Great Tips On Cooking with Olive Oil

Use and revel in your olive oil in many ways!

Drizzle it over salad or to salad dressing or vinaigrette.

Use in marinades for meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Olive oil penetrates well into the first few layers of the food being marinated.

Add at the end of cooking for a burst of flavor.

Sauté or fry with it.

Drizzle over cooked pasta, meats or vegetables.

Use instead of butter or margarine as a healthy dip for bread. Pour a little olive oil into a small side dish and add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, which will pool in the center and look very attractive. Pair with one of our bread dipping spice combinations.

Replace butter with olive oil in mashed potatoes or on baked potatoes. For the ultimate mashed potatoes, whip together cooked potatoes, roasted garlic, and olive oil; season to taste.

Use in sauces -- whisking will help emulsify, or blend, ingredients.

Brush on meats before grilling or broiling to seal in the meat flavor and juices and create a crispy outside.

Add to eggs.

Add to rice for great flavor.

Bake with it! Choose a moderate or flavored olive oil for baking, especially savory breads and sweets such as cakes, cookies, and other desserts. Substituting olive oil for butter dramatically lowers the amount of fat -- especially saturated fat -- and cholesterol. You'll get 25 percent less fat, fewer calories, and more heart-healthy nourishment. (Check our butter to olive conversion chart). Best your ice cream with Blood Orange, Persian Lime or Lemon Olive Oils. Incredibly good! Take a look at our recipe section!

Cooking with Vinegar

Use and enjoy your balsamic in many ways!

Drizzle over salads, pair having an olive oil to make a sweet, savory or tart vinaigrette.

Use as a dipping sauce for vegetables and bread, add to salsas.

Use as a marinade by itself or paired with an olive oil, add dimension to sauces at the end of cooking.

Make a balsamic glaze -- simmer on top of stove for 30 minutes until reduced to a thick syrup.

Utilize in risotto and pasta dishes.

Mix with mayonnaise or sour cream for a sandwich condiment.

Drizzle on poultry, steak, fish or veal.

Use in fruit and cheese pairings, such as strawberries, peaches and pears, along with ricotta or feta cheese.

Flavor your water, splash on fresh fruit.

Drizzle on dessert -- ice cream, cheese cake, pound cake, brownies -- for a delectable treat!