Olive Oil - extra virgin vs. extra light

Adillo303

*****
Gold Site Supporter
Extra virgin is the first cold pressing of the olives.

In subsequent pressings more pressure and ultimately heat is used.
 

Moxie

New member
Extra virgin has the best flavor, but also costs a little more. Use it anytime you are looking for the full flavor like in uncooked salad dressings or as a finishing drizzle. The heat of cooking will diminish the flavor.

For cooking, it's more economical to use just plain olive oil.

Extra light is just a marketing gimmick and refers to color only.
 

Ian M.

New member
I've got a couple of questions in regard to olive oil - regular or extra virgin.

How does one keep olive oil, once opened, from going rancid so quickly?

And secondly, how do they tell which ones of those little critters are actually virgins and haven't been around the block a time or two? I've always wondered about that......................

Ian :yum::yum:
 

Adillo303

*****
Gold Site Supporter
OK Cooking Economics and OO vs EVOO.

Ian - Can't help you with around the block, sorry.

Olive like everything else is governed by economics. A crop of olives is picked and the name of the game is to get as much revenue out of the crop as possible.

Let's digress a bit first. Olive,s like any agricultural product is a product of it's environment, nutrients in the soil, amount of sen and water, etc. Then the genetics fo the tree. So, dealing with only EVOO for a minute, there are about a gazillion flavors of olive oil. Some places even have tasting bottles out, to let you sample and pick your fav.

With that out of the way, let's move on. The olives are pressed and repressed and maybe ground and maybe heated. Here is where the differences come in.

Extra virgin is the first pressing with no heat applied and is the most flavorful oil. Then form there on other techniques are used such as heat and grinding the pits, etc. Various grades are then produced for several purposes. Here are the US standards for olive oil.

http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/publications/USDA Standards.pdf

I have read one place that the olives and pits are ground to a paste for the first pressing and read other places that they are not.

Anyway, on to our kitchens. It makes no sense, at least to me, to buy one bottle of olive oil for cooking and one for salads, etc. While cooking might dull the flavor, buying two bottles would kill the economics for me. I buy the best grade of EVOO that I can afford.

Keeping it fresh. I have a green glass bottle that I store in a dark area and it works for me. I keep the "master can" (the big metal can that comes from the store) in the unheated basement and fill the green bottle as needed.

I recently visited Fairway market for the first time and learned that they light the area of the store where the olive oil is kept in Yellow light as white light tends to sap the flavor.

That is what I know, or think I know, LOL, about olive oil.

Andy
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I've got a couple of questions in regard to olive oil - regular or extra virgin.

How does one keep olive oil, once opened, from going rancid so quickly?

And secondly, how do they tell which ones of those little critters are actually virgins and haven't been around the block a time or two? I've always wondered about that......................

Ian :yum::yum:
My EVOO is stored in the dark kitchen pantry until needed, then moved to the lazy susan cabinet next to the stove in the main kitchen for daily use. I rarely keep more than two, 1-liter bottles of EVOO in the house at any time, and with our consumption rate, it never has a chance to go bad. The brand I buy, Belladoro ($6.69/litre) comes in a dark green glass bottle, and is a blend of olives from Italy, Greece & Spain. This makes the EVOO more affordable than a pure Italian product, and still has very good flavor. I stuck on Belladoro after sampling at least a dozen brand names in my kitchen. It's great for finishing and/or dipping with a few herbs added.

Like Andy, I'll take a pass on the little critter's extracurricular activities. Let your imagination run wild.:mrgreen:
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Excellent info here, posters!

I see that I need to make a correction or two in my habits!

Thanks!

Lee
 

Ian M.

New member
Many thanks to Andy and Joe for their informative input. There's just something about the odor of Olive Oil or EVOO that's simply been around a tad too long. It's a specific odor that I don't like and whatever bottle it comes from goes into the trash! I keep mine in the top shelf of a dark pantry (after the pantry door is firmly shut) for storage and it seems to last sweet smelling for quite a while. I've paid up to $8 per bottle for whatever I buy and much prefer the EVOO for just about everything from spaghetti sauce to peppers and onions for Italian Sausage subs and salads. Yes, the straight OO is less expensive, but my personal feeling is that you get what you pay for. Just for curiosity, would refrigeration of opened bottles help or hinder?

Ian :whistling:
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
stored in the dark if probably the most important tidbit - especially if the container itself is clear. and the obvious: "cool" temp.

I did buy a cute decorated glass bottle with a pour spout&cap&vent (similar to booze bottle tops) - holds about 2 cups - that sits on the counter with the bigger bottles kept in the dark. not had any 'go bad / off' - fortunately.

somebody mentioned the differing tastes of evoo's (and "plain old" olive oil as well) - if you've not had the opportunity to do a side by side tasting - as some of the high end stores provide - it's worth seeking one out. generally speaking/accepted the evoo have the most character of taste - and boy are they different!

and, there's no accounting for taste - at shows / demos / etc I've dipped into some really expensive stuff - but gag! did not care for it - actually, a lot of different evoo's. it is strictly a matter of "what you like"

in contrast to Andy, I keep a bulk of "normal olive oil" (Berio is the brand - sometimes Colivitta(sp?)) for frying/saute - the flavor profile is quite neutral.

I buy only small bottles of evoo for 'straight out of the bottle consumption' ie salads / dressings. using evoo 'for everything' - depending on the dish, I've experienced evoo putting flavors into the food I (a) didn't want and in worst cases (b) didn't like.

other than store brand vegetable oil for the odd deep frying, I use olive oil for 'everything'

oh - refrigerating - I've heard it doesn't 'harm' the oil - but olive oil is very complex - various oils & waxy substances - which congeal at different temps. definitely needs to be back at room temp before use - which makes for curiously cooking planning....
 
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