Extra Virgin or Extra Light?

Everyone knows about the terrific health benefits of olive oil - foundation of the cholesterol-savvy Mediterranean diet and all that - so of course you want to use it in your cooking and baking. But when you're faced with an array of olive oils from Pure to Extra Light to Extra Virgin, how can you know what to use when? Just ask yourself how much olive flavor you're looking for. Try to choose an olive oil that will survive and enhance the application you are using it in.

If you answered: Tons of Olive Flavor
You want: Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil provides the richest olive flavor, and the most health benefits because it is essentially "raw." It comes from the first pressing of the olives, with no heat or chemicals used to extract the oil, which preserves the natural antioxidants and "good" monounsaturated fat that promotes healthy cholesterol levels. Extra Virgin Olive Oil tends to be golden-green with an intense fruitiness and a light, peppery finish that makes it the obvious choice when you want to really taste that olive flavor as an ingredient in your dish. Although all Extra Virgin Olive Oils offer robust flavor, you can heighten the olive experience with an Unfiltered Extra Virgin variety. Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the style preferred in Europe, contains a fine cloud of olive pulp left over from the pressing process, so the flavor gains even more intensity. All Extra Virgin Olive Oils are good for using straight up or in cooking and even baking where olive flavor is desired.

• Salads of all kinds can benefit from a good olive oil and just a spritz of vinegar, if any at all.
• Drizzle over steamed or roasted vegetables.
• Use for sautéing vegetables or meats.
• Finish roasted or grilled meats with a drizzle.
• Use in Italian breads like pizza crust, focaccia and olive bread.
• Drizzle over fresh vegetables (crudo).
• Use for dipping crusty bread.
• Adding a touch of oil over a hot dish just before serving, perhaps soup or pasta, adds a silky texture and the heat releases the aroma of the oil.

If you answered: A little olive flavor but don't knock me out with it
You want: Pure Olive Oil

Pure Olive Oil has the same health-promoting monounsaturated fats as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but it doesn't pack the same antioxidant punch because Pure Olive Oil is not "raw" - the heat used in the extraction process for Pure Olive Oil disperses the antioxidants. But Pure Olive Oil does provide a more neutral flavor and lighter golden color than Extra Virgin, so it's great for cooking and baking where you want a touch of that olive savor but where olive is not a primary flavor in the dish. Pure Olive Oil is also good for grilling, frying, roasting and sautéing vegetables and meats.

• Use in salad dressings with fresh herbs.
• Use in marinades for grilled meats and vegetables.

If you answered: No olive flavor, please
You want: Extra Light Olive Oil

Extra Light Olive Oil is extra light in olive flavor, not in calories - all olive oil has the same calorie count - and like Pure Olive Oil, it offers those healthy monounsaturated fats. Its rather nondescript flavor makes this light olive oil perfect for baking sweets and breads where the classic olive oil flavor might be undesirable. Extra Light Olive Oil also works well for sautéing, grilling and frying. Consider this your standard pour if you prefer your oil to just quietly do its job, without making itself known in the final flavor.

• Substitute for butter in cakes, cookies, muffins and pancakes.
• Use in breads or pizza crust.
• The filtration process for extra light oil gives it a high smoke point and can therefore be used for high –heat frying.
• Use it to grease grills, griddles or pans where flatbreads will be flipped. (To avoid smoking the oil, grease grills and pans before heating, and don't overheat.)