Recently my mother-in-law asked me why she had an issue with roasting a big batch of garden tomatoes that her neighbor had given to her.

After asking a few basic questions, I knew the problem. She had followed a recipe/method online that advised her to use olive oil and roast at 450 degrees. The smoke point for olive oil is anywhere between 374 and 405 degrees (F).

What that means is that your smoke alarms will hopefully let you know there’s a problem as you open your doors and windows and do that dance we do when something is burning.

The solution is to roast at a lower temperature, or toss the already roasted tomatoes in olive oil afterwards.

Always look up the smoke point of oil if temps are getting anywhere above 350.