Smoke point of various fats

The smoke point of various fats is important to note because a fat is no longer good for consumption after it has exceeded its smoke point and has begun to break down. Once a fat starts to smoke, it usually will emit a harsh smell and fill the air with smoke. In addition it is believed that fats that have gone past their smoke points contain a large quantity of free radicals which contibute to risk of cancer. Refining oils (taking out impurities) tends to increase the smoke point. The table below lists some ballpark values for smoke points of various common fats.

Fat	Smoke Point
Unrefined canola oil	225°F
Unrefined flaxseed oil	225°F
Unrefined safflower oil	225°F
Unrefined sunflower oil	225°F
Unrefined corn oil	320°F
Unrefined high-oleic sunflower oil	320°F
Extra virgin olive oil	320°F
Unrefined peanut oil	320°F
Semirefined safflower oil	320°F
Unrefined soy oil	320°F
Unrefined walnut oil	320°F
Hemp seed oil	330°F
Butter	350°F
Semirefined canola oil	350°F
Coconut oil	350°F
Unrefined sesame oil	350°F
Semirefined soy oil	350°F
Vegetable shortening	360°F
Lard	370°F
Macadamia nut oil	390°F
Refined canola oil	400°F
Semirefined walnut oil	400°F
High quality (low acidity) extra virgin olive oil	405°F
Sesame oil	410°F
Cottonseed oil	420°F
Grapeseed oil	420°F
Virgin olive oil	420°F
Almond oil	420°F
Hazelnut oil	430°F
Peanut oil	440°F
Sunflower oil	440°F
Refined corn oil	450°F
Refined high-oleic sunflower oil	450°F
Refined peanut oil	450°F
Refined Safflower oil	450°F
Semirefined sesame oil	450°F
Refined soy oil	450°F
Semirefined sunflower oil	450°F
Olive pomace oil	460°F
Extra light olive oit	468°F
Soybean oil	495°F
Safflower oil	510°F
Avocado oil	520°F

I like cooking with extra light olive oil and butter. This is mainly because olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (73%) while being low in polyunsaturated fatty acids (<10%). The refined nature of extra light olive oil mainly affects taste and smoke point, but does not reduce the nutritional benefits of olive oil. Butter, although high in saturated fat (66%), is low in polyunsaturated (4%) and contains a host of vitamins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and acids that are antimicrobial and antitumorigenic. Anyway, it tastes good.