Olive Oil Health Benefits
The health benefits of olive oil make it extremely beneficial for cooking. It is packed with amino acids, polyphenols, and healthy monounsaturated fats. More importantly the significant difference between using olive oil rather than vegetable oils is aroma and taste.
Frying with olive oil
Many people believe that cooking with olive oil in a frying pan, sautéing and stir frying should be avoided.
This is a misconception. Heating olive oil to frying temperature does not damage or significantly change the chemical structure of olive oil if kept below the smoke point. In fact, it is very good for us, due to high polyphenol and oleic acid content – a very stable compound that does not easily oxidize.
Canola, soybean, and corn oils contain almost no polyphenol and tend to break down dangerous toxic by-products at high temperatures due to oxidation.
The smoke point for true extra virgin olive oil is 410F, that is well above 350-375F that is necessary for most frying.
Frying with olive oil has been a practice in the Mediterranean diet for centuries. We suggest you try frying eggs, sliced potatoes or fish in extra virgin olive oil. You will be amazed by the results.
Baking with olive oil
A surprisingly delicious alternative for baking is substituting butter with olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil ranges in taste from intense and pungent to, buttery, and mild. This range works wonders cooking mostly anything, except for baking. For cakes, cookies, and other baked goods we suggest our buttery and mild Italian olive oil. It is wonderful for baking.
Grilling with olive oil
When the grill comes out so should the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). EVOO has an endless capability to boost the flavor of grilled food. It can replace butter for all your grilling favorites such as corn on the cob, potatoes, onions, vegetables, mushrooms, and shrimp. We suggest any EVOO produced with Arbequina olives. It is mildly sweet and has a delicate flavor.
Meats
EVOO is a perfect match for meats because of its peppery qualities. EVOO will boost the rich flavors of a sautéed chicken or a steak. Finishing red meats with a robust EVOO will make a huge difference in the food that is already rich in flavor.
Robust with a peppery taste. The Picual EVOO is our first choice for steak, pork, and lamb. For poultry sautéing chicken or duck a herb or rosemary infused EVOO would make a wonderful addition.
Substituting Olive Oil for Butter or Margarine
| Butter/Margarine | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| 1 teaspoon | 3/4 teaspoon |
| 1 tablespoon | 2-1/4 teaspoon |
| 2 tablespoons | 1-1/2 tablespoons |
| 1/4 cup | 3 tablespoons |
| 1/3 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons |
| 2/3 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon |
| 1 cup | 3/4 cup |