smoke point

noun

variants or smoking point

plural smoke points or smoking points

: the temperature at which an oil or fat (especially one used for cooking) begins to emit smoke

When choosing an oil, you want one with a higher smoke point than your cooking temperature … since surpassing the smoke point "can cause undesirable burnt aroma and flavors," says [Jason] Ginsberg, in addition to filling your kitchen with smoke.

—Laurel Randolph

Cold-pressed oils have a smoking point of less than 300°F and should not be used for high-heat cooking.

—Jane Salzgass Freiman

Film the pan with peanut oil or canola oil (which have higher smoke points than other vegetable oils).

—Harvey Steiman

Examples of smoke point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The butter gives them fantastic flavor, especially as the milk solids brown, while the addition of oil increases the smoke point, keeping the butter from burning. — Martha Stewart, 21 June 2026

That high smoke point is part of why tallow has gained traction with home cooks who want a fat that holds up to high-heat frying and roasting without breaking down. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026

For high-heat work — frying, searing, roasting potatoes, finishing a crust on a steak — beef tallow has real advantages over butter in smoke point, stability and crisp texture. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026

Some oils are better for high-heat cooking than others, and a good clue is looking at the oil's smoke point. — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smoke point

• counterpoint
• disappoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint