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Let your taste buds guide your cooking!

DID YOU KNOW that cooking with olive oil helps to preserve the natural juices in food and provides a protective layer which helps to keep food fresh and crisp? Additionally, oil prevents ingredients from sticking and allows for aromatic herbs and spices to mix well.

There are different types of oils to consider when cooking. Light and delicate dishes go well with milder, less fruity oils and robust, fully flavoured foods can withstand fruiter, stronger flavoured oils. Olive oils are not only used for savoury dishes, they can also be used to cook desserts and sweet treats such as cakes and ice cream so be adventurous and experiment with olive oils from Spain.

As a guide:

• Extra virgin olive oil is the juice of the olive and is considered the highest grade of olive oil. This variety of oil has a rich flavour and endless possibilities in the kitchen. Try it on your toast for breakfast for a healthy start, or enjoy it in salads and for dipping breads.
• Pure olive oil or light olive oil contains the same amount of monounsaturated fats as regular olive oil, but further refining gives the oil a milder flavour. This makes it a good choice for baking where the strong olive oil flavour is not desirable. Pure olive oil is also suitable for high-heat cooking, like barbecuing, roasting and frying.

A guide to cooking with olive oil

Hint...

Use a less expensive, less flavoursome olive oil to fry and a more flavoursome olive oil after cooking or at the table.