Question regarding extra virgin olive oil
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free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 3:10 am

I'm trying to swap from using soybean oil for cooking to using olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil of any kind is sort of a foreign concept in cooking here, so I don't know much about olive oil at all. I tried to google some info, but didn't find anything that answered my question. While I was grocery shopping today, I came across a lot of different brands of extra virgil olive oil. However, most of them are in clear dark yellow color, but there was one Italian brand that was dark cloudy green with some sort of residue (not sure if it's the right word) at the bottom. It was nearly twice as expensive as the others, but it looked nothing appetizing. So, I'm just wondering if anyone knows what's the difference between the dark yellow one and the cloudy green one?

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:34 am

Lynn, the cloudy green olive oil was probably pressed before the olives were 100% ripe, while the lighter coloured oil was produced when the olives were riper. Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be either type, and is the best quality - produced from the first pressing of the olives.
Don't use olive oil for stir frys though as it burns under high heat. Olive oil is delicious used in all kinds of recipes, or just as a dip with herbs or crushed garlic.

HTH

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:46 am

anya, thanks! Does that mean the extra virgin olive oil I was talking about is not good quality? I've read something online that cloudy olive oil is unrefined. However, from their description of unrefined olive oil, I wasn't able to tell really whether the one I'm talking about is really unrefined or not.

I think I'm gonna get extra light olive oil for frying and extra virgin olive oil for salads and dips. Unfortunately, olive oils are ridiculously expensive here and we don't have a great variety either. Do you have any recommended brand?

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:56 am

I don't think I've ever seen cloudy olive oil. I always buy cold-pressed (first pressing of the oil), a little more expensive but much better and tastier!

I'm not too picky with the brand. Last time my parents went to Portugal, they brought me back some oil. If the label has the acidity amount, you should aim for the lowest value possible (I don't see acidity values listed in Edmonton very often). Doing a quick search on the internet - they say

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil

Retail grades in IOOC member nationsSince IOOC standards are complex, the labels in stores (except in the U.S.) clearly show an oil's grade:
Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Label wording
Olive oil vendors choose the wording on their labels very carefully.
"Imported from Italy" produces an impression that the olives were grown in Italy, although in fact it only means that the oil was bottled there. A corner of the same label may note that the oil was packed in Italy with olives grown in Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia instead of Italy.
"100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
"Made from refined olive oils" suggests that the essence was captured, but in fact means that the taste and acidity were chemically produced.
"Light olive oil" refers to a lighter color, not a lower fat content. All olive oil—which is, after all, fat—has 120 calories per tablespoon (33 kJ/mL).
"From hand-picked olives" may indicate that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen in order to increase yield.
"First cold press" means that the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word "cold" is important because if heat is used, the olive oil's chemistry is changed.
"D.O.P." when applied to Italian olive oil, denotes that the oil is made from olives that are typical of the region from which the oil derives, therefore may have a more characteristic taste than blended oils.

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:03 am

Thanks for the info, ulana! I bought Borges Olive Oil and Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil. I'm still hunting for a good extra virgin one. Unfortunately, I think there are less than 20 brands available here in Thailand.

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:06 am

I usually just buy any brand that is cold pressed and extra virgin. Still, there seems to be huge variations in colour and taste Confused

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 1:49 pm

Hi lynn2525,
This site may answer a lot of your questions. I like to refer to it on occasion for olive oil info.
http://www.sikaurum.com/FAQ.htm#so_what's_anextra_virgin?
HTH's

free skin care · Sun Dec 17, 2006 1:58 pm

lynn2525 wrote:

anya, thanks! Does that mean the extra virgin olive oil I was talking about is not good quality? I've read something online that cloudy olive oil is unrefined. However, from their description of unrefined olive oil, I wasn't able to tell really whether the one I'm talking about is really unrefined or not.

I think I'm gonna get extra light olive oil for frying and extra virgin olive oil for salads and dips. Unfortunately, olive oils are ridiculously expensive here and we don't have a great variety either. Do you have any recommended brand?

Lynn, I think the oil with sediment hasn't been filtered and therefore doesn't keep as long (3 +/- months v's one year for filtered oil). I wouldn't let the sediment put me off though. I don't have a favourite brand, but I prefer the oil from Tuscany.

free skin care · Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:49 am

We now have many olive farms here in Oz and I have been to several of them. If you wish to buy olive oil, you should only buy the cold pressed extra virgin as you will never be disappointed with the flavour and taste. Most brands will have a good flavour and this oil is so good for you and your skin.

free skin care · Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:39 am

ulana wrote:

I don't think I've ever seen cloudy olive oil. I always buy cold-pressed (first pressing of the oil), a little more expensive but much better and tastier!

I'm not too picky with the brand. Last time my parents went to Portugal, they brought me back some oil. If the label has the acidity amount, you should aim for the lowest value possible (I don't see acidity values listed in Edmonton very often). Doing a quick search on the internet - they say

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil

Retail grades in IOOC member nationsSince IOOC standards are complex, the labels in stores (except in the U.S.) clearly show an oil's grade:
Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Label wording
Olive oil vendors choose the wording on their labels very carefully.
"Imported from Italy" produces an impression that the olives were grown in Italy, although in fact it only means that the oil was bottled there. A corner of the same label may note that the oil was packed in Italy with olives grown in Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia instead of Italy.
"100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
"Made from refined olive oils" suggests that the essence was captured, but in fact means that the taste and acidity were chemically produced.
"Light olive oil" refers to a lighter color, not a lower fat content. All olive oil—which is, after all, fat—has 120 calories per tablespoon (33 kJ/mL).
"From hand-picked olives" may indicate that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen in order to increase yield.
"First cold press" means that the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word "cold" is important because if heat is used, the olive oil's chemistry is changed.
"D.O.P." when applied to Italian olive oil, denotes that the oil is made from olives that are typical of the region from which the oil derives, therefore may have a more characteristic taste than blended oils.

Thanks for posting, ulana!

free skin care · Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:17 am

Just an additional note - the good oil should be kept in a dark galss bottle, since light causes oxydation, and plastic bottles are not good for some other reasons.

I use organic extra virgin olive oil, made in Italy. You really have to try and find the one you like, since some brands have a different aroma and taste, that not everybody finds appetizing.

HTH,
Lucy.

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