If you love to cook with olive oil, here are 8 things you should know

There are a few staples every cook needs in their kitchen. Eggs, milk, butter and of course, some type of oil for cooking. And when it comes to the world of oils, there are plenty to choose from. But the next time you're deciding between canola, peanut, corn, or plain old vegetable oil, you might want to opt for forgetting about all of them and choose olive oil instead.

Olive oil has a host of benefits, but not only is it full of tons of minerals and nutrients, it can also greatly improve your cooking. Read on to learn all the different ways olive oil is not only good for you, but for your food too!

1. Taste it
Olive oil won't do you any good if it has gone rancid, or if it just isn't a very high quality oil. And the only way to know that it is fresh and has been made with great care is to taste it. To taste olive oil, dip a piece of plain baguette into it, or even just take a small teaspoon of it. What you're looking for is a slightly pungent, peppery taste that will be most noticeable in the throat. Olive oil is sometimes also just slightly bitter, as olives are; and you may even be able to detect some fruity notes. If some or all of these flavors are present, you can know that your oil is fresh and of fairly high quality.

If you can't taste any of those flavors, it doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't use the oil. Many of the most common olive oils in grocery stores aren't superior quality, but they'll still be a great help when you're cooking. What you do want to make absolutely certain of is that the olive oil hasn't gone rancid. This can happen quite quickly to olive oil that has been exposed to heat or light and when it does, it will taste quite sour and may even cause you to pucker your lips. When this occurs, the olive oil can quickly ruin any dish so it's best to toss it and buy a new bottle. Then you can really start having some fun when you cook with it!

2. Use it in marinades
Olive oil is great when used in marinades for a number of reasons. Firstly, the taste of the olive oil will impart its own flavor into the dish; and the taste blends nicely with many other flavors. Also, when you use olive oil in a marinade, you often don't need to add any more oil to the marinated ingredient or to the pan when cooking. The olive oil will cling to the ingredient as it marinates and provide plenty of fat for cooking.

The main reason to use olive oil in marinades though is because it can penetrate several layers into an ingredient such as chicken or salmon. This can help to break down protein fibers and make ingredients more tender and flavorful.

3. Drizzle over finished dishes
Olive oil truly is great for a lot of things, but it's the taste that truly makes olive oil so good. It's for this reason that so many chefs finish off their dishes by drizzling just a little bit of olive oil over everything. This can be done with meat, pasta, soup, vegetables, anything really. It should be done when the dish is completely finished, plated, and ready to be served. That way any drizzles that drip down can be mopped up by those who want a little more olive oil on their plate.

4. Keep avocados from going brown
Avocados have an inherent problem of going brown, or even black, almost immediately after they are cut. This is because avocados have an enzyme in them that starts reacting soon after the peel is cut and oxygen is allowed to penetrate the flesh. Olive oil can be great when trying to prevent this from happening, too. Simply brush the exposed flesh with olive oil, wrap the avocado in plastic wrap, and then place it in the fridge. If the avocado has been sliced, the slices can be brushed fully with olive oil and then also placed in the fridge. The oil will coat the avocado, preventing the air from coming into direct contact with the avocado.

5. Use it in sauces
Have you ever made a sauce that just didn't emulsify? Where the ingredients didn't blend together properly and you were left with a broken sauce, or with a pool of water on your plate? Olive oil can stop this from happening, and that's why so many Italian chefs also add a drizzle of olive oil into their tomato sauce while it's still cooking. Not only does it taste great, but olive oil also works as a great emulsifier, thickening watery ingredients and causing them to blend better into the sauce.

6. Help pesto keep its color
Just like olive oil can keep avocados from turning brown, it can also help pesto retain its color. Pesto is most often made from fresh basil leaves, which can turn black very quickly when refrigerated. When the pesto has been placed into a jar or container, drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. The next time you want to use it, just stir it into the pesto a little bit before spooning it into whatever dish you want to use it in. There's already a good deal of olive oil in the pesto, so it will blend in nicely.

7. Use it in baking
Many people, even avid bakers, don't realize that olive oil can be a great substitute for other types of fat in baking. And because it's a heart-healthy fat, it can replace high cholesterol ingredients like butter with healthy monounsaturated fat and polyphenolic compounds. When using olive oil in baking, it's best to use a light or mild olive oil. Not only will these be less likely to burn than other types of olive oil, but they also have a milder flavor, so baked goods won't have an overwhelming olive oil flavor.

To bake with olive oil you can either choose an olive oil specific recipe, or substitute three tablespoons of olive oil for a quarter cup of butter.

8. Turn it into a heart-healthy dip
You can make a super healthy dip that's creamy and delicious just like your favorite chip dip by using simply olive oil and white kidney beans. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and then place them into a food processor with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend the two together, starting with just a little bit of olive oil and then adding more through the feed tube until it reaches your desired consistency. Then add your favorite herbs and you have a dip that not only packs a punch of flavor, but that also might just become your new favorite dip!