Olive Oil Tips
October 13, 2011
About
There are many uses of olive oil as it is such as diverse product. It is a gourmet cooking product and can be used in a variety of ways, from making marinades to baking cakes. What’s more oil provides a number of beauty benefits and can be used in assisting with removing makeup, moisturising the skin and conditioning the hair.
Below is a list of tips for using olive oil, from storing it correctly to uses it for a range of beauty benefits.
Storage Tips
Olive oil should be stored in a dry, dark place, preferably in an odourless, sealed container which will make the oil last longer. Do not store it in the fridge as it will solidify and ensure that there aren’t any strong smells near where the oil is kept as it will absorb the various smells.
The best flavour is in the first two months of the oil’s storage, however if the oil is properly sealed and stored is can last up to 2 years, so treat it with care!
Beauty Tips
Conditioning Hair: Oil has a number of health benefits, from reducing heart disease to slowing down the process of aging. It can also be used on your hair as a conditioner; all you have to do is heat the oil until warm and massage into your hair until it is entirely covered. If you have dry hair then massage into the scalp too. Leave the oil on for 30 minutes before washing thoroughly.
Combating Cellulite: Olive oil offers optimum moisture for the skin and soothes damaged skin exposed to UV rays. Apparently if you combine coffee granules with olive oil you can even reduce the look of cellulite.
Removing Makeup: Extra virgin oil is so pure and non-irritating that you can safely use it around the eyes to remove makeup. Just gently wipe over your eyelids and eyelashes using a clean cotton pad.
Moisturisation: Extra virgin olive oil offer great moisturisation for your face and body. You can either use it straight from the bottle or make a simple emulsion with water which will also help to rehydrate your skin.
Cooking Tips
Heating: Some oils cannot stand the heat of the pan as they have a low smoking point. Therefore, use standard oils and pure olive oil are suitable for frying although extra virgin oil is not as it loses its unique flavour as soon as it is heated.
Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin is best used in foods which are already cooked (fish & meat) or it can be used to make marinades, dressings or purely drizzled over fresh pastas, salads and breads.
Bake with Olive Oil: While it may sound odd, baking with oil has actually been done for centuries. Replacing butter with olive oil gives cakes and cookies a light texture and it also contains a number of health benefits – it dramatically cuts back on cholesterol and saturated fat content.
Olive oil has a number of benefits; it is used as a gourmet cooking product and also has a number of health and benefits. There are a select few olive oil specialists throughout the UK who take pride in selecting only the best olive oil.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sally_Nightingale
Cook With Olive Oil For Flavor and Health
April 5, 2011
Olive oil is a great oil to use for cooking because of its amazing health benefits and distinctive flavor.
Olive oil has been used for centuries, but has become extremely popular recently due to studies which have proven just how healthy this oil is. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat which has been shown to lower your bad cholesterol and blood pressure, while raising the good cholesterol and helps protect against strokes.
There are a few things you should know about olive oil to make sure you cook with it properly and everything turns out as delicious as planned.
The main thing to keep in mind is that olive oil has a low smoke point. This means the oil will start to smoke at high temperatures. If you have ever over-heated olive oil in a pan, you know how it can fill your kitchen with smoke and will destroy the flavor of your food.
Here are some tips for cooking with olive oil:
Some Types Of Olive Oil are not the best choice for high heat cooking or frying because they cannot handle the high enough temperatures needed for this type of cooking; however, it is possible to saute with olive oil if you are careful and do not use high heat.
One way to compensate for the low smoke point is to combine olive oil with a high heat oil such as ghee (clarified butter) or canola oil for a healthier choice. This raises the smoke point while still allowing you to enjoy the health benefits and flavor of cooking with olive oil – extra virgin or virgin varieties.
Since olive oil has become popular lately, and is available in every grocery store, you may have noticed quite a variety to choose from. The flavor of the oil can vary depending upon where the olives were grown, so if you find you don’t like the flavor of a particular brand, simply switch to another.
Each type of olive oil has its place in cooking and it’s important to use the best oil for a particular dish.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil needs to be cooked with very carefully because it can easily lose its flavor with heat. Save your most expensive, high quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling over cooked dishes just before serving. These oils are also great in salad dressings, marinades, or added to sauces when finished. As a healthy alternative to butter, drizzle it over slices of Italian bread or on baked or mashed potatoes. A little can also be drizzled onto cooked vegetables, fish or other meats right before serving.
