 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. One is the loneliest number, and perhaps that's also why one is never enough. For Cathy Whims, this is especially true when it comes to good olive oil. Whims is the three-time James Beard nominee and executive chef of Nostrana in Portland, Oregon. Let's just say she's very hardcore about using quality olive oil - she even goes so far as to offer flights and tastings of her favorites at the restaurant. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if she drank the stuff ... with a ciabatta chaser. Five Reasons Why One Olive Oil is Never Enough: Cathy Whims Just one tablespoon of a fine oil can dress raw or cooked vegetables with impressive results and it only adds 120 calories. And it has no cholesterol and is high in vitamin E." 2. "One great all-purpose oil I use for cooking and on the table is a sweet, grassy and round 100% Arbequina olive oil from California. It is the perfect match for dipping our wood oven baked ciabatta into and reasonably priced and not too strong of a flavor profile to use in cooking. Lots of chefs cut their cooking olive oil with a neutral oil like canola, or use a pure olive oil of a lower grade than extra virgin - but to my mind that's akin to cooking with margarine, and I don't cook with additives." 3. "Summer is almost upon us here in rainy Portland and I am dreaming of eating the first of our local tomatoes. To my mind, the perfect oil for an Insalata Caprese is a peppery, intense Tuscan oil like Frescobaldi's Laudemio extra virgin from the Chianti Classico region. Just add basil and mozzarella and open a rosé and I'm in heaven. 4. "Each December we celebrate the arrival of the just-pressed Olio Nuovo ('new oil') from Italy and our California producers. Bright green with chlorophyll, pungent and aggressive, we douse it generously over grilled bruschetta rubbed with garlic. Use enough oil that it drops down your arm when eating it." 5. "One of the few infused oils we use is called Olio Santo, or 'Holy Oil' made by steeping hot chili peppers in extra virgin oil for a few days. Its spiciness is perfect over a creamy foil of cooked heirloom beans or drizzled over a Neopolitan pizza." What type of olive oil do you use (if any)? And is there more than one type in your repetoire? Share your oily thoughts in the comment section. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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Hi Dear, are you genuinely visiting this web page regularly, if
so afterward you will without doubt take pleasant experience.
I get my olive oil from The Olive Press in Sonoma, CA. They have a wide variety of oils in a range of flavors and strengths - all of them yummy.
Baja Precious is the best extra virgin olive oil.
One olive oil isn't enough, especially when there are so many great ones out there (and even some local ones!) The Oregon Olive Mill is producing Arebequina, Koroneiki, and Tuscan olive oils iin the middle of the Willamette Valley Nothing is better than some Olio Nuovo in the fall drizzled over some savory french toast.
i always thought cookery programs and cookbooks said to used blended olive oil, or of course other oil, for cooking because of the smoke point?
I like olive oil so much, I use it in my car and it's also a great natural lubricant for......other things, to be polite.
I've really only used regular EVOO for cooking and on salads. I haven't much paid attention to the different ones out there but I am going to start after reading this.
Gives me an idea for a blog write up. Fairway near us has a great selection of many different kinds of Olive Oils. I should get a few and see if they make any difference in taste etc when cooking or putting on salads.
A few years ago, while on an Atkins diet, I started using olive oil and Louisiana Hot Sauce as a salad dressing. They compliment each other, the olive oil takes the heat off the sauce and brings out the flavor in both.
The best olive oil on the planet comes from the Belice valley near Castelvetrano Sicily. The variety Nocellara Di Belice is D.O.P and all the olives are hand picked and pressed the old fashion way. No machines. Hands down the best.
I Like Lefas Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
It's very very tasty!!
nyum nyum
It has been reported recently that much of the world's olive oil supply is illegally adulterated by mixing with other, cheaper (non-olive) oils. I've heard that Greek, Spanish, and Israeli olive oils are relatively unaffected.
Olive Oil has a nasty taste...all types, cold pressed, hard pressed, depressed, suppressed...izza nota for me!
izza nota for u cuz I got all dat goooold!
Try Villa Cappelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP from Puglia. An unfiltered monocultivar that is strong, aromatic, grassy, buttery. Also one of the best Olio Santo on the market.
The best olive oil is from Spain, period !!
