Ultimate Guide to Olive Oil

A visit to the local market for olive oil may make your head spin. With dozens of choices, which one is best? Which has the most healing properties? Which is best right out of the bottle, and which is best for cooking? Fear not, because your olive oil IQ is about to increase. In this article, you'll learn how to choose the olive oil that is right for you and your recipes, and how to store it to preserve its healthful qualities.

How Olive Oil Is MadeTurning delicate olives into delicious oil is a demanding process. Something as innocuous as letting the olives drop off the tree or piling them too high in a container can adversely affect the olives and the taste of the oil. And once the olives make it to the press, there are different ways of squeezing out the oil. On this page you'll learn all the steps of the process.
Types of Olive OilOlive oil labels have lots of different terms, and they don't always mean what you think. "Light" olive oil, for example, doesn't necessarily contain less fat than other versions. The types of oil are largely determined by the acid content of each, and they are all made in slightly different ways for different uses. On this page you'll learn what all the terminology means and how to pick the right oil for your cooking needs.
How to Store Olive OilOlive oil, like wine, is best stored in a cool, dark place. But if you, like most people, don't have an olive oil cellar, don't worry. The important thing to keep in mind is to keep your oil out of direct light. This page will tell you when and why to put olive oil in a cabinet, a porcelain container, a refrigerator, or even a freezer.
How to Cook With Olive OilBrushed on meat, drizzled on salads and pasta, used as a dip for bread -- olive oil has many uses for cooked and uncooked foods. You can even use it instead of butter for baking! And you can pour it on guilt-free because of the many ways it keeps you healthy. On this page you'll learn which types of olive oil are best for different uses and pick up tips on uses you might not have thought of.

To learn more about the topics covered in this article, check out the following links:

To learn about how olive oil can improve your health, read The Health Benefits of Olive Oil.
If you wanted to know how to grow and use garlic, try How to Plant and Store Garlic.
Natural Weight-Loss Food: Olive Oil, can tell you more about how olive oil can help you lose weight.