How to Cook with Olive Oil

Short on time? This is the cheat sheet to keep:

• Extra virgin olive oil is for dips, dressings, drizzling, dipping bread, and everyday sautéing.
• Virgin olive oil is for everyday cooking when you want a touch of olive flavor for less money.
• Pure olive oil is for searing, stir-frying, roasting, and pan-frying.
• Light olive oil is for baking and high heat cooking when you don't want any olive flavor.

Stand in the oil aisle and you'll usually see 4 kinds of olive oil. This is what sets them apart.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil comes from the first cold pressing of the olives, with no heat or chemicals. It has the most antioxidants, the strongest flavor, the best aroma, and the lowest acidity of any olive oil, along with the highest price tag. Its fruity, sometimes peppery taste shines in dishes you don't cook, so this is the bottle to splurge on.

Virgin Olive Oil

Virgin olive oil is a step down from extra virgin. It's slightly more acidic and has a little less flavor, less aroma, and fewer antioxidants. It also costs less, which makes it a good value for everyday cooking and for adding a touch of flavor to salads and cooked dishes.

Pure Olive Oil

The label might say "pure olive oil," "classic," or simply "olive oil." It's refined olive oil blended with a splash of extra virgin or virgin olive oil for flavor. Refining strips out many of the antioxidants, but pure olive oil still has the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. It's inexpensive and takes more heat than extra virgin, so it's a smart pick for hot pans.

Light Olive Oil 

Light olive oil is highly refined, with a pale color and a very mild taste. It has very few antioxidants, but it still has the same monounsaturated fat as other olive oils. Its neutral flavor makes it handy for baking and for high heat cooking when you don't want the dish to taste like olives.

Olive oil can handle almost every job in a home kitchen. Match the bottle to the job, and you'll get the best flavor for your money:

• Drizzle and dress. No heat means this is the place for your best extra virgin olive oil. Whisk 3 parts oil with 1 part vinegar or lemon juice for an easy vinaigrette, drizzle it over soup or pasta, or serve it with crusty bread in place of butter.
• Sauté. Extra virgin and virgin olive oil both work well over medium and medium-high heat for vegetables, eggs, onions, and garlic. Heat the pan first, add the oil, and add your food once the oil shimmers.
• Roast. A tablespoon or two of olive oil is plenty for a sheet pan of vegetables. It holds up well even at 425°F to 450°F and helps veggies turn golden and crisp.
• Sear and stir-fry. For a really hot pan, reach for pure or light olive oil. Both take more heat than extra virgin and cost less, too. Our guide to the best oil for high heat cooking covers other good choices.
• Bake. Olive oil can stand in for butter or vegetable oil in muffins, quick breads, and cakes. Use light olive oil for a mild flavor, or extra virgin for a fruity taste that's delicious in chocolate and citrus cakes. When olive oil replaces melted butter, use about 3/4 as much.

If your kitchen fills with smoke, the pan is too hot for the oil you're using. Turn down the heat, or switch to pure or light olive oil for that job.

In our video, we said to save extra virgin olive oil for dishes you don't cook. Research since we made the video has given us a fuller picture. Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point than refined oils, at about 375°F to 405°F, but its monounsaturated fat and natural antioxidants help it stay stable at the temperatures most home cooks use. So go ahead and sauté with it.

There are still 2 good reasons to keep your best bottle away from a smoking-hot pan. Long, very hot cooking dulls its flavor and some of its delicate antioxidants, and extra virgin costs more than you need to spend for a hard sear. For those jobs, pure or light olive oil is the way to go.

"Light" describes the color and flavor of the oil, not the calories or fat. There's no such thing as a low-fat olive oil. Every type, from extra virgin to light, has about 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. If you want the most flavor and antioxidants from those calories, extra virgin is the one to choose.

Heat, light, and air are olive oil's biggest enemies, even the light from your kitchen. A few simple habits keep it tasting fresh:

• Buy olive oil in a dark glass bottle or a metal tin.
• Store it in a cool, dark cabinet, not on the counter next to the stove.
• Keep the cap on tight so air doesn't get in.
• Try to use an opened bottle within about 6 months, and check the best-by date before you buy.
• Give it a sniff now and then. Olive oil that has gone rancid smells stale, like old nuts or crayons, and tastes bitter.

Ready to put that bottle of olive oil to work? These are a great place to start:

• The Best Oil for High Heat Cooking (and Where Olive Oil Fits)
• The Tomato & Olive Oil Trick: How Heat Unlocks a Heart-Health Superpower
• 15 Mediterranean Diet Dinner Recipes for Low Cholesterol