Olive Oil

[RWebb]

what to get?

Looking for the high octane stuff...

[Jeff Higgins]

Ask Bluto.

[manbridge 74]

Ha!

Consider oil from the USA, most of the Italian made stuff for export is cut by the mob with cheaper oil. The oil I had in Italy was dark, slightly cloudy and really like nothing I’ve tasted since.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Ha!

Consider oil from the USA, most of the Italian made stuff for export is cut by the mob with cheaper oil. The oil I had in Italy was dark, slightly cloudy and really like nothing I’ve tasted since.

Yeah, a lot of the mass-produced US-bound stuff is probably not "real" EVOO. If it has the little red/yellow or blue/yellow quality label, from a reputable distributor/vendor, you are probably safe. For Italian, I'd stick with NW region stuff (Tuscany). For non-Italian, I think the the really good stuff tends to come from Spain. Either way, if it lists the harvest date on the bottle, (and it's early in the year), then you know it's pretty good stuff.
And as you mention, there are quite a few US-based "artisan" brands out there.

[RWebb]

how early in the year would an early harvest date be?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RWebb

what to get?

Looking for the high octane stuff...

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Ha!

Consider oil from the USA, most of the Italian made stuff for export is cut by the mob with cheaper oil. The oil I had in Italy was dark, slightly cloudy and really like nothing I’ve tasted since.

Exactly that. Olive oil is one of the most counterfeited products in the world.

Also, when connoisseurs or judges check it, one of the things that says that it's quality is if you drink it and it burns your throat or makes you cough.

If you get a choice, Arbequina is generally a better version. (I think it's a specific cultivar of olive, there are 2 to 4 that you may find).

I think there's a bunch made in Cali. Whole foods sells "California Olive Ranch" brand which seems pretty decent considering it seems to be a pretty high volume, commercial producer. I have tasted it and get a little tickle in my throat. If you don't get the tickle, it's probably either not real olive oil, or it's old. At least, that's my understanding.

If you're going to cook with it (applying heat) then get "light" which is more refined and filtered, so it's got less flavor, but can stand up to the heat better.

If you're not going to heat it then go with the other stuff to get more flavor and more of the good stuff that's supposed to be good for you.

Here in Texas we have the Texas Olive Oil Co that makes good olive oil and (amazing) balsamic vinegar. We are able to buy from them from a farmers market on the weekends.

[wilnj]

What are you using it for?

No sense on paying for high quality oil if you’re going to fry with it (I know, low smoke point, tell that to my grandmother).

[RWebb]

I've been mixing it with balsamic vinegar and dipping bread in it. But I ran out of one I like a lot ...

I have some French olive oil to tap into next but it is very mild in flavor.

Then for the cheap stuff (for cooking) I have some that is surprisingly good for the price from the local organic/vegetarian/sustainable/small biz/ yada-yada place near me. They sell it in bulk.

[Ziggythecat]

Nothing shabby about California Olive Ranch offerings.

[dafischer]

We like Olio Carli. Very good.

[craigster59]

We like La Espanola, you can get it in the tin at Cost Plus World Market.....

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

[sc_rufctr]

I buy it in bulk from a local grower and resell it (at cost) to European immigrants, mostly Greeks who are well into their 80s.
Most of these people are partially disabled now and can't drive anymore.

This was organised by my mother who is 82 to help her friends. That's 200 litres in the boot of my W140. I made two trips.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by RWebb

how early in the year would an early harvest date be?

Probably depends on the region and variety, but for Northern Italy I think the bulk of "harvest season" typically kicks off in October, and goes till the end of the year.
So, anything in early October or late September would probably be considered "early". Though, freshness is probably more important than harvest date.

You can go crazy with $80+ bottles, but for under $40 the upper-tier Franci brands are good. YMMV...

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I buy it in bulk from a local grower and resell it (at cost) to European immigrants, mostly Greeks who are well into their 80s.
Most of these people are partially disabled now and can't drive anymore.

This was organised by my mother who is 82 to help her friends. That's 200 litres in the boot of my W140. I made two trips.

Good man!

[Bill Douglas]

Wow, that's a lot of oil.

I'm peasant labor at my friends olive grove. Once a year I help out with the harvest and get given some olive oil as a thanks. But it's a bit sour for me. I prefer the factory stuff like Lupi.

[RWebb]

Thx Eric & others.

I am going to do some oil exploration this summer....

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I buy it in bulk from a local grower and resell it (at cost) to European immigrants, mostly Greeks who are well into their 80s.
Most of these people are partially disabled now and can't drive anymore.

This was organised by my mother who is 82 to help her friends. That's 200 litres in the boot of my W140. I made two trips.

