Olive Oil

[klflowers]

For a long time now I have been puzzled with the fascination with olive oil. I use it a lot for sautéing but not for finishing stuff like pasta or for salad dressings. I love olives, but the flavor and mouth feel of the oils I have used ( mostly Bertolli) has left a lot to be desired. I ran across this article today that may explain some of that:

https://www.seriouseats.com/what-the-label-wont-tell-you-how-to-buy-a-good-bottle-of-olive-oil

[Jerod Broussard]

Love olives with the red pimento inside. Jimmy Johns' olive oil on that Italian Sub, YUM YUM!

[Attjack]

Lot's of fake EVOO out there. I'm lucky enough to get most of my good stuff from a local farm my sister lives near.

http://www.chaffinfamilyorchards.com/

[Dewesq55]

I get most of mine from my OTB Greek friend who imports it directly from Greece. It's great.

[RonB]

Very interesting. I may make some changes...

[Red Man]

California Olive Ranch is my go to these days. The quality is pretty good and it isn’t too expensive.

[FireMan]

If you do your homework & spend a little extra money you can expand your world immensely. I became aware of this and the corruption in the industry a few years back. You have to be careful, & money doesn’t necessarily mean what it is. Like the following article stated have a couple of different kinds for different uses. For cooking purposes a mid-priced oil is recommended. California has some great oils btw.

[klflowers]

I am going to look into it some more. I really like all kinds of olives, I should be able to fond an olive oil I like for vinagrettes. I have been using veg oil.

[FireMan]

Kill, OMG! Yer life is about to change radically!

[AdequateEatin]

My go to finishing olive oil is Corto Olive Oil. https://corto-olive.com/ it is pretty pricey but in my opinion well worth it. If I am cooking something with olive oil I use the good old California Olive Ranch. It is surprising how good oil really elevates a dish. If you are interested in learning more about olive oil, Corto has a virtual tasting box where they will send you samples of olive oil from different years and walk you through it like a wine tasting it is incredibly informative and worth it in my opinion.

[WillTravelForFood]

On a trip to Italy, we learned that even locals who grow their own olives to press their own oil recommend Costco's Italian EVOO (they couldn't vouch for the Spanish or non-region-specific Costco varieties).

Since then, we've only used the Costco 100% Italian EVOO jug for almost everything appropriate.

There's a higher-end, limited release Costco olive oil that comes out in a smaller bottle (and higher price) every November-ish. It's typically labeled as their "Tuscan" olive oil. You can definitely tell the difference when comparing the two.

One is used for every day use including cooking; the Tuscan is more for fancy finishing or salad dressing use where you would consume it as part of the dish.

https://www.oliveoil.com/best-olive-oils-costco-2021/ has a reasonable summary that appears up to date

[klflowers]

I will try it out, thanks.

[Pobeque]

I like the Kirkland jug brand as well for everyday use (sautéing, vinaigrettes, etc). I try to keep a finishing oil around as well for 'anointing' (drizzling) on finished pastas, steaks etc

[barelfly]

I use the Kirkland EVOO. Good to know - and, I do think it’s a good oil with nice flavor to it.

[texastweeter]

Lot of fake avocado oil though.

[Attjack]

Oh yeah? I have always used Chosen Foods avocado oil.

[jhapka]

Thanks for this comment and this thread in general klflowers I didn’t realize I was using fake avocado oil because the price was right for real stuff. Glad to be another day smarter

[DrJimmy2112]

I too have been disappointed w taste of olive oil. All we ever have in the house is grocery store commodity stuff that we bought by price. I end up cooking w canola oil as I prefer its taste. I may be a neanderthal so don't stone me for that . For my breakfast cooks I use butter and ask for the Lipitor chaser.
This article was illuminating; thank you for sharing it klflowers.

[klflowers]

You are welcome. I use a lot of canola and veg oil too, especially in vinaigrette. When I have used olive oil, which a lot of recipes suggest, I have been disappointed. I use olive oil for sautéing some stuff but I don't use it often.

