Cooking With Olive Oil
Much too often, I hear chefs discourage the use of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in cooking. Granted, using a $40 bottle of premium EVOO for cooking is a wasteful use of the nectar. Plus, the heat dissipates most of the health benefits. This advice, however, more often than not leads to cooking with rancid, defective or tasteless oils from other sources. We are all familiar with the admonishment from celebrity chefs to never cook with a wine you would not drink. Olive oil is no different.
1. Use less expensive or older EVOO for cooking. Because fresh is best, olive oil should be consumed within 18 months of harvest. The harvest date is often listed on the back label (November 2008) or as a “Best to use by…” date which is two years (or 18 months) subsequent to the harvest. For example, if the label reads “Best to use by December 2010,” the harvest was autumn of 2008.
2. Use the remaining 25% of a bottle for cooking. Oxidation accelerates rapidly in an open bottle even with the cap closed tightly. Air is the arch enemy of olive oil—along with light, heat and age. After a bottle has been opened for 45 days, the oil speeds towards rancidity. So, there’s no need to conserve that bottle of EVOO you brought back from Tuscany two years ago.
3. Unless you cook frequently for a large group, purchase bottles in the 500 or 750ml size. Larger size bottles or cans will oxidize quicker.
4. Consider using grapeseed oil for high temperature cooking (above 425º)
5. Store EVOO in a dark cupboard away from the stove or any heat.
6. EVOO is a condiment (Italian ketchup). After cooking drizzle a small amount over your meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables.
Tasting Olive Oil