How should olive oil be used for cooking?

[karadekoolaid]

'Questo è buono'

That sounds about right!
10 years ago I went to an "Olive Oil Tasting" at a gourmet festival in Caracas. The oil was from Chile, where everything is "extra virgin" olive oil, because they don't make anything else.
They said to us "try the first oil and tell me if it's green, or red". That was undoubtedly one of the wierdest questions I've ever been asked, but I followed the instruction and, to my surprise, "GREEN" came into my mind. I could taste freshly mown grass, freshly torn lettuce, blah blah.
Then we tried a "RED", which was mildly spicy, slightly picante.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I agree with you about sautéing vegetables instead, nothing like EVOO. I once tried it with peanut oil but the result was disappointing.

Right, I have never ssuteed with peanut oil and love olive oil for sautéing.

 

[rascal]

I deep fry in vegetable oil, saute vegetables, I also have evoo. I have both on my bench. If mum was here she would ask, " what's that stuff? "
She used dripping leftovers from roast lamb etc, collecting after cooking.
I have bacon dripping as well from making crackling.
Never knew about cooking oil until my 30s?

Russ

 

[JAS_OH1]

I deep fry in vegetable oil, saute vegetables, I also have evoo. I have both on my bench. If mum was here she would ask, " what's that stuff? "
She used dripping leftovers from roast lamb etc, collecting after cooking.
I have bacon dripping as well from making crackling.
Never knew about cooking oil until my 30s?

Russ

Drippings are awesome to cook with!

 

[rascal]

Drippings are awesome to cook with!

I used to make gravy for meat from drippings. The store bought is pretty good. I just add vegemite

Russ

 

[Yorky]

Drippings are awesome to cook with!

Our Western food supplier sells beef dripping. ฿160.00/kg (£3.60). A bit expensive for deep frying chips!

 

[JAS_OH1]

Our Western food supplier sells beef dripping. ฿160.00/kg (£3.60). A bit expensive for deep frying chips!

It would never occur to me to purchase it. I just save it when I cook meat. I don't deep fry with it though. I use it for shallow pan frying.

 

[rascal]

It would never occur to me to purchase it. I just save it when I cook meat. I don't deep fry with it though. I use it for shallow pan frying.

X2 here as well

Russ

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I mix cooking oil and butter a lot. It gives a nice butter flavor, but the butter is harder to burn.

CD

If you’re saying butter is hard to burn, then I’m saying you’re not trying hard enough.

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

He's right, butter mixed with oil 1-1 is a lot harder to burn

 

[Puggles]

I use it as a "contributer" not as an induviual ingredient. I've never like the taste of straight up olive oil, it all pretty much tastes the same just some are a better version. It's great to add to butter to raise the smoke point too. I see it just begging to be infused with roasted garlic and thyme or rosemary. Add flavor at every possible step along the way.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

Extra virgin oil is for raw use, not cooking

?
I didn't know this.

 

[Windigo]

?
I didn't know this.

This is common knowledge here, regular olive oil has a higher burning point than eevo. I have been taught this at culinary school.

But, as I am suprised to see while searching for this now, this is apparently a myth and is no longer taught. So that's probably why you never heard of it.

 

[blades]

If you’re saying butter is hard to burn, then I’m saying you’re not trying hard enough.

Mixing butter and cooking oil is common. It raises the smoke point of the butter to prevent burning and it flavors the oil.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

This is common knowledge here, regular olive oil has a higher burning point than eevo. I have been taught this at culinary school.

But, as I am suprised to see while searching for this now, this is apparently a myth and is no longer taught. So that's probably why you never heard of it.

I learned long ago that olive oil had a bitter aftertaste if used in cooking. I've found that I don't notice if I do what I always do: load up on the flavors and spices. But, I have noticed it when I use it to fry eggs. It's subtle, and I wouldn't call it bitter, but it's there. I still prefer to use a neutral oil for frying, and I have plenty of it, so I can keep on doing that, and reserve olive oil for other purposes.