Olive oil bottles
AlamyIf you cook food in your favorite extra-virgin olive oil, stop.

Kitchen oils aren't created equally. The most important thing to consider when choosing a type of oil to cook with isn't its brand or even flavor, but rather that particular oil's smoking point. Since most forms of cooking involve high heat, such as sautéing and frying, it's key to use oil that doesn't begin smoking until it reaches 420 degrees or higher. If you don't, you risk infusing your food with a nasty flavor, wasting cash, and even potentially increasing your risk of getting cancer.

When fat begins to smoke, it releases a burnt chemical smell and taste that will ruin the flavor of your food. Smoking oil has negative health implications, too: high heat destroys the nutrients in delicate oils like extra-virgin olive oil when it reaches temperatures as low as 320 degrees. And when oil smokes, it releases tons of free radicals, which may elevate one's cancer risk.

The solution? Get your Sam's Club on--a big container of oil with a high smoking point and a neutral taste will become your kitchen workhorse.

Here's a list of oils that have a high smoking point and little to no flavor (which is a good thing, in this case):

Oils and their Smoking Points

Vegetable oil - 450°
Grapeseed oil - 420°
Canola oil - 425°
Corn oil - 450°
Sunflower oil - 450°

So when, exactly, can you use that extra-virgin olive oil? Any time you're not cooking at high heat! Drizzle it over pasta, pizza, or fish--anywhere you want its flavor to shine. Oils with low smoking points like extra-virgin olive oil, dark sesame and the ever-trendy truffle oil tend to be pricier, so using them correctly ensures you'll get your money's worth.