Cooking with extra virgin olive oil is dangerous as carcinogens are formed if you exceed it's smoking point temperature (about 300 F / 148 C). Therefore. it's best used with salads and cold dishes. Just search for olive oil plus cooking +unhealthy (or cancer or risks)
Our family always uses extra virgin olive oil from southern Greece, in the Peloponnesos (Peloponnese). It has a rich quality that often times goes far beyond Italian olive oils. The best way to get it is to actually go to the villages around the Sparta area and buy from the farmers directly. It's a great treat!
Extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil is the only oil I use. I usually go by color when buying - the darker the color the more flavorful the oil usually is (but obviously don't let dark-green tinted glass fool you). I go with oil that's dark green and stay away from the yellowish varieties.
Be careful of some "green" oils. Many mass market oils have color added to them. All evoo turns golden as it oxydizes. If it remains green, you can bet artificial color has been added – everything from food color to chlorophyl to ferrous oxide.
Hojiblanca olive oil from Spain. My personal fav. Very peppery and delicious.
I usually use Gallo Extra Virgin or Trader Joes Extra Virgin, but I do remember when I was little my mom did use different types for different uses, the one with the Insalata Capressa that's my favorite, and if it drips down your arm while eating a brusqueta, hey its the best skin conditioner you can get!
The author may be a chef but she is definitely not Italian. The difference is monumental.
"One" is actually the best number for olive oil. Too many cheap oils are blends from Italy, Spain, Tunisia, etc. Make sure your EVOO is from only one country, and one local source if possible. "Extra virgin" does not imply the first pressing, cold or not. It relates to the acidity of the pressing. The lower the better.
Why did the author state how low in calories olive oil is at first, then state how it should be used to the point of dripping down the arm?? The latter is better according to the Mediterranean diet, which far surpasses anything the America's have ever offered.
Also surprising: many use only decent OO, not extra virgin, for cooking. Heat breaks the properties of olive oil down and reduces its health benefits...and taste. To use a high quality EVOO for heated cooking is a waste of time, taste and money. Good EVOO's are used cold, in dressings or drizzled. Use a quality regular olive oil for heated cooking. You will never know the difference. In fact, save money. Most could not taste the difference between EVOO and regular olive oil.
Sorry, Author. You are likely from California...and north to boot...and promote CA olives. But true devotees and the informed would not touch a CA olive with a stick. Stay with Italian EVOO. If you don't think it makes a difference, then continue watching the Food Channel, calling yourself a "foodie", and buy the Author's latest book. Purists only buy good Italian olive oil – the soil makes all the difference. Excellent Italian EVOO is more expensive than fine wine. No need to go this far, but do you think that dirt in NorCal can produce the quality that soil in Sicily that has been producing good olives since the Roman Empire can be compared?
"Not too strong of a flavor profile" in EVOO?? Wow. You ARE from NorCal. EVOO is used for its strong, fruity, citrus-like flavor. That is why is stands up against only wine vinegar in a dressing. Good EVOO is green in color, fresh in scent, and flowery in flavor. Stick with store brand EVOO's for a "not too strong" flavor. I hear it's good to top off the car's oil level, too.
Use EVOO for everything. Take a spoonful with chili pepper flakes in it to kill a cold. Soak wooden spoons in it before use. Season cutting boards with it. Use is as lip balm or to moisturize dry elbows or heels. But read up about it at least briefly and don't assume chefs from the Northwest know any more because they make "Olio Nuovo" sound exotic!
I believe there are also excellent types of olive oil from Spain and Greece (especially Greece). But yes, Italian is obviously excellent, too. I also find Californian olives more than disgusting - they smell like motor oil.
I have type2 diabetes, and i was advise to take one tea spoon of Extra virgin olive oil, early morning before breakfast.
recently i read an article , it says people live around meditranian area have less heart problems, because they use
extra virgin olive oil, in salad, in cooking and so on....make sense..I wish we must educate each and every American
to eat healthy food, and seriously LOOK AFTER HEALTH...After all HEALTH IS WEALTH....we all keep in MIND......
God Bless The USA :)
Sincerely ,
Ash Mirza (Atlanta, GA )
My current favorite is Paradiso. I learned of this extra virgin olive oil from the owner of a small Italian restaurant in Ft.Lauderdale. However, I am always willing to try something different.
In our household Colavita reigns. We use the first cold pressed EVOO for almost everythingl. However, for dressings and bread dipping etc., we use the Colavita fruitty EVOO, a lovely clear green oil. Just a day or two ago, I fixed one of my favorites: a bowl of quinoa (a grain) with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, the fruity EVOO with a good splash of fresh squeezed lemon, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a healthy chiffonade of fresh basil from my herb garden.