Virgin Olive Oil is less expensive yet still has a great flavor and aroma, making it a better choice for cooking. Use it straight or blend it with canola or clarified butter (ghee) for high-heat cooking methods such as pan-frying, or broiling.
Olive Oil or Pure Olive Oil refers to the fact that no other types of oils are blended with the olive oil. Unlike extra virgin and virgin grades, this oil is obtained through a refining process, which eliminates most of the flavor. It can be more cost effective to use this oil for cooking rather than more expensive virgin or extra virgin varieties. The refining process also increases the smoke point to about 410ºF making this olive oil more suitable for high heat cooking and frying. Just don’t expect this oil to have the flavor of the extra-virgin variety.
Extra Light Olive oil is not a calorie reduced food and the “light” only refers to the color of the oil. The light or mild varieties are very popular with consumers who want the Health Benefits Of Olive Oil without a strong olive taste.
As you can see there is an olive oil for everyone and no reason everyone can’t enjoy the wonderful flavor and health benefits of this popular oil. If you haven’t tried cooking with olive oil yet, be sure to pick up a bottle on your next trip to the grocery store. Your heart will thank you and your food will taste great!
| Joy Harrison is an experienced home cook, cooking instructor and the owner of http://italian-cooking-made-easy.com – She loves to find easy ways to prepare great home cooked meals in today’s busy world. Learn more about Cooking with Olive Oil.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Harrison |
Spice Up Your Food with Infused Olive Oil
February 21, 2011
There are tons of ways to turn a simple dish to a special one using the right ingredients. Using infused olive oil on cuisines is definitely a nice and easy way to spice things up a notch. Olive oil does have a distinct taste to it; however, you can further enhance the flavor by infusing the oil with herbs and spices. The ingredient basically adds flavor to your salads, meats, breads, and vegetables and using it isn’t at all that difficult.
Using Infused Olive Oil
There are different types of infused olive oils. One of the easiest infused olive oils to use is one infused with garlic. Garlic infused olive oil can be used as frying oil if ever you’re aiming for a dish that has a subtle garlic flavor to it. You can stir fry vegetables using the infused olive oil thus giving the vegetables an easily recognizable garlic flavor to them. Of course, aside from garlic infused olive oil, you can also use others on different cuisines as well. For example, you can use chili infused olive oil together with tomato sauce on your pasta to give them that unique Italian flavor. Also, instead of using regular vegetable oil on your cake, you can use lemon infused olive oil to give it a tangy flavor. Lemon infused olive oil also does wonders to broccoli florets. There are numerous ways of using infused olive oils and all you need is a touch of creativity.
Making Your Own Infused Olive Oil
You can use a number of ingredients to infuse to olive oil to give it an even enhanced taste and aroma to it. First off, you’ll need to decide on what key ingredient you’ll be going for. You can use different herbs and spices such as garlic, dill, basil, chives, mint, and so on. You can even use a combination of them if you want to make your own mix. Once you’ve decided on one or two, wash the herbs and you’ll need to let them dry since water supports bacterial growth. Once dried, you’ll want to release the herb’s aroma and flavor by slightly tearing certain portions of them. You will then stuff them in a dark colored bottle. Now you’ll need to heat the olive oil a bit over a low flame, but remember not to overdo it. Once the oil is warm, pour it in the bottle with the herb and wait for it to cool off and once done, seal it with a cork and store the bottle in a cool, dark place for about a week or so. After a week has passed, you can now strain the herbs out and the olive oil is now infused with the herb’s flavor and aroma. Remember to store the bottle away from direct sunlight. Now you know how to make your own infused olive oil.
Infusing olive oils with flavors isn’t as difficult as it seems, and with some creativity, you’ll be able to make your own flavors. There are tons of ways to use infused olive oils and if you’re really fond of experimenting to improve your dishes, well, infused olive oil will be a very basic component to your kitchen.
Image Credit: villastabbia.it
Tips in Cooking with Olive Oil
November 29, 2010
Olive oil is being used in cooking since time immemorial, and it has proven its worth not only when it comes to making a tastier dish but most especially when it comes to helping an individual live a healthier life. Although this practice has been going on for thousands of years, there are some ways wherein you can better enhance the flavors of your dish if you know just how to use the right kind of olive oil for your dishes. For this reason, here are some simple tips in using olive oil for your cooking.
