Olive Oil Cooking Tips and Ideas

Some people do not use Olive Oil in their recipes and cooking due to some Urban Myths that surround Olive Oil. There are cooks who think that there are special circumstances or procedures that must be used before one can use this oil from the olive fruit. I’m here to tell you to stop the worrying, buy you a bottle of EVOO and start cooking. Here are a few tips you’ll need to keep in mind and a few cooking ideas to help you along.

First, never use Extra Virgin or Virgin Olive Oil for high temperature cooking. The oil will break down and lose its flavor. If you must use high temperature for cooking, look for an oil labeled as “pure” or just “olive oil”. These oils are more refined and have a higher smoking point.

Also keep in mind that your oil should be kept in a cool dark place. Sunlight and high temperatures will break down the oil and make it rancid.

Olive Oil can be used instead of butter in some dishes. There are plenty of conversion charts on the Internet, find one and print it off and keep it handy. Use it the next time you don’t want to use butter in a recipes and see how it turns out. Also, OO will help keep butter from burning. Just add a little to the butter.

I like to brush Olive Oil on prepared lasagna noodles. It makes them easier to handle for your recipes.

Instead of using butter, margarine, mayo, mustard or ketchup on your sandwiches, try spreading some extra virgin olive oil on the sandwich to give your food a robust flavor without all the calories. Bread or toast is also great with EVOO spread over it instead of butter.

Use EVOO or Virgin Olive Oil in your favorite stir fry recipe. Just remember not to get the oil too hot. Remove veggies from the pan and sprinkler with fresh herbs for a meal to remember.

Now you have a few more ways to incorporate this healthy oil into your diet. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a condiment that can be used on nearly any dish, cooked or not. Try some today!

Ralph is a longtime collector and lover of Gourmet Olive Oil. Collecting and cooking with different Gourmet oils gives him information for his Gourmet Olive Oil reviews he writes about on his website. Having grown up with a Mother who also believed in the health benefits of Olive Oil, Ralph has expanded his knowledge on this fruit and its health benefits to people. He will be the first to tell you about the health benefits of olive oil in all its forms. (By Ralph Jakowski)

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