I let it sit for about fifteen minutes before eating. Yumm!!
I cannot afford to pay for day to day life. It is very expensive.
... the image I am talking about is the link to this article on your home page .... if I can't trust you with this how do I trust you with other maters? Are you trying to emulate FOX news?
CNN.. Why use an image of pimento stuffed olives for a story about olive oil?????
You obviously know nothing about olive oil – no one makes olive oil out of those.!!!!
Do some research please!
No brand is perfect. Like wine, it depends on the vintage and color. Pay attention to the color most of all.
thank you ramram, so true, love your post the best. now, people get a clue, do not use canola oil (GMO) is so harmful !
If you really want to be safe during cooking don't use oil (use broth). use exvoo to sprinkle over your food after, that way you benefit, and get the great taste that was meant. myself, I like the most robust oils ie... spanish and greek.
I found a brand of extra virgin olive oil from Tunisia at Henry's that was surprisingly good and had a somewhat different flavor from European or California oil. Worth a try.
Used to work at a deli in Columbus that had a huge selection of oils, my favorite was Miguel & Valentino, a spanish oil. Just dropped by for a sandwich a couple of days ago and they were sampling a californian oil, Grove 45, very good, reminded me of a New Zealand oil that I don't believe is produced any more, Serendipity. Great olive oils are available from all over the world.
It might be Ok , but i never in touching with the strategies as " BUZZ " while i cooked some meal and some dish then the smell was evanesent so, what should i do ? and for the past i had took some to be a seasoning for some fruit.
my girlfriend eats olive oil plain by the spoonful. i tried it once...
i'm convinced she's from another planet.
My grandmother used Crisco on everything and lived to be 97 only to be downed by a drunk driver where she was a passenger in the car he hit. As for my preference, I guy "Best Value" extra virgin olive oil. Cheap, tasty, and plentiful.
i like to infuse my olive oils with garlic, rosemary, or thyme. they can make any generic olive oil taste great
but just dropping some chili peppers or whatever you want in olive oil for a couple of days is a recipe for botulism which can be highly toxic and deadly. you're supposed to cook it in the oil first. in fact, that's just bad advice.
ew ew basil and mozzarella. those poor garden tomatoes. Try fresh parsley, thinly sliced shallot, and choped hard egg... then drizzle with 'good' evoo.
ps- yeah who would use bad evoo?
Olive Oil
I use Sams Club Members Mark Pure Olive OIl (a blend of extra virgin and virgin) for high heat cooking andfrying
WHole Foods 365 BrandExtra virgin cold pressed olive oil as topping to a cooked dish or a salad(because Extra Virgin breaks down under high heat cooking) and a tbspn a day in my dogs food (you must see the lush coat this loveable beagle from a shelter developed in two months!!!
I use coconut oil the same way as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (my husband's HDL went up LDL went down and Triglycerides balanced out after abou a year of use.
I store all my oils in dark blue or amber old washed and rinsed out wine bottles or beer bottles to preserve nutrition that can get lost over time with exposure to heat and light.
I like Saifan from Lebanon. It has a great "grassy" finish that really adds to many thing, especially asparagus..:)
Spanish EVOI...the Spaniards do a superb job and many "Italian oils" have a Spanish base....Tunisian Oil is great, but the supply is limited.....my local grocery has a Spanish house brand that's better than a lot of "foofy" /upscale oils.
midnitejax: if you want truth in labeling, please do not rely on the FDA
I agree with the chef that oils are a caloric investment that should be worth it. A good quality olive oil is all I ask. I can't afford to pursue the finer things in general, and my standards aren't high. Some things, like good coffee and good olive oil, I don't skimp on because they provide a pleasure and health pay-off that is worth the cost.
I don't agree though with the oil running down the arm thing though. That's just a waste!
Olevano all the way: http://www.olevano.com/
IMHO the best Olive oil I have used lately is LUCINI. I love the "Eco-box". It's something like 7 bottles in a box.
I have their flavored oils as well for my dipping plates.
who cuts her hair?
her 3 year old son.
Bacon fat please! As chefs say, when in doubt use bacon fat.
Fiore Olive Oil and Vinegars recently opened in Rockland, Maine. My husband and I can't get enough of them. Our two favorites are Butternut Squash and Garlic olive oils. Once hooked, you never go back to anything else.
