How to Choose the Best Types of Olive Oil
Did you know that olives were being turned into olive oil as early as 6000 BC?
Olive oil is not just a staple of Mediterranean cooking, but it’s loved all over the world. People from many diverse countries love dripping olive oil over their salads or for dipping bread into.
But you may be wondering what’s the difference between olive oils? Which type of olive oil is best for cooking?
In this article, we’re going to help teach you about the different types of olive oils to help you choose one next time.
Read on for more information.
Not All Olive Oils Are Equal
As we’ve mentioned before, olive oils can vary on taste and quality. This is due to what processes are used to harvest the olives. Olive Oils are also graded on their acidity.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the catalyst of all the oils. It’s produced by cold pressing the olives and there’s no heat used or processing and refining carried out. It will also have a maximum acidity level of 0.8%.
You should use this type of olive oil for drizzling over fresh salads or for dipping crusty bread into. Extra-virgin olive oil is something you should use for special dinner parties with the aim to impress.
Virgin olive oil is similar to extra-virgin oil in that it’s cold-pressed, but, it’s more acidic.
With that being said, it can be used for drizzling over your lunchtime salad and for dipping. However, it’s also great for cooking.
Virgin olive oil is perfect is you need to sautee some vegetables or make a quick bolognese sauce. Just make sure you don’t use it for frying.
Olive Oils Used For Cooking
Even though virgin olive oil can be used in cooking, if you are looking to cook a wide variety of foods, then there are other options.
Pure olive oil is a blend of refined and virgin olive oils and is fantastic for cooking. Not only can you use it for sauteeing and making sauces, but it’s ideal for baking, grilling, and frying too.
Last on our list is extra light olive oil. This type of oil is called ‘light’ due to it’s lighter color and odor.
Extra light olive oil can last longer but it’s low quality. You should use this oil solely for cooking and don’t spend too much money on it.
Best Type Of Olive Oil
We hope you have enjoyed this article and now know the difference between different types of olive oils. As you can see, the best type of olive oil to use depends on what you want to use it for.
We advise that you don’t choose really expensive oils for cooking and always buy them in a green or dark bottle. Olive oil can spoil with sunlight so no high-end oil will ever be sold in a transparent bottle.
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