I always add some olive oil to my food after I turn off the heat whenever I am cooking something that has some broth / soup / wetness to it.
I don’t measure it, just go by feeling, but it tends to be a lot, I guess. Maybe some 20-30 ml per one kilogram of stuff.
Even if I do it after I turned off the heat, the food is still very warm. I was wondering if olive oil becomes unhealthy like this and if I should stick to pouring it over cold food like salad etc only.
Results showed that extra-virgin olive oil was the safest and most stable when heated to temperatures even higher than those commonly used for sautéing, deep-frying and baking. It produced the lowest quantity of polar compounds compared to the other oils tested. The runner up was coconut oil.The study also disproved the commonly held view that oil with a high smoke point is best suited for high-temperature cooking. In fact, an oil’s smoke point doesn’t indicate how it will perform when heated.
From <https://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/cooking-cookware/does-high-heat-hurt-olive-oil/>
Yes, but only before it starts smoking and turn darker. I use it for sealing up fish and immediately pour some water in, garlic, cilantro and parsley. Optionally tomatoes too. It’s called “sudado” (sweated) here in Ecuador.
In the food science world, there is some disagreement about the exact temperature extra virgin olive oil begins to be damaged, but 350 degrees F is a reasonable estimate. Practically, then, you want to avoid using olive oil for any type of frying. Using it as you inquire about is perfectly safe.
Heat your pan up with the oil you use to your desired cooking temp, if it begins to smoke then the heat is too high for that oil and it does become unhealthy. They make high smoke point oils for cooking specifically.