Olive oil every day: raw, cooked, how much

Can you really cook with extra virgin olive oil? Yes. This is probably the most persistent myth in French cooking. The "good" oil is kept for salads, and another bottle comes out for the frying pan. In a Greek kitchen, no such distinction is made. Olive oil is used for everything, from morning to night.

Here is how to use it simply, every day: raw, cooked, and in what quantity.

Raw: where it gives its full flavour

Raw, an extra virgin olive oil keeps everything that gives it its character intact: its aromas of cut grass or artichoke, its bitterness, that slight peppery sting at the back of the throat. It is also when raw that its polyphenols are best preserved.

The simplest uses are often the best:

• a drizzle over a plate of tomatoes, cucumber or grilled vegetables;
• over a soup or vegetable purée, just before serving;
• over warm pulses: lentils, chickpeas, white beans;
• over fish or meat straight from the heat;
• on a slice of country bread, with a pinch of salt.

To understand what these polyphenols are and how they are measured, we have devoted a full article to them: Polyphenols: what makes a real olive oil.

Cooked: more stable than you might think

You often hear that olive oil "cannot take the heat". In reality, a quality extra virgin olive oil smokes at around 190 to 210 °C, depending on the oil. That is above most everyday cooking: pan-fried vegetables, a fried egg, fish on the griddle, a roast in the oven.

The smoke point does not tell the whole story, either. What matters is how well an oil resists oxidation when heated. Two things work in favour of extra virgin olive oil:

• it consists mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are less fragile under heat than the polyunsaturated fatty acids in many seed oils;
• it naturally contains antioxidants, including polyphenols, which protect it during cooking.

Laboratory studies have indeed found it to be more stable, in home cooking, than some refined oils that are supposedly "made for cooking".

Good habits in the kitchen

• Medium heat rather than high heat. Most dishes need no more.
• Never let it smoke. If it smokes, the pan is too hot: turn down the heat.
• No reusing. Oil that has already been used should not be kept for the next round of cooking.
• A raw drizzle to finish. Cooking removes some of the aromas. A little raw oil at the moment of serving brings them back to the dish.

For deep frying, which is very long and at high temperature, you can choose a simpler olive oil. Keep your great oil for the table.

How much each day?

EU regulation gives a clear benchmark. It authorises the following claim: Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil. This applies provided the oil is sufficiently rich in polyphenols.

20 g is about two tablespoons. Spread over the day, they go down without a second thought: one spoonful on your lunchtime salad, another on your evening vegetables.

A few useful points:

• olive oil is still a fat. It replaces the other fats on your plate, it does not add to them;
• polyphenol content varies greatly from one oil to another. It depends on the variety, the ripeness of the olives and how quickly they are pressed. That is why we publish the laboratory analyses for each cuvée;
• there is no need to drink a spoonful on an empty stomach. It is better enjoyed in a dish.

For what studies say about olive oil and health, our article The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil sets out the evidence.

Storing it so it stays good

An olive oil used every day should stay fresh to the last drop. Its three enemies are light, heat and air.

• Keep it in a cupboard, not on the windowsill.
• Keep it away from the hob and the oven.
• Close the cap tightly after each use.
• Once opened, use it within two to three months.

An open bottle that is finished quickly is often the sign of an oil that is genuinely used, every day, at the table.

The Greek way

At home, in the Peloponnese, nobody counts the spoonfuls. The bottle stays on the table, next to the bread and salt. It goes on vegetables, in the pan, on cheese. It is an everyday oil, not a Sunday-best oil.

Our cuvées are made for this use. They come from the Koroneiki variety alone, are hand-picked and obtained by cold extraction on the same day. Find them among our olive oil bottles.

From the olive grove to your table, that is the work of Oikos Antalis.

This information is general in nature and does not replace medical advice.