Olive oil has the lowest smoke point of the common cooking oils, which makes people nervous about it catching fire. The nervousness is misplaced in one way and justified in another.
Olive oil is combustible but not flammable. It will not ignite at room temperature and does not give off flammable vapor from the bottle. But heated in a pan, it smokes at about 350 to 410°F, reaches its flash point around 600°F, and will ignite on its own around 700°F, all of which a stovetop burner on high can produce in a few minutes.
Smoke Point Is Not Flash Point
People conflate the two. The smoke point is where the oil starts to break down and give off visible smoke and off flavors. For extra virgin olive oil that is roughly 350 to 375°F; for refined or "light" olive oil it is closer to 465°F. Smoking oil is not burning oil. But it is the warning that you are on the way: another 200 degrees of heat and the vapor coming off the oil will ignite from the burner flame, and a little more than that and it ignites with no flame at all.
| Olive oil | Smoke point | Flash point (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin | 350–410°F | ~600°F |
| Virgin | ~420°F | ~600°F |
| Refined / light | ~465°F | ~600°F |
How Olive Oil Fires Happen
Almost always the same way: a pan of oil on a burner, the cook steps away, the food is out of the pan or never went in, and the oil climbs unchecked. Olive oil's low smoke point means it starts smoking sooner than canola or peanut oil, which is actually a useful early warning if you're in the room. If you're not, it burns the same as any other oil.
If Olive Oil Catches Fire
- Turn off the burner.
- Slide a metal lid or baking sheet over the pan and leave it there until the pan is cool.
- No water, ever. Water sinks under the oil, flashes to steam, and throws burning oil across the kitchen.
- Don't move the pan.
- Baking soda or salt on a small fire; a Class B or K extinguisher if it has spread; 911 if it has left the pan.
Cooking With Olive Oil Safely
- Use extra virgin for low and medium heat, sautéing, and finishing. Use refined olive oil or a higher smoke point oil for searing and frying.
- Keep the burner on medium. Olive oil rarely needs high heat.
- Stay in the kitchen. A pan of oil is never a "set it and forget it" item.
- Keep a lid next to the stove every time oil is on the heat.
Related reading: is cooking oil flammable, is coconut oil flammable, and is grease flammable.
