Olive oils: What’s the diff?
It is one of the most common kitchen questions: what is the difference between plain olive oil and extra virgin, and which should you actually cook with? The answer is refreshingly practical — and it clears up two persistent myths along the way.
Here is the everyday version of the question: a cook usually reaches for extra virgin because that is what the television chefs say, then someone brings home a bottle of ordinary ‘olive oil’ and wonders whether it is a mistake. It is not. The two are different tools for different jobs, and knowing which to use when will save you both money and flavour. The short rule: cook with the cheaper grade, finish with the good one.
When to save the extra virgin
Extra virgin’s whole value is its aroma and its live, peppery character — and heat is precisely what drives those off. Sautéing, roasting and especially deep-frying with a fine extra virgin boils away the very qualities you paid a premium for, leaving you no better off than if you had used a plain oil, and rather poorer. So for a hot pan, reach for ordinary ‘olive oil’. Save the extra virgin for salads, dips, drizzling over vegetables, soup or fish at the end — anywhere its flavour is actually tasted.
The ‘first pressing’ myth
You will often read that extra virgin is ‘the first pressing’. That is a romantic hangover from the days of stone-and-mat pressing, when a first and second pressing genuinely existed. Modern mills spin the oil out in one continuous mechanical process; there is no separate ‘second pressing’. What actually makes an oil extra virgin is not press order but chemistry and taste: a free acidity below a set limit and no sensory defects. ‘First cold pressing’ on a modern label is marketing shorthand, not a literal description.
| Job | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deep or high-heat frying | ‘Light’ or plain olive oil | Stable, cheap; fine flavour would be wasted |
| Everyday sautéing | Plain ‘olive oil’ | Good enough hot; save the good stuff |
| Salad dressings | Extra virgin | Its flavour is the whole point |
| Finishing / drizzling | Extra virgin | Raw heat-free use shows it off |
| Dipping bread | Extra virgin | Nowhere to hide; quality shows |
What ‘extra virgin’ really guarantees
The grade is not about strength of flavour or colour — a mild oil can be extra virgin and a robust one need not be. It is a guarantee about how the oil was made and how clean it is: pressed mechanically, below an acidity limit, free of faults. That is why the word is worth paying attention to on a bottle you will taste raw, and why it barely matters on a bottle destined for a hot chip pan. Match the grade to the job and you never overpay or underwhelm.
Practical takeaways
- Keep two oils: a plain grade for heat, an extra virgin for raw use.
- Don’t fry with your best oil — heat burns off what makes it special.
- Ignore ‘first pressing’ as literal; modern oil is pressed once, mechanically.
- Judge extra virgin by chemistry and taste, not colour or strength.
- Use the good oil where it is tasted raw — salads, dips, finishing.
Cooking with olive oil: common questions
Should I sauté with extra virgin olive oil?
You can, but it is wasteful. Heat drives off the aroma and peppery character you pay for. Use a plainer olive oil for the pan and save extra virgin for raw uses.
Is ‘olive oil’ worse than extra virgin?
It is a different grade — refined oil with a little virgin blended in — milder and cheaper. For frying it is the sensible choice; for dressing, extra virgin wins.
Is extra virgin really the ‘first pressing’?
Not in any literal modern sense. Oil is now extracted in one continuous mechanical process. Extra virgin is defined by acidity and taste, not press order.
What makes an oil extra virgin?
Mechanical extraction, a free acidity below a set legal limit, and no sensory defects — a guarantee of method and cleanliness, not of strength or colour.
Does heating olive oil make it unhealthy?
Olive oil is reasonably stable for normal cooking. The bigger issue with extra virgin is wasted flavour, not danger — which is why a plainer grade is the practical choice for high heat.
Two bottles solve the whole puzzle: a cheap plain olive oil for the hot pan, a good extra virgin for anything you taste raw. Frying with your best oil just boils off the aroma you paid for. And ignore ‘first cold pressing’ — modern oil is pressed once, in one go; the phrase is marketing, not fact. Extra virgin is a promise about acidity and cleanliness, not a press order.
General background on olive-oil grades, cooking use and the modern extraction process.