I used to keep Olive Oil on hand but she kept running away with Bluto.
I prefer the straight olives myself...
I get my oil imported from my family in Crete, Greece. It's made from olives that I own there. It's the best olive oil on Earth :#
You are right 100%!!!!!!!!
I read somewhere way back that you shouldn't cook (heat) with olive oil, it burns very easily but I think it had more to do with the breaking down into unhealthy components, much like AngelaD says above. We only buy cold-pressed extra virgen oil oil for salads, eggs, etc. We use canola oil for heating, and we buy real butter. NEVER margarine! I am going to try Greek and California oil soon. Incidentally, my lil Chihuahua loves olive oil, so if there is something she won't eat, I just put olive oil on her food & she almost always eats it! (Sometimes she just licks it off...) Oh, well. I would suggest ppl try that with finicky doggies!
Chef's slay me– they like to make their foods sound so exotic–'Heirloom beans'? That's like saying she uses red tomatoes. There are hundreds of varieties of beans– 'heirloom' only means they have not been genetically altered!
You are spot on with this comment Rachel. These are the kind of chefs who insist they use only the meat from chickens who have committed suicide.....
I liked olive oil before moving to Rome, yes, the Eternal City. Now I know the difference between a good oil and a great oil and the complete rip-off. I too cannot stand olives in their other forms, guess it's the brine or who knows what.
I usually get my oil from someone who harvests their own olives in Sabina, our region's highest ranked oils come from there. The place I get it from is actually a pastry shop, but they sell it on the side in old 2 liter wine bottles at 7 euros per liter. The oils is full of life and I use it for everything. It makes great salad dressing = Oil & salt and BASTA! (rarely some lemon, almost never vinegar, no, not even balsamic).
At the supermarket, the going price for extra virgin is somewhere from say 6 to 12 euros per liter. But as some have pointed out, knowing what's actually in the bottle is hard at best. My rule for this is just to do some testing. I have bought various brands over the years and have settled on a medium to high acidity oil that has a fair amount of green to it when poured over a white plate (tough to see in the supermarket with funky lights etc.). There are some local brands that don't get distributed state side that I do like and can afford (below 8 Euro), but often I have taken the brand I enjoyed back in NYC (Fairway's), Colavita, which I guess could be construed to mean "It drips with life". It's robust enough to handle any cooking, and isn't ever bitter or exceedingly harsh in the throat. I guess the better producer "age" their oils, i.e. bring them to the market once the acidity has dropped from the time of pressing. Some oils are so "spicy" both in the mouth and the tongue for at least 6 months after pressing, that I start coughing if I have it raw on a salad.
Having harvested olives here myself, I can tell you that the oil is pressed not just from the flesh of the olive, but also from the pit and quite a few leaves that bring their flavors into the mix. I think some of the harshness of a few oils start there.
A friends mother, who cooks like her life depended on it, uses her own family-produced oil to bake sweet cakes with. They are the lightest and tastiest things I've had, and don't leave an olive oil after taste, obviously not a buttery one either.
BTW – "lesser" oils, i.e. not extra virgin oils, are usually from a second pressing of the same mash as the "first pressing", to get the remaining oil, the slosh is heated which changes/reduces some of the final products nutrition and flavor. Even lesser grades of oil apparently are made using some kind of 'solvent' to get out ever last greasy drop, at that point you might as well have petroleum laced corn oil.
I use pomace for heat applications such as sauteeing, baking, etc. ... and extra virgin for dipping, coating – anything without high heat.
A tea spoon a day supposedly can help lower colestrol levels. ? extra virgin oil
If the article was about olive oil, why was the picture on the main page depicting preserved green olives stuffed with red pimento?
I use sunflower oil.. Has a higher burning point... Every "professional" is egotistical scum to me. I hope that tomato you get locally is genetically modified...
I use hair Grease. So good.....so good.....yaey yayyyy!
I use McEvoy extra virgin oil for special cooking but love to infuse powdered truffles in it for a puree like fava or polenta or gold potato, plus garlic and sea salt and my best tellicherry pepper. Love the smell, love the taste, love the texture.
Sciabica's California Varietal Olive Oils (since 1936) are the highest quality extra virgin olive oils from the good ol' USA. Even their flavored EVOO are co-pressed and never infused. Delicious!
http://www.sciabica.com
I have to agree with Mighty7, when I moved to Belize good olive oil from Italy was impossible to find, I found an Olive Oil from Spain, tried it and loved it's bright clean flavor.
