Using olive oil for baking is a familiar feature of Mediterranean cooking. While it may sound a bit odd, baking with olive oil has actually been done for centuries. Baking with olive oil instead of butter gives cakes and cookies a light texture and can be used with confidence in lieu of butter or other […]
Archive | May, 2010
The Gift of Olive Oil
Want a fabulous gift idea? How about a bottle of your favorite extra virgin olive oil? Dubbed “liquid gold” by Homer, olive oil has been noted for centuries as the gift of elegance. Even Ulysses gave small phials of olive oil as the perfect hostess gift. For more than 4,000 years, the olive tree has […]
Wine and Olive Oil
Just as wine lovers often take their favorite bottle to a restaurant, I often carry a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil (my own brand or one of my recommended brands) when I go out to eat. I am just as choosy about my olive oil as I am about fine wines. In fact, […]
Remove Paint from Skin & Hair
Moisten a cotton ball with olive oil and gently rub it into your hair or skin. Olive oil serves as both a lubricant and solvent to remove oil-based paint.
Did You Know?
Gladiators rubbed olive oil over their bodies to appear virile and strong before confronting the dangers in the arena.
Lubricate Skis, Snowboards, Skateboards & Inline Skates
Olive oil is a good lubricant for ski and snowboard bindings and for the wheel fittings on skateboards and inline skates.
Lubricate Squeaky Hinges
Put a small amount of olive oil at the top of the hinge and let the drops of oil run down by moving the hinge back and forth. Wipe the excess with a cloth.
Did You Know?
If you've searched for a way to stop snoring, champions of the Mediterranean diet staple suggest taking a swig of olive oil before turning in for the night.
Safeguard Frying Pans
Hand wash the pan, towel dry and put a small amount of olive oil on a paper towel and then quickly wipe the inside the pan.
Remove Tar Spots
Mix ½ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Dip a dry cloth into the olive oil mixture. Rub the mixture on the spots and repeat until the spots disappear.
Did You Know?
Olive oil was such a hot commodity during the Roman Empire that the Empire was divided into olive oil districts.
Lubricate Gears
Put olive oil into a dispenser with a long spout. Put several drops of the olive oil into the mechanism where the gears move. Wipe off the excess oil with a cotton or paper cloth.
Did You Know?
Greece consumes more EVOO per capita than any other country.
Remove Correction Fluid from Hands or Furniture
Put a few drops of olive oil on a soft cloth and rub to remove the correction fluid.
Polish Brass
Brass looks brighter and requires less polishing if rubbed with a cloth moistened with olive oil. Olive oil retards tarnish and helps maintain a shine.
Did You Know?
The best containers for olive oil are glass, stainless steel or tin. Stay away from plastic containers as the oil can absorb the chemical polyvinyl chloride.
Did You Know?
There is no cholesterol in olive oil.
Recondition Baseball Mitts
Work the dry areas of your mitt with a soft cloth. Let it set for 30 minutes. Wipe off the excess.
Preserve Wooden Utensils & Cutting Boards
Hand wash wooden utensils or cutting boards and towel dry. Rub a cut lemon on the wood. Put a small amount of olive oil on a paper towel or clean, dry cloth. Oil the surfaces.
Preserve Knives
Place a small amount of olive oil on the blade of a knife prior to sharpening. Put a small amount of olive oil on a cloth towel and oil the black or wooden handle.
Protect & Preserve Gardening Tools
Protect metals from chemical reactions, due to the elements in the air that cause rust and deterioration. Put a small amount of olive oil on a cloth towel and lightly oil the tool.
Clean Wax Off Candleholders
Put a few drops of olive oil in the interior of the candleholder before placing the candle.
Hydrate Pearls
Put a small amount of olive oil on a soft cloth. Rub the olive oil on the pearls, then lightly buff them with the dry portion of the cloth.
Polish Tile & Hardware Floors
Sweep the floor. Apply several drops of olive oil and several drops of the juice from a lemon on a dry mop and oil mop the floors.
Polish Furniture
In a hurry? Apply straight olive oil onto a clean cloth or paper towel. Wipe off excess with another paper towel or cloth.
Did You Know?
Drinking olive oil before a night on the town can prevent a pounding headache and a heavy stomach.
Did You Know?
The fatty acids and phenolic compounds that make olive oil an artery-clearing wonder drop by 40% six months after olives are picked and pressed.
Polish Furniture
Mix ¼ cup of white vinegar with 1 teaspoon each of olive oil and water. Gently polish your furniture to restore its luster.
Illuminate a Room
Buy an olive oil lamp and burn your least expensive olive oil or oil that is old and rancid. 1 tablespoon lasts about 8 hours. Olive oil is 99% pure fuel; it does not produce smoke or soot and has a pleasing fragrance.
Did You Know?
Olive oil is a natural fruit juice, but unlike other fruit juices, EVOO needs no chemical processing and can be enjoyed immediately after its extraction from the fruit.
Remove Labels from Glass Containers
A little olive oil rubbed onto stickers or labels allows you to remove them effortlessly and completely. Rinse the oil off with a little hot water and a soft cloth.
Apply to Stuck Zippers
Put a few drops of oil on a zipper. Wipe off the excess.
Did You Know?
An emulsion of olive oil, egg yolk and glycerin is used to bathe surgical stents before they are inserted into problem heart arteries.
Clean Pewter
Mix ½ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Dip a dry cloth into the olive oil mixture. Rub the cloth onto the pewter and the spots will disappear.
Did You Know?
The first uses of olive oil were not for cooking.
Did You Know?
The olive is a fruit, not a vegetable.
Polish Leather Shoes
Clean dirt from leather shoes with a water-dampened cloth. Towel dry. Drip a small amount of olive oil onto a soft cotton cloth and rub over the entire surface of the shoe. Wait a few minutes and then buff the shoes with a dry cotton cloth.
Did You Know?
In England, up until the early 1960’s, you could only get olive oil from chemists or pharmacists.
Did You Know?
The four enemies of EVOO are heat, light, air and time.
Restore Antique Furniture
Whisk 1 cup of olive oil and ½ cup of lemon juice together until completely blended. Put solution in a spray bottle. Spray onto the wood and wipe with a clean, dry cloth.
Did You Know?
California produces almost all of the olive oil in the United States. The Central Valley is home to the largest production facilities.
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