[dvzk]

I wasn't citing or referring to anything external, just to my own experiences cooking. Still, I appreciate learning about your culture. If there are extra virgin olive oils that withstand medium-high and high heat, I'm jealous! I think I'll try experimenting with some of our local suppliers.

Edit:

> This is really the question to ask yourself: where does your information come from? Is there any evidence to the contrary?

I cooked almost exclusively with olive oil for many years. You can ask anyone in America about their experiences with it, and it will probably be the same. I can't speak about taste, but the olive oils found in our stores begin to smoke extremely easily.

[leloup_legarou]

That's interesting, and unexpected. Then it really must be a very different kind of olive oil you were using.

Why did you continue to cook with it if it was smoking so easily?

[dvzk]

Sorry, I didn't see your follow-up! It was just the standard Bertolli, Pompeian, and California Olive Ranch stuff found in our supermarkets. I was still learning to cook at the time, and the combination of the smoke being ventilated, indistinct, normalizable, and mildly pleasant to foul made me unaware. Some of my later housemates had to clue me in!