Tale of 3 Olive Oils and Roast Chicken legs

I have an olive oil habit. I cook with it at least once a day. Until today I have been a strict user of 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I never knew what the other olive oils were for. I avoided them like the plague. So, when I got the opportunity to test run 3 different olive oils from Crisco -- I took it. I thought, maybe I have been missing something. And truth be told I have been afraid to use any kind of olive oil that didn't come from a bottle that looked old and Italian. See what a slave I am to packaging. It was time to be open minded. After all, olive oil that comes from a bottle that looks like it comes straight from Italy can be an expensive habit for this gal that NEEDS to stock her pantry with olive oil. This week 3 bottles of olive oil from Crisco arrived on my doorstep and I have been busy trying all of them.

This summer my husband and I stopped at a balsamic vinegar and olive oil tasting boutique in So. California. We were kind of in heaven in there. So, I decided to do a little taste test of each olive oil I recieved in the mail. Pour a tsp in a bowl and dip finger in bowl.
The extra virgin olive oil obviously had the strongest and best flavor.The Pure olive oil was milder and the Light olive oil had not taste.
But mostly I have been cooking. And I have discovered a few things. I used to think the different olive oils had something to do with the fat content. Not so, these three olive oils difference is in taste quality. If you want a good strong olive oil flavor go for the virgin olive oil, which has not been refined, but cold pressed directly from the olives.

For a mild olive oil flavor such as used in baking or roasting use the Pure Olive Oil which is a blend of virgin and refined olive oil and if you just want a healthier oil than veggie oil to stiry fry or fry your food in without a strong olive oil taste use the heavily refined light olive oil -- which is virtually tasteless.

Pure Olive Oil is awesome for roasting meat or making marinades. I made this extremely tasty roast chicken legs with it. Recipe below. I also added it to a salmon marinade. And the salmon turned out fantastic.

Light Olive Oil - I wanted to lightly stir fry some smoked sausage without adding a lot of olive oil flavor. I used the light olive oil for this and it worked perfectly.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil -- My favorite use of olive oil is to blend it with some aged balsamic vinegar, shredded parmesan and dip a crusty hunk of bread in it.  Extra Virgin Olive oil is best used as a dip, in salad dressings or to drizzle over a finished dish. It is also good with roasted veggies to add a level of depth to the flavor.

My easy roast chicken legs. This recipe is simple and aside from the chicken really only needs stuff you should stock in your pantry.

6-8 Chicken leg/drumstick pieces
2-3 TB Olive Oil (I used the pure)
1 tsp of fine sea salt.
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 pkg of dried Italian dressing mix.

Heat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Line a baking dish with parchment paper (keeps the chicken from sticking to the dish).

Place chicken pieces in dish. Loosen the skin and pull some of it away from meat. Drizzle olive oil over chicken. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and Italian Dressing mix. Rub seasonings into meat.

Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, Lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking for 10 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when poked and skin starts to brown.

Dig in.