Leading French cookware maker Le Creuset has warned customers not to cook with olive oil, Olive Oil Times reported.
The company answered a customer complaint by stating that its frying pans and woks should not be used to cook with olive oil as they could shorten their durability, according to the 3 May report.
More specifically, the French cookware firm blamed olive oil’s smoke point for such damages.
According to a report that first appeared in the Daily Mail and later in The Telegraph, Le Creuset warned its customers “to avoid using olive oil” while recommending “oils with a higher smoke point like rapeseed oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil.”
“Olive oil has a very low smoke point, and this can form a brownish film on the pan (burnt oil), creating a barrier between the food and the pan,” the company added. “We would advise that every now and then, you rub cooking oil around the pan and leave it whilst it is not in use. This will help preserve the quality of it.”
The Telegraph also reported that the popular department store John Lewis had urged its customers to avoid the use of olive oil when cooking with ceramic pans.
“We advise customers that olive oil can carbonise on ceramic pans, leaving a residue,” the store said.
According to The Telegraph, Italian kitchenware producer Smeg had said, “it is recommended not to allow the [olive] oil to smoke or burn. Due to the enhanced non-stick properties, food can be cooked and fried without the need for oil at all.”
“You should never cook with olive oil,” Mark Greenaway, a chef, told The Telegraph. “It should only ever be used in finishing a dish. If you cook with it, the smoke point is so low it removes the Teflon [a brand name for the chemical, polytetrafluoroethylene] from non-stick pans or ‘burns’ traditional pans.”
Following the publication of the article by Olive Oil Times, a Le Creuset representative sent the organisation a statement saying Le Creuset cookware was suitable for use with many different fats and oils, including olive oil and other plant-based oils, seed and vegetable oils, animal and dairy fats and others.
“Cooks should feel free to choose based on personal preference and temperature recommendations,” the statement said. “Proper use according to the smoke point of each oil will prolong the performance of our cookware and we refer you to individual care and use guides on lecreuset.com for all of our materials.”
Some experts believed the damage was caused by the chemical coating, usually Teflon, on Le Creuset's non-stick pots and pans, the report said.
