101 Uses for Olive Oil…Maybe?

Quick question: Do you love Olive oil as much as I do? Do you use it every time you cook? Do you drizzle it on your salads? Do you use it to dip bread? Do you apply it to Rashes? Your hair? Do you even use it as fuel in your very old Rover?

Okay, I will admit I do not use it for the very last one, but you get the gist. Olive oil is an incredible resource provided to us my Mother Nature! It has a vast amount of uses and can be beneficial in so many ways. In this article, we will try and find out as many ways we could use this golden elixir as possible and why.

(Disclaimer: these are not recommendations, merely for entertainment purposes. Do your own research before conducting experiments or using Olive oil)

First lets understand what Olive oil really is and the different variations of it:

Olives are small stone fruits that grow on Olive trees, they are related to mangoes, cherries, peaches, almonds and pistachios. The outer flesh of an olive contains up to 30% oil. These fruits are full of the compound oleuropein, which gives it a sense of bitterness. Dating back over 2000 years to the 5th Century BCE, olive oil was originally made by crushing fresh olives into a paste in stone mills. This would be pressed and collected for use. The products from this process would yield an oil, and a Pomace.

Although this process has been modernised, we still use similar techniques to produce this fantastic ingredient. Olive oil is usually classed into “Virgin Oil” – you would use this to cook with, “Refined Oil” and “Pomace Oils”, these are all useable and available to buy. However, some may be more desirable for different purposes than others.

Olive oil consists mainly of Oleic acid which accounts for around 73% of the total oil content, Linoleic acid, Palmitic acid, Omega-6 and Omega-3, as well as other sterols and poly-glycerides.

Enough of the boring stuff. Lets take a look at the real reason we came here, the grand scheme… 31+ ways you could use Olive Oil.

The obvious choices are anything to do with cooking and food. This luxurious lipid could be used in various ways, such as:

1.      Frying vegetables or meat – using a small amount, apply to a hot pan before adding other ingredients

2.      Reduce boil over when making pasta – try adding 1 tablespoon in addition to salt to the boiling water next time

3.      Stopping noodles or spaghetti from sticking together once strained – throw in some oil and toss, simple!

4.      Making mayonnaise and vinaigrettes – olive oil and eggs are the key ingredients in mayonnaise and a key component of various vinaigrettes

5.      Baba Ganoush – perfect for flatbreads, make this from aubergines, spices and olive oil!

6.      Gremolata – infuse with lemon, garlic or parsley for an extra zesty kick

7.      Whipped feta dip, or any dip for that matter – simply combine the oil with feta and yogurt

8.      Bread dipping oil – speaks for itself (bonus if you add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper)

9.      Deep frying – load up a deep pan and get those doughnuts frying!

10. Shallow frying – same thing, but maybe we can use less oil?

11. Roasting potatoes – glaze your potatoes in olive oil and salt along with rosemary and other herbs for an easy, crispy, delicious taste

12. Glazing oven baked foods if you are so keen – may help crisp up chicken skin? Or carrots if you are a vegan

13. It can be infused with chillies or alternatives to make chilly oils or herbaceous oils with lovely aromas

Next, we come to some ways of using Olive oil not in the kitchen:

14. Olive oil could be used on hair to moisturise – due to its content of fatty acids and nutrients, it can be super beneficial for any hair

15. Topical application on skin to reduce sores, bites, rashes, eczema, psoriasis etc. (can be mixed with beeswax or honey to create different effects, such as mixes with honey for bites or cuts)

16. Use as a barrier between skin and the sun, or hair to prevent bleaching. This is Not a replacement for suncream – some say they used this technique over 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean?

17. May improve a tan – don’t take my word please

18. Makeup remover – a small amount on a cotton pad? It would be rude not to try!

19. Lip balm – only if you can resist the temptation to lick your lips clean

20. Shaving cream substitutes – thin layer over the skin may help to reduce razor burn

Moving away from topical application, lets see the stranger ways for use:

21. Stainless steel polisher – maybe it rehydrates the metal? Maybe it just looks shiny?

22. Unstick zippers – its an oil, a natural lubricant

23. Non-human & animal lubricants – speaks for itself really

24. Wooden furniture polish – applying a small amount to areas of wood can help to bring out faded colours and rehydrate the pores!

25. Paint remover – this sounds absurd, I will admit

26. Use as fuel for certain engines (Not your car please – this may get me in trouble)

27. Leather conditioners – same as the wood, maybe it could be used as shoe polish?

28. Easy nonstick option for measuring cups before using sticky ingredients such as honey or syrup – simply apply it to the inside of the measuring cup and it should all slide around freely

29. Shine brass – I wouldn’t put any inside my trumpet though!

30. Polishing shoes – maybe not flipflops and definitely not the soles

31. Cleaning garden tools – get that soil off your spades, finally!

Honestly my friend, the list could go on, for a long time. But as we have made it this far together, challenge you to think of some more uses and if you do ever use Olive oil for some of these absurdities, post it on your socials and tag us and use the hashtag #staerklondon #rockwhatyougot

For now however, I need to remove Olive oil from my latest batch of washing – it doesn’t make a very good detergent after all.

See you round,

Woody Strongman.