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The best oil for searing steak (and what not to use)

Put down the butter and walk away

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Whether it’s an incredibly succulent ribeye, a tender, juicy bone-in pork chop, or a crisped-to-perfection grilled chicken thigh, we all strive to achieve that golden crisp crust when cooking our favorite proteins. But getting that perfect bite comes with a bit of know-how, like how long to cook your food, how to make the perfect marinade, how long to let your food rest after it’s been cooked, and what cooking oils to use.

If you’ve ever inadvertently over-charred a steak or set off the smoke alarm in your kitchen, the oil you used in your recipe may be to blame. If so, keep reading to find out what the best oil for searing steak is.

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Understanding smoke points

Steak frying in a pan
bnenin / Adobe Stock

You may have heard the term “smoke point” before, be it in a recipe or when talking to someone with some culinary chops. The term is really just a fancy way of indicating the temperature at which an oil starts to burn and become gross. Because we like to cook things like steak at high temperatures to achieve a delicious sear, it’s important to cook with oils that have higher smoke points so that we can cook our food without burning the outside.

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Different oils have different smoke points, and knowing which oil will make your steak delicious and which will turn it into a bitterly burnt disaster is an important skill to have.

Is it better to sear steaks with butter or olive oil?

It pains us to admit this because we’re fans of butter. Big fans. Sadly, though, butter is one of the worst choices for searing steak due to its extremely low smoke point of about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If butter alone is used for searing, it’s likely to burn and give a bitter flavor to whatever you’re cooking. But there is good news for those of us who are big on butter. Butter can most certainly be used in the searing process when paired with another oil that has a high smoke point. Simply sear your ingredient in another oil before basting it with added butter for a tender and absolutely delicious bite.

Olive oil is also a tremendously popular ingredient in most of our kitchens. Unfortunately, though, it too falls a bit short when it comes to searing. Extra virgin olive oil begins to smoke at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, making it just as bad as butter when it comes to avoiding a burnt mess. While regular olive oil has a slightly higher range of about 390 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s better to use another oil to be on the safe side. It’s also worth noting that olive oil has a very distinct flavor of, well, olives. While this is favored in raw oil preparations like salad dressings and finishing oils, it isn’t always desired on seared foods like steak or chicken.

What is the best oil for pan-searing steak?

There are many oils with high smoke points that are wonderful for creating a beautifully golden sear on whatever ingredient you happen to be cooking. Canola oil has an average smoke point of about 430 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it a very popular choice in both restaurant and at-home kitchens. The mild flavors of canola are also great when you’re looking to add a sear but not necessarily flavor from the oil itself. Avocado oil and grapeseed oil also have high smoke points, making them great alternatives to vegetable or canola oil.

Is avocado oil better than grapeseed oil for searing?

If you’re looking to cook something on a high sear, both avocado and grapeseed oils are good choices. Avocado oil, depending on the brand and quality, can have a smoke point up to 520 degrees Fahrenheit, giving it an extremely high smoke point, which is ideal for high-heat cooking.

Grapeseed oil has a good smoke point, averaging about 420 degrees Fahrenheit, but it also has a more substantial flavor than avocado oil, which may overwhelm the ingredient you’re searing. If you don’t like the flavor of any particular oil, it’s usually best to avoid cooking with it.

Smoke points of popular cooking oils

  • Avocado oil: 480 to 520 Fahrenheit
  • Safflower oil: 450 to 500 Fahrenheit
  • Canola oil: 400 to 475 Fahrenheit
  • Soybean oil: 450 Fahrenheit
  • Sunflower oil: 450 Fahrenheit
  • Peanut oil: 450 Fahrenheit
  • Coconut oil: 400 to 450 Fahrenheit
  • Grapeseed oil: 420 Fahrenheit

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Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
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