What's in your oil

Since January 2026 the kitchen of Kongresszentrum Trafo Baden has had a new centrepiece: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). After years of mainly using butter and rapeseed oil, we decided to switch the bulk of our cooking oils to high-quality olive oil.

Our EVOO comes from regenerative agriculture in Greece and Spain and stands for quality, sustainability and taste. With this change we want to offer our guests a special culinary experience — and to contribute to a healthier way of eating that treads more lightly on resources.

Can you fry, deep-fry and sauté with olive oil? The question is discussed again and again, and emotionally, in Swiss gastronomy. To be clear: you can of course use extra virgin olive oil exclusively, for every cooking process. The two relevant questions are: do I know how to handle it — and am I willing to pay the extra cost.

Extra virgin olive oil is excellent for frying, baking, marinating or as a finish for cold and warm dishes. In our kitchen we use EVOO for a wide range of dishes — from crisp salads and aromatic vegetables to delicate sauces. We also deep-fry and pan-fry with olive oil.

The Mediterranean diet is not about restriction — it is a model of enjoyment and lifestyle: plenty of vegetables, fruit, pulses, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, regular fish, little red meat — herbs instead of much salt, and shared meals at its social core. It is regarded as one of the best-researched and most balanced ways of eating and was recognised in 2013 by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity — carried among others by Spain and Greece, exactly where our oils come from.