Quote (RecenT @ Feb 22 2011 05:51pm)
I also have another question.
I read back a couple more pages and saw that when you overcook olive oil, you eliminate its antioxiadants which increases cancer from free radicals.
How do I know when the oil is 'overcooked'? Would a clearish smoke appear from the pan?
Also, if I was cooking chicken or eggs, I use olive oil since I don't have corn oil. If smoke starts coming out from say the chicken being cooked, does this also mean that the olive oil has gone bad or am I safe so long as the oil doesn't create smokes by itself with no other substance on the pan.
Tentionally, when I cook lean beef for the meatballs for spaghetti as well, smoek do appear and I'm assuming thats fine cause I use a lid to help preserve the smoke ( water vapor? ) so that the chicken / meatball would be a bit more moist..
Lastly, when I cook something like this, a lot of water or liquid accumulates on the pan. Then eventually when it cooks for a long time, the water/liquid/marinates soaks up into the food. This is fine as well?
Olive Oil reaches a smoke point where the oil turns clear and loses it's thickness - this is when the oil is useless. I would recommend using a higher smoke point oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or flax oil.
As far as smoke from meats cooking and so forth, that's totally normal and has to do with water vapors - not with degredation or oxidation. Same goes for the liquid that the food soaks in.
Just try not to overheat your olive oil lol