Innovative Olive Oil Cooking Ideas

Olive Oil Enhances All Foods & Spices

Olive oil helps enhance the flavors of foods and can be used in many innovative ways in cooking. Oil enhances both savory and sweet dishes while providing health-boosting properties. Olive oil can be used as a rub for salmon or as an ingredient in home made ice cream.

Virgin olive oil is best used uncooked or cooked at low to medium temperatures. Olive oil has a higher smoke point than most oil and doesn’t smoke till around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Olive Oil Harmonizes Flavors

Even though virgin olive oil stands up to heat, it really adds so much to uncooked dishes. Many chefs use olive oil to harmonize the spices in a dish, to enhance and carry the flavors, while also adding body and depth to the dish.

Olive oil has the ability to balance the acidity in high-acid foods, such as tomatoes, why you see it used in so many pasta sauces, or vinegar, wine, and lemon juice. Good rule of thumb is to choose and use olive like you would a fine wine, carefully paring the tastes with the flavors of all the other ingredients in the dish.

Innovative Ways to Use Olive Oil

Olive oil can be used in cooking in many traditional ways, but also in many innovative ways that add new zest to the dishes you are creating.

• Use olive as an ingredient for brownies or ice cream
• Drizzle olive oil over your salad or use to whip up a great salad dressing
• Use olive oil for basting everything from turkey to pork
• Use olive oil in your next turkey dressing recipe and see how moist it is and how it help blend all the flavors
• Use olive oil in marinades, sauces or rubs for meat, fish or poultry
• Drizzle olive oil over cooked pasta or vegetables for a great finish

• Use olive oil instead of butter or with spices and balsamic vinegar added or not as an incredible dipping sauce for bread
• Replace butter with olive oil in mashed or baked or twice baked potatoes and see how the flavor just bursts
• Try substituting olive oil in cake, bread, biscuit, and muffin recipes for healthier breads

Versatility of Olive Oil

The beauty of olive oil is it may be used in almost any recipe with stunning results. Keep olive oil nearby so it’s simple to use quickly in dishes you prepare most any day.

• Brush olive oil over meat before grilling or broiling to seal in flavors and create a crisp outer crust
• Add olive oil to most any egg recipe, it does wonders for omelettes
• Add a thin layer of olive oil to homemade pesto before refrigerating so it keeps it’s fresh green color

Desserts, Baking & So Much More

Most people wouldn’t think of using olive oil for baking, but it’s an excellent choice because it adds good fats to your diet and is lighter than butter. Chose a light or mild olive oil and see what it can do for breads, cakes, cookies, ice-cream and other desserts. Because olive oil is lighter check your cookbook for substitution amounts when using olive oil in a recipe.

At Tastealotta we have a wide variety of olive oils to choose from, to encourage your creativity in your kitchen and promote good health. Be sure to come into our store in Lemoyne, PA or visit our online store to view our wonderful selection of olive oils.