This olive oil would be great on a jersey tomato, or just eat the tomato by itself. Either way you win!
I have been an avid user of Olive Oil for most of my adult life (54). I have used Exrat Virgin extensivley because of its flavor. I am dismayed however to have read that many unsavory Italian distrbutors have taken Walnut Oils and infused them with Olive oils to increase profits. Many of the most popular brands like Berotoli were involved in this scam. There are people who are allergic to nuts and shouldn't have been exposed to this blend of oils that may have been sickened unbeknownst to the consumer. There was an investigation by the FDA, and several suits filed on behalf of consumers, but I have not heard anything about their progress. People should investigate before purchasing possible poisons. I am looking for a good quality domestic Oil that meets all FDA standards on quality and honesty in lableing.
California Olive Oils are FANTASTIC – far better than the olive oil imported from Europe. Because the US has no standards for acidity or accuracy, Europe has been sending its rancid, old, musty olive oil to the US. Look for the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) sticker on your next bottle of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. With that certification, you are guaranteed a delicious, non-blended with lesser oils, healthy olive oil. Legislation is on its way to change this, but it until then, look for the sticker.
I have nothing against California olive oil, in fact I have some currently, but your characterization of oils from Europe is a silly stereotype. I've had wonderful olive oils from Europe, including a bottom of Spanish oil I have now.
California olive oil is better than it used to be, but isn't on par with good quality Spanish Olive Oil.
@Cuttlefish...great response....lucid, coherent and useful. Something you don't see too much of on CNN's boards. Thank you.
I use three different grades of olive oil–for cooking, for salads, and for any use where the olive oil itself is the centerpiece (dipping, for example). I've tasted dozens of oils (a local store had frequent tasting events), and for me (taste is personal, and I would never claim my tastes as objectively perfect) the very best have always been Greek. Now, all three oils I have are Greek oil–but I will never quit trying new oils. Good oils have their own characteristics, and just as there are many beautiful paintings, beautiful songs, beautiful landscapes, unique oils can be uniquely wonderful.
Fact: Most commercial Italian olive oil is produced with olives imported from Spain. EU framing policies. Check it.
Fact: Spanish and Greek olive oil is far, far superior to Italian olive oil. Only ones I buy.
Fact: California olive oil is getting really good.
Big Fat Hairy Deal
I agree with Olive Oyl: the lighter and cheaper stuff for general cooking, and more highly flavored stuff for dipping and for salad dressings. McEvoy's Olio Nuovo for example has intense flavor, wonderful in its place, but not wonderful for cooking breakfast eggs.
In these uncertain times, I find it a bit over the top to write an article suggesting that American families need to stock multiple blends of olive oil in their pantry.
Different people have different priorities. For some people, when times are tough, having nice, painted nails or a new sweater makes them feel as if they have something to hope for - a sense of normalcy. For others, it's a small touch of luxury. Joy can't completely cease in difficult times, and no two people achieve it the same way.
I feel pretty oh so pretty...
I'd marry you in a heartbeat! Finally, a voice of reason with something constructive to say! You made my day.
Awwww! Joy is hard to come by. I say savor it wherever you can - even if it comes from a bottle of olive oil.
Kat – marry me. I'm in LOVE.
I appreciate your comment and thank you for posting it. An occasional small splurge can make all the difference in making me feel like I'm still living a civilized life, instead of just grubbing along from day to day worrying about my retirement fund.
Bravo!! I have never heard anything so well put.
Well said. I am stealing that.
The great thing about good olive oil is that a little goes a long way. That's true of a surprising number of things - good pepper, for instance, is so much better than cheap pepper that you can cheerfully eat cheaper food because the half a cent extra for that pepper makes it taste so much better. If you've never had the good stuff from someplace like Penzey's (or your favorite local spice store), you don't realize how much the grocery store kind tastes like dust. And that's very much true of olive oil: a little bit of the good stuff goes a long way, and it makes everything it touches taste better. These times are too uncertain for crummy olive oil.
Actually, you don't have to stock pile an enormous variety of oils in your kitchen. Just one good Extra Virgin cold pressed olive oil with it's versatile flavor will do just about anything you want to do. You might also keep some canola on hand for baking. I swear by Colavita for an EVOO that can be purchased just about anywhere. It's worth a little extra expense for the payback in taste.
Does she look like Olive Oyl or is it just me?
