What Does “Seed Oil Free” Really Mean? Let's Break It Down.

“Seed oil free” has become one of those phrases we see everywhere, but the conversation around cooking oils is often more complicated than the label makes it sound. At Fook Hing Hot Chili Oil, we use extra virgin olive oil as our primary oil, along with a small amount of Japanese sesame oil for flavor. That means we are not technically 100% seed-oil-free, and we’re comfortable being transparent about that.

What interested us more during product development was a question that comes up all the time: can you really cook with extra virgin olive oil? For years, many people were told the answer was no because EVOO supposedly has too low a smoke point. According to UC Davis, that idea is a myth.

UC Davis Food Quality and the UC Davis Olive Center note that olive oil smoke points can range from roughly 347°F to 464°F, depending on the grade, freshness, and quality of the oil. They also explain that good-quality extra virgin olive oil contains natural antioxidants that contribute to its stability when heated. In other words, EVOO is not limited to salad dressings or finishing a dish. It can be used for everyday cooking methods such as sautéing, roasting, baking, and stir-frying. (ucfoodquality.ucdavis.edu)

That mattered to us because we never wanted Fook Hing Hot Chili Oil to be something you could only spoon over a finished dish. We wanted it to be versatile enough to drizzle, dip, marinate, and cook with.

Part of the confusion around EVOO comes from the fact that not all olive oils are the same. Smoke point can vary depending on quality, freshness, refinement, and storage. Once any oil begins to smoke, it starts to degrade, so overheating any oil is something to avoid. But that is very different from saying extra virgin olive oil cannot be used for cooking. The better question is whether you are using a quality oil appropriately for the type of cooking you are doing.

Our own R&D reinforced that choice. When we added EVOO back into the flavorful pepper mixture left at the bottom of the jar after much of the original oil had been used, it didn’t leave an unwanted aftertaste or overpower the flavor profile we had worked to create. Instead, the familiar flavor remained while the heat became a little more mellow.

That discovery gave us another practical benefit. Rather than immediately discarding the pepper mixture at the bottom of the jar, you can add a little extra virgin olive oil and continue enjoying it. It gives you more use from the ingredients that are already there and more value from the product you purchased.

So where does sesame oil fit into all of this? Sesame oil is technically a seed oil, and we use a small amount of it intentionally. We selected a high-quality Japanese sesame oil because it gives our chili oil the toasted, nutty finish we wanted without needing to rely on whole sesame seeds for texture. It plays a supporting role in the recipe, while EVOO remains the primary oil.

That is why we do not describe Fook Hing Hot Chili Oil as completely seed-oil-free. The more accurate description is that it is EVOO-based, with a touch of sesame oil for flavor. For us, that is more useful and more honest than chasing a label that does not fully describe what is in the jar.

It is also important to say that “seed oil free” does not automatically mean healthier. The American Heart Association continues to recognize many liquid plant oils, including several seed oils, as sources of unsaturated fats that can fit into a healthy eating pattern. (heart.org)

So our choice to use EVOO is not about saying that all seed oils are bad. It is about choosing the oil that worked best for the product we wanted to create. We liked the flavor, the mouthfeel, the way it performed during R&D, and the versatility it gave us in the kitchen.

The takeaway is that “seed oil free” is only one part of the conversation. What matters just as much is what oil is actually being used, why it was chosen, how it is handled, and how well it works in the finished product.

For Fook Hing Hot Chili Oil, extra virgin olive oil is the foundation, a small amount of Japanese sesame oil provides the nutty finish, and both are there for a reason.

And despite the myth, yes — you can cook with EVOO.

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