Scenario Cooking Oils, Such as Olive Oil, Are Largely Made Up

question 28

Multiple Choice

Scenario
Cooking oils, such as olive oil, are largely made up of unsaturated fats. If you have ever heated cooking oil in a pan, you might have noticed that eventually the oil begins to smoke. The temperature when this occurs is called the "smoke point." At the smoke point, the fatty acids and glycerol molecules that make up the unsaturated fats in the oil begin to break down and form smoke. Different oils have different smoke points, and these smoke points depend on the molecular composition of the oils. Below is a table with data for four different types of cooking oils, including their smoke points (values are for 1 tablespoon each [15 ml]) .

-Suppose that you wanted to conduct an experiment to determine the smoke points of the oils listed in the table. What would be the experiment that would give you the best information to determine which oil has the highest smoke point?

• A)Add some olive oil to a pan, heat it over a flame, and measure the temperature of the oil when it begins to smoke. Repeat for the other three oils.
• B)Mix all four oils in a pan, heat them over a flame, and measure the temperature of the oil mixture when it begins to smoke.
• C)Add some olive oil to a pan, heat it over a flame, and measure how long it takes for the oil to begin to smoke. Repeat for the other three oils.
• D)Mix all four oils in a pan, heat them over a flame, and measure how long it takes for the oil mixture to begin to smoke.