Cooking for the Holidays

Cooking and Eating well this Holiday Season

As we all sit down to plan our menus for upcoming holiday festivities, many people will be making sure they have plenty of Olive Oil on hand to help with the cooking.  Olive Oil is one of the most widely used ingredients in your pantry, but there are still a lot of myths surrounding the use and benefits of this oil.  Here is the skinny on this favorite cooking item:

MYTH #1:  Extra Virgin Olive Oil loses its healthy properties when you cook with it.

Most olive oils DO NOT break down (until they are heated more than 450°F…hotter than typical deep frying).  Heat does diminish the oils aroma and flavor, so maybe save the expensive or fancy olive oil for salad dressing or low heat entrees. But, don’t’ worry about losing any of the healthy benefits of Olive Oil when cooking.

MYTH #2:  Light Olive Oil is less fattening than other Olive Oils.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but manufactures have created an illusion that certain olive oils contain few calories or fat grams by labeling them light.  The term actually refers to the oil’s less intense favor or aroma. You’ll still get a dose of monounsaturated fat, but these oils won’t contain the same levels of antioxidants as extra virgin.  And they are no less fattening than other cooking oils.

MYTH #3:  Oil from the ‘first cold pressing’ is healthier than Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Any true Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) will be from the first, unheated process.  A better indication of the oil’s nutritional profile is it’s harvest date, which you’ll find printed on some bottles.  Fresher oil is always richer in antioxidants and other beneficial substances.  Look for oil sold in an opaque container – not clear glass. Light degrades the oil.