LOL, yes!!! Oh, Brutus!!!
It's you, Rhia! Haven't watched very many Popeye cartoons lately, have you? lol
She looks like Mia Wallace's mother.
Olives are the most repugnant flavor ever created.
I've never been able to swallow one without vomiting.
Olive oil, on the other hand, is fine for cooking and salad dressings.
I agree. Not too many people I know hate the flavor of olives (ALL olives) as most I know really, really like them, but I cannot eat them w/o feeling like I want to hurl. Olive oil on the other hand is something I love to use. Glad to see there's another olive hater out there as I don't meet very many.
A blanket statement that disregards the hundreds of varieties of olives.
Supermarket olives are processed, boiled, pressure cooked and tons of salt added to them.
I've had fresh Egyptian olives, when I was deployed to the middle east that were the tastiest olives I've ever had.
Black olives, like the Spanish ones we know from that supermarket, but they were not as salty and were crunchy, like an apple and loaded with flavor that I've not tasted since. They soften while in the brine, so they must be REAL fresh to be crunchy.
Taste tests have shown that heating the oil for cooking kills all the flavor complexity of extra virgin olive oil. Use the cheaper lighter stuff for cooking, and the best extra virgin oil you can get your hands on for dipping.
You can cook it below the smoke point with little deterioration and good imparting of olive oil flavor. Extra virgin olive oil has a similar smoke point as butter, and you know how great cooking with butter can be. I cook pop corn successfully by frying the corn in olive oil below the highest heat settings. Much delicious cooking is possible and unique to extra virgin olive oil.
I have also popped popcorn in olive oil and loved it. I thought I invented it. My wife, shall we say, disliked it without really considering it. I am so happy that someone else in the world has done it and also liked it. I am going to try it again. I love popcorn, and in olive oil it is unique and delicious. I just have to wait for my wife to not be around to complain.
I consider it more poaching than frying. Just due to the lower temperature.
And yes, I've done popcorn thousands of time in olive oil, with a small dab of butter added.
@ Sea Bee
What are we attacking?
Libya....
Again? What are we doing tomorrow night?
The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.
So tired of these chefs using the term "good olive oil" . Why on earth would I use bad olive oil? But what I would really like to know though is how they are using olive oil for cooking and sauteing . Even "good" olive will split apart in unhealthy pieces if heated to high. I believe the temperature is 400 degrees. What do they use for frying (in a pan)? So much confusion about all these oils.....sigh
Just remember to buy "cold pressed" oil, any flavor you desire. Most oils are. solvent extracted, which become very dangerous oils in the body, causing cancer, hormones problems, etc. Stay away from fake oil like margarine, too.
You may want to ad "first" in front of that "cold pressed". I've heard they squeeze them many times.
there is a difference, as a chef. we use extra virgin olive oil to dress simple salad garnishes. but we use what we in the kitchen call "good olive oil", or the really good stuff- the 1/2 litre of olive oil that costs probably more than fifty dollars, to do plate garnishes, dress over warmed house-made breads, and for diners who ask for a greens salad with oil and vinegar. its just terminology, and the difference is ridiculous. in a good way.
Frying in olive oil is a special trick. One does NOT heat the oil excessively, the taste is off, the oil DOES come apart, chemically and it oxidizes.
If it's running nearly like water in the pan, it's at the right temperature. If it's running like water, it's too hot.
It merely adds contact to the food being cooked, thermally and imparts some spices into the food better, as many spices are oil soluble and not water soluble.
Consider it not frying, but poaching in oil.
"Why on earth would I use bad olive oil?"
Because it's cheaper and the only kind grocery stores carry. People who don't know much about olive oil think "extra virgin" = "the good stuff." This is simply not the case. Extra virgin refers to how the oil is extracted. It has nothing to do with the variety of olives used, where they were grown, what a particular crop was like, and so on, and these things make a huge difference in the flavor of the oil. When someone like this says "a good olive oil" he's referring to one you almost certainly can't get in your local grocery store. Expect to pay $20 and up for a good olive oil, which is why normal grocery stores don't carry them, the same reason they don't carry good balsamic vinegar.
For all your olive oil needs: labodegagourmet.com
For all your needs, our retail site, by middlemen for producers and manufacturers.
funny lol!
To me extra virgin olive oil has too strong of a taste and over powers the food, but to each his own. What I want to know is the health benefits any better with extra virgin than it is with regular olive oil (which cost less)?
extra virgin is the most expensive and the most healthy.
