Ranging in color from grassy green to pale champagne-gold, olive oil adds flavor and luscious mouth feel to foods, and it won’t raise bad cholesterol like saturated or trans fats.
A Friendly Fat
Until recently, fat phobia struck all lipids alike. Now we know that certain kinds of fats can actually be healthful. Olive oil is chief among the “healthy fats.” A primary player in the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that actually helps lower cholesterol.
Right the First Time
The best extra-virgin olive oils are estate-grown and first cold-pressed. This means the olives are grown on the estate where they are picked and pressed without the use of chemicals or the application of heat, and only the juice of the first pressing are collected. This yields a flavorful, fruity oil with low acidity and deep color.
Smoking Hot
Extra-virgin olive oil is delicious and redolent, best in salads and marinades or poured directly over pastas and other foods. It does, however, have a low smoking point and loses flavor at high heat. So if you’re frying foods at high temperatures, try light olive oil, a less flavorful oil refined specifically to raise its smoking temperature. (“Light” in this case only refers to flavor, not reduced calories.)