Cooking tends to mute the flavor that sets good oil apart. We recommend that you use the best oils only as a condiment to finished dishes or in cold preparations. Try it on pizza just out of the oven, over grilled fish or poultry or brushed on roasted meats. Great olive oil drizzled over vegetables such as grilled asparagus or steamed spinach is sensational. So too over perfectly ripe local tomatoes, especially when paired with fresh mozzarella and basil.
If you were to cook with it, there are many different types of oils to consider. Light and delicate dishes go well with milder, less fruity oils and robust, fully flavoured foods can withstand fruiter, stronger flavoured oils. Olive oils are not only used for savoury dishes, they can also be used to cook desserts and sweet treats.
Extra virgin and virgin olive oils are considered the best grades of oil and are excellent for cooking with as their light, unprocessed composition complements ingredients. As a simple guide, for poaching, sautéing, garnishing foods and for cooking dishes such as salads, vegetables, fish and chicken, mild, lighter virgin oils are best. For roasting, barbecuing, frying and braising and cooking more robust dishes, olive oil is best as these blended or refined oils have less flavour.