Ask Erica: What’s the Deal with Olive Oil?

Hello Erica,

I love your blog and I think you are definitely the right person to ask one of the things I’ve been ashamed to ask others: What the hell do I do with olive oil?

I’ve seen it and used it when following your recipes, I keep hearing how good it is for cooking, I sometimes use it for salads, but I’m not really sure if it’s a “good for everything” kinda thing.

What do you think? How do I know when it’s a good idea to experiment with it?

Thank you!
Heather
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Hi Heather,

Thank you for the compliment! I am glad you like my blog. 🙂

It means a lot to me that you feel like you can ask me anything, but you have nothing to be ashamed about! There are a couple of different types of olive oils (and a bunch of other types of oils) and it can be totally confusing if you’re not used to cooking with them.

Let’s start with a quick definition so we know what we’re working with…

Basically, olive oil is the pure oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees. It’s one of the healthiest of all the oils on the market. I honestly don’t know the science behind the different types (I know it has something to do with acidity level), but I can tell you what to do with them in terms of cooking and  how to navigate all the different kinds in the supermarket. I will also tell you about a few other types of popular oils and what to use them for!

Here are the popular kinds of olive oil you will see in a store what I use them for:

1) Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is the highest quality of all the olive oils. The key differentiator between extra virgin olive oil and all the other types of olive oils is it is “cold pressed” and completely unrefined.

Because of this procedure, the oil can get expensive. When I buy a bottle of it, I try to use it sparingly and only when I’m cooking something that doesn’t need a high cooking temperature. I drizzle it over pasta, bread I am going to toast or use it in salad dressings. Since the cooking temperature is low,  it’s perfect for things like caramelizing onions (since they cook low and slow).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not good for things like a a stir fry which needs to cook at a very high heat and quickly.

2) Virgin Olive Oil: This is extracted the same was as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it just isn’t cold-pressed. The main difference here is that to some, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil tastes a little bit better (which is why it EVOO is more expensive). I say if you’re on a budget and are going to cook with it, use this. If you plan on making a salad dressing or drizzling it over pasta, use extra virgin.

3) Pure olive oil (refined): This another label of olive oil you will see in the grocery stores. This is where is gets kind of confusing. Pure olive oil is usually just a blend of refined extra virgin or virgin olive oils of lesser quality. It’s basically the lease tasty of all the olive oils. 

If you see a product in the store that is simply called “Olive Oil” it’s basically pure olive oil. I stay away from this.

Here is my Cheat Sheet to know when to use all the different types of oils

Vegetable Oil: This is the most common of all the oils (in my opinion). This is a blend of lots of oils like corn, soybean and sunflower. It is perfect for frying.

Canola Oil: This oil has a really low saturated fat content and is one of the healthier oils out there for frying. Since the temperature only gets up to about 450 degrees, it won’t work as well as vegetable oil though.

Corn Oil: This oil can be used in frying and in baking. It also has a lower frying temperature than vegetable oil, so again, not as ideal.

Sunflower Oil: This is a very healthy oil! It is low in saturated fat and high in Vitamin E. You can use this to fry, cook or even in salad dressings!

Peanut Oil: This oil is perfect for frying things at a very high temperature. It has a unique taste that I think works well in asian dishes (like a stir-fry).

I hope this helps!

Love always,
Erica