I use olive oil for cooking a lot. However, whenever I go to the market for more, there is always a selection of about 50 different extra virgin cold pressed olive oil...and if I go to a different market they also have about the same number, but many of them different from market number one. This is crazy! How can anyone know which of these are good for what? You could say the same thing about wine, though at least there are lots of taste tests out there on the internets. Anybody else have this same quandary...or better yet some guidelines?

Also, I've found that just grabbing any one doesn't work. There are some strange-tasting olive oils out there that I've had to throw out.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2010 08:22PM by davester.

Olive oil snobs are probably right up there with wine snobs.
[tinyurl.com]

I have had relatively good luck buying among the less-expensive "first cold pressed/extra virgin" olive oils. I also look for what the local market has on sale. I don't know if it really makes any difference, but I look for ones in clear bottles which look more green and less yellow or orange.

Also, what I get depends on how I plan to use it. I believe that the higher heat, the less well the extra virgin olive oils do. If you are using it for salad dressing, extra virgin is essential. If you are using it to saute, you might be better off with a lower grade of oil which stands up to heat better.


Good luck.

- Winston

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Which ones have you tried? I figure most people just try a few and stick with whichever one they find acceptable. I'm far from being an olive oil snob, but I get the Costco extra virgin. It seems OK to me. Since I don't use huge amounts, I get only the one and use it for cooking and for "eating", which, for me, means using it with balsamic vinegar for bread dipping. A favorite olive oil is probably almost as personal as a favorite wine, which is why there are so many. Might you be overthinking this?

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AlphaDog
Might you be overthinking this?

Probably. We just started shopping at a new market and of course they have none of the olive oils I've previously used.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Ditto Winston.
I get a cheaper brand for cooking and a good one (more $$) for salad dressing.

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And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Western Massachusetts

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blooz
Ditto Winston.
I get a cheaper brand for cooking and a good one (more $$) for salad dressing.

Depends on what I'm cooking. If I am not using high heat, or cooking only briefly, I will use better oil for cooking.


- W

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davester

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AlphaDog
Might you be overthinking this?

Probably. We just started shopping at a new market and of course they have none of the olive oils I've previously used.

That's why I hate having to shop at unfamiliar places. I see your dilemma, but I'd probably find something in the mid range in terms of price and see how I liked it. If it was good, I'd then hope I picked one the store carried on a regular basis and wasn't a one time special purchase that I could never find again.

If you shop Costco, you might want to try their house brand. I have some that's identified as an extra virgin from the Tuscano region, and it's identified as being from the 2008 harvest. Here's what my bottle says:

"Extra Virgin Olive OIl, like wine, varies in taste, color and aroma. The characteristics are dependent on the variety of the olive, the soil and climate in which the trees are grown, and the methods of harvesting.

The vibrant green Extra Virgin Olive Oil in this bottle is from olives grown in the hills of Tuscany which were picked by hand, beginning in early November. Cold pressed within a few hours of harvesting, the oil displays a full-bodied elegant aroma with a distinctive rich fruity overtone.

Kirkland Signature is proud to introduce the 2008 crop from Tuscany."

I think it's pretty good stuff, although that sure doesn't say anything about whether or not you'd like it.

Kirkland Signature has some pretty good stuff. We had a bottle of their champagne over the holidays. Not bad for the price, although probably not my first choice in that price range - about $20 when we got it. I'd go domestic for less.


- W

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Check out recommendations from Americas Test Kitchen - seems like they had a good better and best in one of the recent mags.

Buy the cheapest by-volume extra-virgin from Italy.

Always check the back of the label to confirm that it is, in fact, entirely from Italy and mentions the name of the farm that produced it.

You must read the back of the label to verify this since American bottlers usually put "Italian" in big bold print on the front of their labels even if only 5% of the oil in the bottle actually comes from Italy.

Only extra-virgin olive oil from Italy has to adhere to any real standards. Olive oil from other countries is likely a mix of oils and could be adulterated with any number of unlisted additives. (I learned this the hard way when I had a nasty reaction to an "extra-virgin olive oil" that was probably cut with hazelnut oil oil and machine-grade mineral oil.)

Actually, you can't even be sure that Italian olive oil is unadulterated, but it's a better bet than any other olive oil.

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Cheapest because it's stupid to squander money.

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Winston
Kirkland Signature has some pretty good stuff. We had a bottle of their champagne over the holidays. Not bad for the price, although probably not my first choice in that price range - about $20 when we got it. I'd go domestic for less.