Hi Bill,
That strong unpleasant taste probably is because the olive oil is rancid. Fresh extra virgin olive oil should taste exceptionally enticing and delicious, not strong and 'off'. Unfortunately, many of the big commercial vendors sell old olive oil which tastes worse over time.
Fresh harvest extra virgin olive is so good you can't wait to use it. Trust your instincts. It is very much better in terms of vitamins and antioxidants, which can be and are measured. Ask your supplier.
Susan at Axiomia dot biz.... importers of fresh organic Spanish olive oil
Eggs (sunny side up) and popcorn are awesome cooked in xtra vergin olive oil!
Add stewed tomatoes, slices of fresh garlic and a drop of tabasco and you're in heaven!
A real answer to your question is that extra virgin olive oil has not been chemically processed. Virgin olive oil has been minimally chemically processed, and plain olive oil has been processed fully. The processing both alters taste and vitamin contents, but I believe more oil is obtained from the same amount of olives which is why it is done.
no expert, but I have been in portugal for months and have a friend that processes olives. he stated the difference is in the pressing. the first press is the extra virgin oil and then the quality goes down from there. not sure this is true, but he has a local (in the north area of Portugal) processing place and see no reason for him to state otherwise.
that is correct the first cold press which is not EVO that you get in a supermarket (usually the land owner keeps this) is just that olives are crushed known as the first cold press then they get pressed again which is what usually gets sold as EVO in supermarkets then they heat the mush up and press again and again and the grade goes down. the mush gets sold to cosmetic comapnies, candie companies, dog food compainies, and wood stove pellet companies.
I lived in southern Italy for awhile and watched the process many times
when you get fresh olive oil it has a green color and a buttery nutty flavor if you get that havy after taste in the back of your tongue the oil is rancid
Both extra virgin and virgin olive oil are the result of mechanical extraction only. The difference between the two has nothing to do with the process but everything to do with sensory and chemical evaluation of the oil after extraction. Extra virgin should have no sensory defects and have an maximum FFA of .8 (free fatty acid) , and a PV, ( peroxide value) of less than 20. (FFA and peroxide values are an indication of the condition of the fruit at the time of crushing. Lower FFA and Peroxide levels are an indication of fresher fruit in better condition), High quality extra virgin olive oil will have much lower FFA and peroxide values that the maximum allowed for the grade. A really well made Extra Virgin will have an FFA of less than .25 and a peroxide value of less than 7. In these two critical measurements of freshness and quality of fruit, less is more. Virgin olive oil can have sensory defects and is allowed to have a higher FFA and peroxide value than extra virgin. There is a long complicated panel of chemical measurements that extra virgin must conform in order to meet the standard for the grade. Any numbers or measurements outside the parameters established for the grade cause the oil to fail. The next grade below extra virgin is virgin. Olive oil that is mechanically extracted but falls below the grade established for extra virgin is called virgin and oil that falls below the grade for virgin is called virgin lampante, and cannot be sold for consumption without first being refined. Virgin lampante was used in the ancient world as lamp oil. It is now the primary ingredient in "pure olive oil" and "lite olive oil". After virgin lampante is refined it becomes an odorless, colorless, tasteless fat that has far more in common with canola oil, refined soybean oil, or sunflower oil. All of the antioxidants associated with extra virgin olive oil are destroyed in the refining process. This refined olive oil is then mixed with as little as 3% virgin or extra virgin and then renamed "pure olive oil or lite olive oil.
You should visit a good gourmet food store and sample some different olive oils. There is a big variation in their tastes depending on the olives used and where they were grown. Your broad statement about the taste of extra virgin olive oil as if they all taste the same tells me you haven't really tried some good oils. Some do indeed have a strong flavor but others have a very mild flavor. And definitely don't judge olive oil by grocery store brands. Go to a specialty food store that has some nice oils to try.
Try 365 Spanish extra virgin. Like buttah!
If your extra virgin olive oil is overpowering the taste of the food, you've been ripped off with cheap oil that is falsely marked extra virgin olive oil. It's an old problem globally.
Research the brand that you're intending to buy. Make sure that they're known for quality products and not known for false advertisement/labeling.
As for nutritional content, it's pretty much the same. They use steam and chemicals for other classes of olive oil and you can taste the difference usually.
That said, I DO use it on occasion, where the difference in taste may not be as important. But, that is EXTRA rare.
