10 everyday ways to use extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil shows best used raw, or added at the end of cooking. High heat drives off the flavour and polyphenols you paid for. Here are ten ways that slot easily into everyday cooking.

1. 1.Drizzle over hot white rice once cooked — it softens and perfumes the grain.
2. 2.Stir a spoonful into soup or porridge after the heat is off.
3. 3.Dip bread into it with a little sea salt.
4. 4.Toss through a cucumber, tomato and onion salad — no bottled dressing needed.
5. 5.Rub onto fish or chicken before roasting at moderate heat.
6. 6.Soften onions and spices over medium heat as the base for a curry or soup.
7. 7.Toss with boiled vegetables such as broccoli or long beans while still hot.
8. 8.Use instead of butter on morning toast.
9. 9.Mix with lemon and a little salt as a simple marinade.
10. 10.Spoon a little over an omelette or soft-boiled eggs before serving.

How much?

We do not recommend a daily dose. Olive oil is a food, not a supplement — use as much as the cooking calls for. One to two tablespoons a day is typical in Mediterranean cooking.

A slight peppery catch at the back of the throat is normal in fresh olive oil, and comes from its polyphenols.