Olive Oil

- to cook or not to cook! That is the question.

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

There is so much disinformation out there regarding oils, butters, margarines and what is best to cook with and what is good for you. Since living in Milan, Italy, my eyes have been opened to the wonder of olive oils. Here is my take following 20 plus years as a chef and restaurant owner.

Firstly, I do not EVER knowingly eat or buy margarine. That’s all I’ll say on that product. Generally I do not put chemicals or substitutes into my body if a natural product exists. Example: I’ll choose natural sugar over any alternative – I prefer to just limit my intake. I don’t buy bleached flours or sugared cereals – I prefer to add sugar or honey myself.

If the finished dish or meal is cream, dairy or milk based, I tend to use butter as the cooking agent. An example would be chicken a la king. Or pepper sauce for a steak. I absolutely love the Italian method of combining hard grated cheese (pecorino or parmesan) with hot pasta water, olive oil and cooked pasta to create the creamy delight that is Cacio e Pepe or authentic Carbonara.

Exceptions to the rule above do apply – for example — deep frying an egg. This method of egg cooking is a lost art and seldom used any more. Probably for (unfounded) health reasons. But there is nothing better than a deep fried egg. Extra crispy white…