Try Extra Virgin from Creta,- fruty and mild!
Refined olive oil blends are sold under various names and descriptions like "lite" olive oil "Pure" olive oil, "100% Pure olive oil" and "olive oil" and are all mixtures of at least two legally different oils, (both made from olives) The refined portion of the blend is in most cases over 90%, and in some cases like "LITE" as much as 97%. Refined-A is made from olive oil that does not meet the standards for the grade knows as "virgin olive oil" and is refined first to remove various impurities and flavor defects. In ancient times this oil was referred to as lampante or lamp oil because it was used for lamps and not consumed as food. It can be chemically "cleaned up" and when it is refined it becomes an odorless, colorless, tasteless fat that has far more in common with refined canola or other much less expensive seed oils. It is referred to in the trade as Refined-A olive oil. However, the IOOC, who sets the standards for the grade in Europe stipulates that at least 3% of real, virgin, or extra virgin olive oil must be added to the A-refined portion before it is sold to the public. The descriptions "pure olive oil" and "lite olive oil" are considered misleading in Europe and Canada so they simply sell it as "olive oil". In the United States this mixture is sold under the other names that you commonly see on the shelves in grocery stores. If this seems confusing, it's because it is, and unfortunately the confusion is intentional.
None of the health or flavor benefits associated with extra virgin olive oil are available once the oil has been refined. The process of heating and deodorizing destroys all of the polyphenols and antioxidants associated with extra virgin olive oil. The actual price differential on an industrial basis is almost the same for generic extra virgin olive oil and refined-A olive oil.
Premium and ultra premium extra virgin olive oil cost more to produce than generic virgin or extra virgin but not nearly as much as what we see in most grocery stores. There is currently less than a 10% difference between the two vastly different grades of "generic extra virgin" and "refined-A olive oil", and in the past few years the prices have been nearly identical on numerous occasions. Several times over the last few years refined olive oil has been more expensive than extra virgin or virgin olive oil on the industrial bulk market. And this makes sense because it cost more to refine the lampante olive oil once it has been made and there is a loss due to shrinkage. The fact is that most consumers of refined olive oil are in the producing countries of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece. In Spain over 65% of all olive oil consumed is refined or some mixture of refined and virgin. This is why there is a big fight brewing right now in the US and the consuming world outside of Europe and the IOOC. How should this mixture be labeled and marketed to consumers? Producers of genuine extra virgin olive oil want the labels placed on mixtures of refined and extra virgin to state the mixture on the front panel of the label in bold letters and the percentages of each ingredient. Those powerful brands who sell a river of refined olive under the various misleading descriptions like pure, lite, or simply olive oil are violently opposed to legislation that would force them to actually label their product with the true ingredients shown on the front panel of the label. My bet is the bottlers will prevail once again and will continue to prevail unless or until consumers become outraged enough to actually do something about it like sending a message to their state or federal representatives demanding that olive oil bottlers and refineries be forced to live by the same rules the rest of us live with.
One of the common misconceptions concerning extra virgin olive oil is that it is too strong. There are many fine delicate and mild varieties of olive oil that are subtle and not overpowering at all. That is why in every major contest in the world there are at least three categories: Delicate, Medium, and Intense. The choices are really staggering if you have access to the real market that is upstream form the large bottlers and blenders that sell and produce a mixture of the cheapest oils available world wide to come up with a consistent, albeit mediocre, flavor profile. COSCO is one of the few mass marketers who has had the courage to sell a decent olive oil in their stores. The so called Tuscan Kirkland is actually decent oil. It is not great oil but it is certainly head and shoulders above most of the private label extra virgin olive oils sold in the marketplace. It sells for more than double what the PET 2-PACK "extra Virgin" that they move a river of and is clearly a much lower grade and very similar or worse than what is sold in places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Wallmart.
most so called tuscan or italian\greek\spanish olive oils are packed in those locations, they are blends of inferior grade oils form various part of the world. make sure you get product of italy or greece or whatever.
most oils we get here are rancid you actually can tell by the bitter after taste left in your throat which when it turns like that it was called lamp oil because it develops mirky look(at room temperature) and muddy residue and some local vendors would mix it with the hot pressed oil and sell it as good.good olive oils start from good olives, they measure the acidity of the olive clay type soils like in the southern part of italy and some areas of tuscany umbria and puglia produce very low acidic olive oils which we will never be able to find here
no
Interesting!