Don’t worry about the quality of the oil itself. There are a ton of Gourmet olive oil reviews online that will feature top of the line oils. Any of these will be great to get started with. If you have one that is your favorite, that is okay also. Just be sure it’s labeled first cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. Preferably it will have a ‘use by’ date on it. The better producers put these dates or the date the olives were harvested on their bottles.

When cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO as it’s sometimes labeled), remember not to get the oil too hot. EVOO has a low smoking point so you should be extra careful not to over do it. I generally will flash cook vegetables or meat and then drizzle my olive oil over that after cooking.

If you must saute your food, do it at a low heat. This will keep the flavor of the olive oil intact as well as prevent the high heat from destroying the health benefits of the olive oil itself.

Another tip is to store your olive oil in a cool dark place. I know it might be fashionable to keep those odd shaped bottles out on your countertops, but sunlight will start to break down the oil immediately. Hey, at the least, you can take those fancy olive oil bottles out when guest come over!