The magical uses of olive oil

The oils used for cooking in most households are mainly peanut oil and blended oil, but some households also use olive oil. Olive oil was discovered and used by people thousands of years ago. Olive oil has high nutritional value and is known as the queen of vegetable oils. Its health benefits and cooking effects are quite significant. But many people don’t know that olive oil has other uses besides cooking. So what are the benefits of olive oil?

Olive oil has many wonderful uses. In daily life, you can use olive oil for skin care. It has a good moisturizing effect and can also prevent skin from being too dry. In addition, it can also moisturize hair and even clean furniture. It can be seen that the uses of olive oil are very wide. Below I will give you a detailed introduction to the wonderful uses of olive oil.

Olive oil has a history of thousands of years in Mediterranean countries. In the West, it is known as "liquid gold", "queen of vegetable oils" and "nectar of the Mediterranean" because of its excellent natural health benefits, beauty benefits and ideal cooking uses. Edible high-grade olive oil is natural fruit oil juice extracted from fresh early-ripe or mature olive fruits through a physical cold pressing process. It is the only woody plant oil in the world that is edible to humans in its natural state.

Nutritional components: Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, namely oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, as well as vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K and antioxidants. Olive oil is considered to be the most suitable oil for human nutrition discovered so far.

How to identify

1. Good olive oil has the following characteristics: The properties of olive oil are closely related to the oil-making process. High-quality olive oil is produced by cold pressing, and it needs to be carried out from low pressure to high pressure. Low-pressure first-pressed olive oil is light yellow in color and is the most ideal oil for salad dressing and cooking. Appearance: The oil is translucent, thick, and appears light yellow, yellow-green, blue-green, blue, or even blue-black. Dark-colored olive oil has a high acidity value and is of lower quality. The pigments and other nutrients in refined oils are destroyed. Smell: It has a fruity aroma. Different tree species have different fruity aromas. Olive oil tasters can even distinguish 32 different olive fruit aromas such as licorice, cream, fruit, chocolate, etc. Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, with a slight bitter and spicy taste. It is noticeable in the back of the throat, and the spiciness is delayed.

2. Bad olive oil has the following characteristics:

Observation: The oil is mixed and lacks a translucent luster, indicating that it has been left for a long time and has begun to oxidize. If the color is light and it feels very thin and not thick, it means it is refined oil or blended oil. Smell: There are odors such as staleness, mold, mud, sourness, metallic, and rancidity. This indicates that the olives have gone bad, or there is a problem with the raw materials of the olive fruit, or they have been stored improperly. Taste: There is a strange smell, or there is no taste at all. It means it has gone bad, or it is refined oil or blended oil.

The Magical Uses of Olive Oil

In addition to the well-known culinary uses, olive oil has many valuable uses, from personal care, home environment improvement or natural remedies.

1. Skin care: Olive oil contains linoleic acid, a complex that cannot be produced by the human body and can prevent moisture evaporation. It can be applied directly to the skin or added to the bath to help maintain healthy skin.

2. Moisturize hair: Apply a little olive oil on dry, tangled hair to make it smoother. Especially in winter or on humid days, olive oil can also reduce some damage. You can also use a few spoons of olive oil and massage it into your hair, working it deeply into your scalp and hair.

3. Take care of your cat: Add a spoonful of olive oil to your cat’s food to prevent hairballs from accumulating in the cat’s gastrointestinal tract and make the cat’s hair shinier and healthier. Olive oil may be gentler on your cat's body than petroleum-based anti-hairball lubricants.

4. Reduce snoring: Sipping olive oil before going to bed can help moisturize the throat muscles and reduce the chance of snoring. You can also drink a spoonful of olive oil to relieve symptoms when your throat is itchy.

5. Cleaning furniture and maintaining leather: Rubbing a little olive oil on furniture can prevent streaks, corrosion and stains. Mixing olive oil and lemon juice in a ratio of 2:1 can make your desk clean and shiny. This technique is also very suitable for all kinds of wooden furniture and items. Simply pour a few drops of olive oil on a soft cloth to easily clean dust and wear. It can also be used to maintain leather products, such as rubbing olive oil on a baseball glove and then wiping off any remaining olive oil after thirty minutes.

6. Fix a squeaking door or stuck zipper: Olive oil can be used as a lubricant in many daily life applications. If you have a squeaky door or a stuck hinge, apply a little olive oil and gently move it to loosen it.

Preservation of olive oil: Experts suggest that olive oil does not become more fragrant with age like wine, and it is best to use it up within its shelf life, otherwise it will easily oxidize and lose its flavor. Large packages of olive oil can be divided into small ceramic or glass bottles to reduce the chance of the olive oil coming into contact with air. The bottles should be stored in a cool place indoors or refrigerated in the refrigerator.

After reading the above wonderful uses of olive oil, I believe that all housewives have a better understanding of olive oil. Olive oil is not only used for cooking, it also has so many wonderful uses, it's really amazing. Although olive oil is easy to use and has high nutritional value, you must choose some big brands when purchasing it, and you must "look, smell, ask, and feel" carefully, so that you can buy authentic and pure olive oil.