Yahoo Lifestyle The Smartest, Money-Saving Way to Buy Olive Oil, According to Martha Stewart
It's hard to imagine Martha Stewart doing anything else besides making delicious recipes for her dedicated followers to indulge in and living out her glamorous life as a pop culture icon. But behind all the prestige and glitz, Martha is a passionate home cook who knows how to shop smart when it comes to groceries. When you develop thousands of recipes like Martha has, you see how quickly the bill can add up.
Many years ago, the domestic diva penned an article for Deseret News to share her simple grocery shopping hack that saves her money but keeps her cooking delicious.
Related: How to Make the Best Molten Chocolate Cakes of Your Life, According to Martha Stewart
Perhaps one of the most basic cooking fats is olive oil. It can go towards making so many delicious dishes both savory and sweet, and there are unlimited culinary heights you can reach when you cook with a good helping of olive oil. However, this can come at a cost—with increases across the board, the price of olive oil can be really high which can make it seem unattainable if you're trying to cook on a budget.
Martha Stewart's solve for such a problem is this: in the kitchen, you should have two different kinds of olive oil. This may sound counterintuitive but Martha's reasoning makes a lot of sense.
Related: How to Make the Best Beef Stew of Your Life, According to Martha Stewart
😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔
How to Buy Olive Oil Like Martha Stewart
"Ideally, you should keep two kinds of extra-virgin oil on hand: an inexpensive one for cooking and a premium one for dishes that will showcase its nuanced flavor and aroma," Martha writes. If you have to buy two bottles, how does this save you money? In the long run, Martha's trick is a thrifty solution as it helps the home cook the best flavor in every dish without splurging on the good stuff for everyday use.
With the inexpensive olive oil, she recommends using it "when sautéing, grilling, making sauces or baking." As for the higher-end top shelf olive oil, bring it out when you want to enjoy a meal or dish where the robust flavor of the olive oil is front and center. For Martha, that means her best oil is "drizzled over roasted vegetables, whisked into a vinaigrette, tossed with pasta, or simply on its own with a loaf of crusty bread."
Related: Martha Stewart Just Cracked the Code to Making the Perfect Garlic Bread
Other Olive Oil Buying Tips
Aside from the two-bottle tip, there are some other tips to help guide your way around shopping for olive oil.
Read the labels carefully. If you want to opt for the highest quality of olive oil, look for "extra-virgin" on the packaging. The product of the first pressing of olives right after they've been harvested, extra-virgin olive oil offers the best taste and health benefits. According to Martha, "bottles labeled "olive oil" or "pure olive oil" typically contain blends from second or third pressings, with virgin or extra-virgin oil added for flavor."
The darker the bottle, the better. Olive oil should be stored in dark-colored glass bottles. This helps to protect the oil exposure to light which can degrade its quality over time.
Buy from trustworthy brands. Opt for selections from well-established producers who hold a good reputation and whose products can be backed by sources you can trust. This is a great time to tell you to check out Parade's list of 12 extra virgin olive oils, ranked worst to best.
Up Next:
Related: The Mediterranean Way to Make Boxed Cake Mix 10x Better