[Mosca]

I buy the Wegman’s brand "Italian Classics". I like the flavor, it’s fruity and peppery. I have no idea how EVOO it is, but it tastes good and, being the house brand, it isn’t too expensive. They have a less expensive non-EVOO that I use for cooking.

[Bkhuna]

I got to try some outstanding olive oils in southwest Spain. It changed my palette. I use decent extra virgin olive oil for cooking and reserve the premium Extra Virgin for finishing. That's where the real benefit of using good stuff matters the most.

[klflowers]

What brands do you use? Like I said I mostly use Bertolli and it is ok, but I don't use it for finishing (I rarely finish anything with EVO, just butter) and I have tried it fand some other grocery store brands for vinegrettes and have been disappointed.

[Bkhuna]

California Olive Ranch Global Blend Medium is usually available at my supermarket and at times will go on sale. That's my every day brand. I love eating good crusty bread with nothing more than a dip into good olive oil. America's Test Kitchen likes Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Original, Rich Taste. I don't recall seeing it at the market, but I'm going to try it.

[klflowers]

Bertolli is what I usually use and I think it is just ok. I am going to try it heated with some herbs and crusty bread and see if that changes my mind. There is an Italian restaurant here that serves breadsticks with warmed oil for dipping and I like theirs a lot. I need to ask them what they use.

[Steve B]

I was just about to post about olive oil and saw your post klflowers It is pricey but if you love the best, well, you get what you pay for. I recently joined and am expecting my first shipment today.

https://freshpressedoliveoil.com/home/c/WA_GA_Q421_BRAND/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC_BRAND&utm_campaign=WA_GA_Q421_BRAND&gclid=CjwKCAiAlfqOBhAeEiwAYi43FxqAONEP4JsRIzZ2CJRjPQbhSTTpbgugvpnjdHtxFFBVx3uKSeuhRBoCDtEQAvD_BwE

[klflowers]

Just what I need on top of the bean club lol. This place is hard on the old wallet.

[klflowers]

Wow it is pricey to say the least! I may give it a shot though. And probably get hooked lol

[Steve B]

I didn’t get my shipment today now says tomorrow. But it’s getting shipped to my job and I’m off. So I guess I gotta wait till Friday. I’m looking forward to trying this stuff out.

[IowaGirl]

For Christmas, I bought several of the varietal olive oils sold at the California Olive Ranch website. They're not the same as the COR olive oil sold in grocery stores. We've been having fun tasting each of these specialty olive oils and figuring out how to use them.

I wouldn't typically use a fancy olive oil for cooking, since a fancy olive oil will lose a lot of its delicate flavor when heated. I would normally use a more bland COR olive oil from the grocery store for cooking.

One of the varietals we've tried is as buttery as butter with a pleasant "green" note. I made some popcorn the other night and used some of this olive oil in the popper. I then drizzled some more on the corn after it had been popped. I noted the oil after heating was still buttery flavored but the "green" note was gone. The finished popcorn was extra tasty, and even my spouse really liked it.

The other varietal olive oil has a rich but more peppery flavor and I think it would be good in a board sauce for meats or used in a dressing for hearty salads.

[klflowers]

I eat lots of salads and that is what I am looking for. Something to amp up the normal vinegar and oil dressings, or something I can maybe cut with a little lemon and use to dress salads. I am trying to get away from bottled dressings. Can you share what you actually bought,?

[IowaGirl]

klflowers -- The buttery-green oil I used on the popcorn is Arbosana https://californiaoliveranch.com/product/arbosana/ The "Tasting Notes" say it has a peppery finish, but it's not all that peppery to my tongue.

The oil with a more peppery and bolder flavor (IMO) is their Millers Blend https://californiaoliveranch.com/product/arbosana/

[klflowers]

Thanks, I will check them out soon

[DTro]

And to add to the olive oil fascination there is this: https://www.studyfinds.org/olive-oil...-heart-attack/

[klflowers]

Depending on who you talk to, mild dementia may have already set in lol