Olive oil?

JaneB

"Ordinary" Olive oil, virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oil----what's the difference?

clouds

I think it's something to do with the production. They squeeze the olives a few times, the first batch is the best and that's Extra Virgin, then the next batch is Virgin and so on. I only THINK that's it, it may not be right.

Also keep an eye on cold pressed or mechanical pressed on the label, that's the best method of squeezing as other methods involve heating them which destroys some nutrients/flavours.

Honey-ec

Clouds has given you a pretty good basic summary there.

I always have at least two bottles of olive oil on the go - one really good cold-pressed EV for salads, dressings etc. and a cheaper, bog-standard one for cooking. And if I'm making mayonnaise I'll usually go somewhere in the middle.

Don't use EV for cooking, the heat will destroy the flavour.

And don't use any kind of olive oil for very high-temperature frying (stir-frying, for example), it just doesn't have a high enough smoking point. People sometimes tend to think that olive oil is automatically "better" than every other oil, but that's not the case at all.

huskerdu

Here is the official definition on wikipedia

# Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. It is used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
# Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
# Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
# Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.

nesbitt

Honey-ec wrote: »

And don't use any kind of olive oil for very high-temperature frying (stir-frying, for example), it just doesn't have a high enough smoking point. People sometimes tend to think that olive oil is automatically "better" than every other oil, but that's not the case at all.

+1 totally agree.

However I notice, that on Jamie's 30 min meals, he seems to use EV for everything, from drizzling on salads, to frying steak.

I now use Berio Mild and Light (olive) oil for frying, all roasting and baking and making salsas. Find it the best all rounder for my cooking. It must be a blend of oils but its very good.

calistro

I always use olive oil for frying etc., and have never encountered any adverse taste. While it is true that olive oil has a lower smoke point than other oils it really only comes into effect when dealing with commercial kitchens where oven temps. are regularly above 400 degrees. I must admit that I am totally biased when it comes to olive oil as i have a small olive grove in Spain and travel regularly between here and there especially for the harvest each year. You can find some pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/raymo1/ .We produce an Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the flavours change slightly each season but mostly a mild peppery flavour with a very mild aftertaste. Extra Virgin must be below 0.8% acidity to be classed as such and our last harvest came in at 0.3%.
Any I bring home to Ireland is used always on salads, pasta and now always on my toast/bread but as I said earlier I fry, bake, roast, grill etc with Extra Virgin, and that is also the reason that many people don't advocate using extra virgin for these purposed because of the cost factor involved.:)

Kat1170

House looks fantastic. Many days and nights spent burning the midnight oil I'd say

calistro

calistro wrote: »

I always use olive oil for frying etc., and have never encountered any adverse taste. While it is true that olive oil has a lower smoke point than other oils it really only comes into effect when dealing with commercial kitchens where oven temps. are regularly above 400 degrees. I must admit that I am totally biased when it comes to olive oil as i have a small olive grove in Spain and travel regularly between here and there especially for the harvest each year. You can find some pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/raymo1/ .We produce an Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the flavours change slightly each season but mostly a mild peppery flavour with a very mild aftertaste. Extra Virgin must be below 0.8% acidity to be classed as such and our last harvest came in at 0.3%.
Any I bring home to Ireland is used always on salads, pasta and now always on my toast/bread but as I said earlier I fry, bake, roast, grill etc with Extra Virgin, and that is also the reason that many people don't advocate using extra virgin for these purposed because of the cost factor involved.:)

Just an update for anyone interested that our organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 'La castrilena' will be available here in Ireland from http://www.sheridanscheesemongers.com/