Very cool. Hah, we've got a "flatform truck" too. They are really convenient and useful. Folded, it easily fits in the trunk of the boxster.

[vash]

my palate inst super sophisticated. i was told that the EXTRA virgin Organic olive oil from Costco is legit. it's what i use. right or wrong, it taste pretty good to me in my uses.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by vash

my palate inst super sophisticated. i was told that the EXTRA virgin Organic olive oil from Costco is legit. it's what i use. right or wrong, it taste pretty good to me in my uses.

Olive Oil is like wine, you can get lots of different flavors, strong, light, sweet, grassy, etc...

The important thing for me is to ensure that what I'm getting is actually olive oil, that it's quality (tickle in the throat or makes you cough) and tastes right for the job. Probably in that order.

If I'm buying EVOO, and it turns out I'm buying generic vegetable oil with some coloring and a little flavoring added, I wouldn't be happy.

https://livelovefruit.com/fake-olive-oil-is-everywhere-7-popular-brands-stop-buying-now/

The olive oil in your kitchen is likely not what you think it is. Fake olive oil is literally everywhere on the market – up to 70% of all store-bought extra virgin olive oils in the US are fake. And by fake I mean cut with cheaper oils.

In 2008, more than 400 Italian police officers conducted an operation called “Operation Golden Oil,” which resulted in 23 arrests and confiscation of 85 farms. Companies were adding chlorophyll to sunflower and soybean oil and selling it as extra virgin olive oil. As a result of these raids, the Australian government decided to allow olive oil brands to submit their oils for lab tests, allowing them to certify companies as pure “extra-virgin olive oil.” Alas, every company failed to gain certification in 2012.

Prompted by all of these olive oil scams, researchers at the University of California decided to test 124 different samples from eight major brands of extra-virgin olive oil. Over 70% of the imported oils failed the test.

What does it mean when an oil fails an extra-virgin test? It essentially means that all of these oils claiming to be “extra-virgin” are actually cut with cheaper, lower-grade oils (like canola oil, sunflower oil or cola oil). The oil is them deodorized, coloured, and then flavoured and sold as “extra-virgin” oil to a producer. So it isn’t actually the company brand who is at fault here – it is the sneaky supplier at work.

Fake Olive Oil: Which Brands to Steer Clear of
Brands That Failed to Meet the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Standards:

– Bertolli
– Carapelli
– Colavita
– Star
– Pompeian
– Santa Sabina
– Primadonna
– Antica Badia
– Sasso
– Coricelli

Filippo Berio, Mazola, Mezzetta, Newman’s Own, Safeway, and Whole Foods are also selling fake olive oil.
Brands that Can be Trusted:

– California Olive Ranch
– Cobram Estate
– Lucini
– Kirkland Organic
– Lucero (Ascolano)
– McEvoy Ranch Organic
Aside from Brands, How Do You Tell if Your Olive Oil is Fake?
Going by taste alone is not enough. There are two tests you can perform that might do the trick:

1. Refrigerate the extra virgin olive oil. If it solidifies, it means that it contains mostly monounsaturated fat, which is good because extra virgin olive oil is mostly monounsaturated, and should grow more solid when cold. Putting your oil in the refrigerator will make it become thick and cloudy. If this doesn’t happen, it’s likely that your oil is not extra-virgin. This isn’t a fool-proof test, however, as the olive oils cut with lower grade oils also cloud over. If the oil you put in the fridge doesn’t thicken at all, though, then you know for sure that the oil is fake.

2. Extra virgin olive oil should be flammable enough to keep an oil lamp burning. However, this test isn’t that dependable, for the same reasons mentioned above. But if the oil doesn’t keep the wick of an oil lamp burning, you know that it contains mostly refined oils.

The best alternative is to buy from the above mentioned companies that you can trust, or, buy from local olive oil farmers. In the United States and Australia, there are certifications that you can look for on bottles. The seal denoting approval by the California Olive Oil Council is labelled as “COOC Certified Extra Virgin.” The Australian Olive Oil Association has a seal labelled as “Australian Extra Virgin Certified.” Other seals of approval are labelled fromItalian Oliver Growers’ Association such as Extra Virgin Alliance (EVA) and UNAPROL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil_regulation_and_adulteration

https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/topic/olive-oil-fraud

https://www.businessinsider.com/where-how-to-buy-real-extra-virgin-olive-oil-2017-6

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095671351930670X

[vash]

i'm pretty sure italians call extra virgin olive oil..."oil"

the costco stuff taste very floral and grassy to me. i visited McEvoy, i think that was the one. i was doing that slurping and while breathing in with my nose with the best of them. very pepperty to me. what can i say? i can put ketchup on damn near anything. my palatte is a sledge hammer for the most part.