
Highly refined and processed
|
Hexane, sodium hydroxide, bleaching agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents; sodium hydroxide in soap and detergent manufacturing
|
|
Beef tallow
|
204°C
|
Processing varies
|
None,
|
|
|
Unrefined or Virgin avocado
|
190°C
|
Unrefined
|
None
|
|
|
Pork fat or Lard
|
188°C
|
Processing varies
|
None
|
|
|
Chicken fat
|
190°C
|
Processing varies
|
None
|
|
|
Duck fat
|
190°C
|
Processing varies
|
None
|
|
|
Vegetable shortening
|
182°C
|
Made from hydrogenated vegetable oil and varies in processing
|
Solvents, bleaching agents, anti-foaming agents
|
Solvents in adhesives, glues, rubber production, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning agents
|
|
Unrefined sesame oil
|
177°C
|
Unrefined
|
None
|
|
|
Extra virgin or Unrefined coconut oil
|
177°C
|
Unrefined
|
None
|
|
|
Extra virgin olive oil
|
163-190°C
|
Varies between 163-190°C in processing temperature
|
None
|
|
|
Butter
|
150°C
|
Varies between 82-150°C in processing temperature
|
None
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hexane
Made from crude oil this solvent is commonly used in the food industry to extract oil from seeds and vegetables such as soybeans, sunflower seeds and corn.
Also used as:
- Cleaning agent in industries such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and textiles.
- Manufacturing of adhesives
- Formulation of paints and coatings
- Sometimes used as a fuel additive to improve the performance of petrol
Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)
Used in many industries such as pulp and paper, textiles, soaps and detergents. It's also used as a strong base in chemical reactions. And production of vegetable oils.
Bleaching agents
Hydrogen peroxide, Sodium hypochlorite, Sodium chlorite... used in the production of paper, textiles, and food products to remove colour and impurities.
Bleaching earth (activated carbon)
Used in the refining of edible oils, such as palm oil and coconut oil, to remove impurities and colour.
Phosphoric acid
Used in the production of fertilisers, food additives, and beverages.
Deodorizing agents
Hydrogen or steam, used in the food industry to remove unwanted odours and flavours.
Solvents
Ethanol, Propane and Butane, also used in many industries such as paints, coatings, and cleaning products.
Anti-foaming agents
Silicones, Polysorbates, Fatty acids (Monoglycerides and Diglycerides) and Mineral oils. Used in the production of various products, such as processed foods, cleaning products, and cosmetics, to prevent excessive foaming.
