Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumTygrBright
(20,762 posts)And, being Costco ("Kirkland" Tuscan I think it's called?) it's not too pricey.
We buy a couple of bottles every year.
helpfully,
Bright
Auggie
(31,173 posts)There's a lot of fake stuff out there.
elleng
(130,974 posts)TygrBright
(20,762 posts)I doubt it would impress a true connoisseur with an educated palate, but it's quite nice for all-around use- as a bread dip, salad dressing, pesto ingredient, cooking item, etc.
It is a limited (but large) run, so it's best to buy it when you see it.
gustatorially,
Bright
elleng
(130,974 posts)I'm not a Costco member. AND as it's just me (and not a frequent cook, inspite of hanging here!) I don't use a lot.
Warpy
(111,277 posts)and you might get generic vegetable oil and green dye. Mostly, the prettier the bottle, the higher the price and if it's the real thing, it's no different from what's in the Colavita or Bertolli bottle.
"Extra virgin" used to apply to the first of several pressings of olives to expel oil. Now it applies to an industrialized process that uses rollers to extract all the oil at once. That pale yellow stuff that neophytes expect to be less "olivey" and more user friendly to newbies has been extracted chemically and is an inferior product. It's also likely to be mixed with other oils, even by decent brands.
Unless you know a little old guy in olive country in Spain, Greece, or North Africa who still has his own press and have enough money to pay through the nose for his product when you visit him every fall, realize that most olive oil has been mixed with other oils and this has been going on for a very, very long time. What you need to do is go by flavor, not price or bottle, find one you like, and stick with it.
Here's the dismal scoop on olive oil: http://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyhuyghe/2014/03/05/the-scam-of-olive-oil-and-its-antidote/#2c95eede6a36
(yes, they were adulterating the stuff in prehistory, as they've discovered in shipwrecks with intact oil amphorae)
japple
(9,833 posts)at Kroger, Ingles, Publix for a reasonable price. They have good ratings
https://californiaoliveranch.com/
northoftheborder
(7,572 posts)cooking magazine, perhaps "Cooks Illustrated" or other; that's the one I buy at HEB
NJCher
(35,687 posts)He says Whole Foods does the best job of vetting foods. We regularly buy their 365 olive oil, as well as the California Olive Ranch. WF puts olive oil on sale all the time, so any that appear reasonable when you stop by would be a good choice.
There is another one that starts with an "F" but I can't remember the name. When it comes back to me, I'll post it. O that one, he has visited their plants and he tells me they use a Japanese technology that takes out the impurities. Thus this one would be the purest olive oil. It was also cited in a 60" story on olive oils as being the real deal.
60" Olive Oil investigation
Cher
elleng
(130,974 posts)Haven't shopped at WF but will, when I'm 'in town' next, before I run out of my supply of store-brand o.oil.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)and I also buy Pompeian Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil.
The most important thing to look for is first cold pressed.
elleng
(130,974 posts)because it/they may be available at my grocery, before I go back into town.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)they have great vinegar too.
no_hypocrisy
(46,123 posts)elleng
(130,974 posts)Getting TOO complicated!