Tips On Cooking With Olive Oil
For thousands of years, olive oil has turned into a versatile ingredient utilized for everything from sautéing and baking into a drizzle for soups and salads. Like anything else, different types of olive oil match different types of food. It is finding these combinations that make the culinary adventure all the more exhilarating!
In general, strong olive oils are best used for cooking meat & seafood, at a marinade, or as a drizzle over bold flavors such as peppers or garlic. For all those of you who like dipping your bread in a great EVOO, a moderate intensity oil is for you.
A well-rounded medium strength olive oil is also fantastic on mozzarella, used as vinaigrette, or drizzled on cooked vegetables. Finally, the delicate olive oils are ideal for baking or as a substitute for butter or mayonnaise. No matter what its application, the delicious flavor of fresh olive oil will add a new dimension to your favorite meal. EVOO really enhances the flavors in your dish, while also adding body and thickness.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also wonderful for sautéing or frying, thanks to its high smoking point (410 degrees Fahrenheit) and the fact that moderate cooking does not destroy the healthy polyphenols EVOO is famous for. Baking with olive oil is another great choice to reduce fat and make your baked goods more heart-healthy.
Substitute olive oil for butter in your cake and cookie recipes for a tasty treat without the large amounts of saturated fat or cholesterol! In fact, using olive oil in place of butter means that you can use three tablespoons of olive oil each quarter cup of butter you'd have used originally.
What is your favorite way to cook with olive oil? Here are just a few of the ways we use it on a regular basis:
- As part of a marinade for either meat or seafood
- Drizzled over cooked pasta or veggies
- As part of a vinaigrette for salad dressings
- Filled using herbs to use as a bread dip
- Drizzled over toasted garlic baguette
- Mixed into mashed potatoes with a variety of seasonings
- As part of a sauce
- A replacement for butter in dessert recipes
- To sauté vegetables
- As a finish or condiment