There are different varieties of olive oil, so it would be to your advantage to know what will work best for what type of dish. For example, you can use light virgin olive oil for your baking needs such as when you are going to bake a cake. Light virgin olive oil is also perfect for making mayonnaise, and if you are going to use it for cooking, light olive oil is perfect for sautéing as well as frying.
On the other hand, strong virgin olive oil is perfect for cooking any type of meat – be it red meat or white meat. Robust olive oils also work wonders for ingredients that are known to have strong flavors such as garlic and onion. You can also use this type of olive oil as a marinade.
Lastly, medium-intensity virgin olive oils are perfect for bread dipping. They can also add layers of flavors to steamed veggies and work as a dressing for your baked potatoes and greens. This type of olive oil also goes perfectly well with mozzarella cheese.
Olive oil is known for the rich flavors that it lends the dish, so, if you are going to use it for sautéing or frying, you have to know that the higher the temperature the olive oil becomes, the faster it loses its fragrance as well as taste. Too high a temperature dissolves the essential alcohol content and esters that give olive oil its subtle flavors, so, for your frying needs, you can make use of olive oils that are cheaper. They are not that flavorful to begin with as compared with the more expensive olive oils, but you are still going to get the same healthy benefits.
Lastly, you should know how to properly store your olive oil particularly since the process of oxidation takes place and the integrity of the olive oil diminishes the moment you open a bottle of olive oil.
Image Credit: recipes.howstuffworks.com
The Best Skin Products Contain Natural Skin Care Oils
June 29, 2010
You might disagree, but hear me out on this. Natural skin care oils are the safest and most effective. Mineral oil, the primary ingredient in most lotions, is not one of them. The name might make you think of minerals that are necessary for human health, but it is actually flammable petroleum based oil that is not similar to the oil produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands.
There are many beneficial plant-based oils that are very similar to the skin’s own. Here’s a look at just a few of them and what they can do for your skin’s health and appearance.
Avocado Oil
This one is a little too heavy for use during the day, but it makes a great nighttime moisturizer. It is rich in vitamins A, D and E, as well as potassium, protein and essential fatty acids.
Vitamin A and E are used to treat a variety of skin problems, including eczema and acne. As antioxidants, they provide anti-aging benefits by protecting the skin’s cells from damaging free radical molecules.
Potassium is one of the minerals that help to balance the skin’s moisture content. The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of collagen, elastin and keratin. Essential fatty acids are the primary component of the skin’s sebum. Of all of the natural skin care oils, it is one of the few that has been shown to increase the skin’s collagen content.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba was used by Native Americans to treat burns and other injuries. It is really more like a liquid wax. It is expressed form the plant’s seeds and is one of the natural skin care oils that is most similar to the skin’s.
It helps reduce wrinkles, stretch marks and the appearance of scars. It can be used, regardless of skin-type, because it is non-greasy and is also rich in vitamin E.
Grape Seed Oil
This one is light enough to use during the day. It makes an effective shaving lubricant and has a dual moisturizing effect. First, it hydrates, and then it locks moisture in, because it has a unique filming ability. The invisible film also keeps dirt, grime and make-up from clogging the pores. Like most of the natural skin care oils, it is also rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids.
Olive Oil
Although some people use the kind is designed for cooking purposes, I recommend an emulsification known as “OLIVEM 800″. In my opinion, the kind used for cooking feels too greasy. The special emulsion provides the nourishing qualities of olive oil, without causing a greasy feeling.
Everything that I have mentioned here, except for mineral oil, in the first paragraph, is a beneficial ingredient. But, you should know that there are some ingredients to avoid. The cosmetic industry is not very well regulated. Manufacturers are allowed to use practically anything in their products and they are not required to test for safety before-hand.
There are many ingredients to avoid, but if you shop for those that are free of artificial preservatives, sunscreens and added fragrances, and only include natural skin care oils, you’ll be headed in the right direction.
To learn more about vitamins for healthy skin, and other incredible natural substances for natural healthy skin care, visit my website today.
Laurel Levine
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/the-best-skin-products-contain-natural-skin-care-oils-695801.html
