5 mistakes you could be making with extra virgin olive oil

Are you storing your olive oil the right way?

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest foods with all the antioxidants and the heart-healthy fats. However, it can be easy to undo the benefits of this oil with a few cooking and storing mistakes. So are you making these top mistakes, asks nutritionist Urvashi Sawhney?

1. You store your olive oil near the stove

Exposing the olive oil to heat from the stove or direct sunlight is a strict no. Heat can cause the polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil to degrade and also hinder the flavour. So store your olive oil in your pantry instead of the windowsill or above the stove.

2. You cook olive oil over high heat

Cooking extra virgin olive oil at high temperature can not only destroy the antioxidants but also alter the flavour. So, by all means, avoid frying in olive oil. Just saut veggies and poach fish in the oil. Follow these 5 guidelines before using extra virgin olive oil.

3. You judge the olive oil by its colour

The colour of the oil is only an indicator of when the oil was harvested and when it was pressed. The colour of good quality olive oil can range anywhere from vibrant green to golden yellow so do not discount just because the colour is a little different.

4. You buy olive oil stored in plastic or clear bottles

Oxygen and sunlight are the two biggest enemies of extra virgin olive oil so you are in trouble if you are buying olive oil in plastic or clear glass. The oil can begin to go rancid once air and light touch the oil. To preserve the quality of the oil it is that you buy bottles that are dark brown or dark green in colour.

5. You buy big olive oil bottles

Do not buy that huge-sized olive oil and save it for years. The shelf life of extra virgin olive oil is only about two years, so don t store the bottle longer than that duration. Here are 50 common mistakes Indians make while cooking healthy food.

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