- W

I love their olive oil, and their balsamic vinegar.

Trader Joe's: $5.99 liter, extra virgin: $7.99 liter
Here's olive oil info from Joe:
[www.traderjoes.com]

5W30....




;)

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Doc
Buy the cheapest by-volume extra-virgin from Italy.

Always check the back of the label to confirm that it is, in fact, entirely from Italy and mentions the name of the farm that produced it.

You must read the back of the label to verify this since American bottlers usually put "Italian" in big bold print on the front of their labels even if only 5% of the oil in the bottle actually comes from Italy.

Only extra-virgin olive oil from Italy has to adhere to any real standards. Olive oil from other countries is likely a mix of oils and could be adulterated with any number of unlisted additives. (I learned this the hard way when I had a nasty reaction to an "extra-virgin olive oil" that was probably cut with hazelnut oil oil and machine-grade mineral oil.)

Actually, you can't even be sure that Italian olive oil is unadulterated, but it's a better bet than any other olive oil.

...

Cheapest because it's stupid to squander money.

This is the money response-- surprised nobody else mentioned this.
You want extra-virgin oil which states very specifically that it was produced in Italy, not packed in Italy or shipped from Italy, for the reasons doc stated.

america's test kitchen likes regular for cooking...they like the Davinci best, followed by colovita...

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if your talking about one for mainly cooking ........
the Berio stuff that is sold in many stores is excellent for the $.
I think a 3 ltr at CostCo is around $18.

We use that as our "everyday" EVOO, cooking, salad dressing etc.
The TJs and Colvita mentioned above are no slouches nuther.
Then we have a snobby bottle for bread or if we're cooking something very light, IE fish.
That stuff is around $18/ltr. More than that and we don't think it matters.

I would strongly disagree about the use of Italian OO only.
The Spaniards, Australians and even Californians make some mighty nice OO.
Here in NY, at a local "chain" called Fairway, they sell their own bulk bottled choices that cover the major producers. They're all around $15-20 ltr, not the everyday price range for sre, and they are all quite good.

Like wine, there are plenty good ones for decent prices.
We've been drinking Spanish this week, none are over $20 in the store.

I'd have to look it up but I read that Greek EVOO made with kalamata olives has the highest amount of beneficial ingredients for health. We buy that stuff.

I like Pompeian. It actually tastes like olive oil and it's cheap.

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Gutenberg
I like Pompeian. It actually tastes like olive oil and it's cheap.

My favorite "supermarket" oil.

Do not use extra virgin olive oil for sauteing foods, since it's smoke point is 210 F, while pure olive oil has a smoke point of 410-430 F.

EVOO for cooking is a waste; I agree w/ freeradical. The taste is just so fine that heating it up in a pan just destroys the flavor. I use regular, garden variety OO for cooking.

Also, (and I'm surprised nobody mentioned this) NEVER buy OO in a clear bottle. Light kills it and it turns rancid quicker. You have little way of knowing how old any of the product is, and if it's been stored near light in a clear bottle, it's shelf life is near nil.

Always buy in tins and store the stuff in a brown or green wine bottle w/ a pourer on top away from light. I keep mine in the cabinet under the sink.

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mrthuse

Also, (and I'm surprised nobody mentioned this) NEVER buy OO in a clear bottle. Light kills it and it turns rancid quicker. You have little way of knowing how old any of the product is, and if it's been stored near light in a clear bottle, it's shelf life is near nil.

This is extremely important. Also take a look at the date on the bottle. I am not saying I would never buy it in a clear bottle - I have, in a Meditteranean country making sure it was fresh, and it was the best one I ever had. In my experience, freshness has more impact on taste than any of the other parameters, as long as it is properly produced. In a lot of regular supermarkets, the extra virgin bottles sit in light forever, and are really semi-rancid by the time you buy them.

Some time ago, Consumer Reports did blind tasting and declared one of the cheapest ones - Goya - the winner. You may disagree, but it is something to think about.

I currently have several olive oils at home and tend to prefer Zoe from Spain that I bought at Amazon. I also like walnut and almond oils for salad.

I like to buy in clear bottles because I can do a better visual inspection of the oil. I don't like tins because I can't see the oil at all, and often it's in larger sizes. I tend to buy in smaller quantities (16 oz or so) because it keeps what's on hand fresher.

Last time I bought Goya olive oil it was Spanish, I think. It was good.

- W

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