Extra Virgin means its unrefined ie not heated or chemically extracted. This means it can't stand the high temperatures of refined aka normal olive oil.


I am not a fan of refined oils as the elements are changed and could be harmful to use. Unrefined aka virgin will have a more natural smell but aren't as good for frying. Better not to fry anything tbh

Please explain exactly which 'elements' are changed in refined oils & why they 'could be harmful to use'. Thanks.

I deep fried my bhajis in extra virgin olive oil since there was no other oil and i wanted to give some bhajis for my friend. So just went for it. It gave some funny smell while frying,but there is no difference in taste. Tbh i really liked those bhajis.

Copied from google search:
"Refined cooking oils are made by highly intensive mechanical and chemical processes to extract the oil from the seeds. This process removes the natural nutrients from the seeds and creates a final product which oxidizes easily. The oxidation factor makes these oils more likely to break down into cancer causing free radicals within the body."

So, can you go on to explain the difference in oxidation potential between mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated & saturated fats?

I would not use extra virgin for frying, but neat in things like salad.
For frying I tend to use vegetable oil or gorund-nut oil, or even good old butter tbh.

'Harmful'. Really?? People have been frying for thousands of years.

The fumes from olive oil when used for frying can kill pet birds..

Actually the main problem birds could face in the kitchen is fumes from overheated PTFE as used in non-stick coatings.

Maybe that too but also frying with olive oil can kill birds.