The Olive Oil thread
 

Hey FT foodies - we've not seemingly covered olive oil in this forum, so I'd appreciate any comments or news to be added here.


I am sure some of you have specific preferences, so I'm interested in what and why you prefer particular oils. Oils are being marketed along the lines of wine, so let's talk about this oil we cook with and eat.


So are you loyal to Spanish, Greek or a local oil?
I've been using Greek oils for some time but just bought some mainstream Spanish oil today (and may switch back if it's not good enough).

Do you sample different oils at your local deli or fruit provider? Try different ones that are on sale or which are well-deserved leaders in taste?

Extra virgin or something a little heavier?

Looking forward to your notes. ;)

Italian, sometimes spanish (though I'd say we recently had a very nice Australian olive oil). Mrs. Phillychuck and I prefer dark, peppery, extra virgin oils. We generally shop at an Italian food store -- in the Italian Market in South Philadelphia (http://www.dibruno.com/), which often has various oils for tasting, has a superb variety of other stuff, and very helpful staff.

Spanish without a doubt. I also pick up two large jugs 3x a year at a small olive oil factory in Southern Spain. Nothing else comes close. When we run out we just don't eat. :p

Always use olive oil as part of the recepie for my pasta. :)

I always thought Richard Branson made his fortunes in the olive oil business.

Does this factory have a name you'd care to share? Sounds like a fabulous find!

I'm still a relative newbie on olive oils. I'm lucky enough to live in Ann Arbor so I tend to use Zingerman's deli as a resource. They carry dozens of impressive oils. http://www.zingermans.com/Search.aspx?kw=olive+oil


I'm also a fan of "The Spendid Table." And here's a distributor from their website...http://www.organicoliveoilcompany.com/

For me it all boils down to three words, Extra virgin, and cost
I'm not an oil snob chasing dainty bottles. I buy big containers of the stuff and I decant.
I use Spanish oil due to affordability and sometimes Greek ones.
If it's extra virgin and affordable, I care not where it comes from.
Italian oil is nice but can be too pricey.
South African local olive oil eg Morgenster is more expensive than Greek or Spanish imported to South Africa and all which is a pity. But there's no logic to imports vs. Local- San Benedetto still water from Italy is cheaper in South Africa than any local bottled brand.

I use HEB brand extra virgin olive oil except for where using canola oil would be a more intuitive choice, so I too am not an oil snob and don't know/care what origin the olives are that made the oil.

I guess if I was going to use olive oil for something other than frying, then I might consider purchasing something more pricey/elegant, but it would probably amount to the smallest quantity I could get away with.

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Watch the Zingerman's monthly flyers too. Every so often they have tastings. A few years ago they also published a small but quite informative guide to the different types of olive oil.

I like garlic olive oil for my pasta. I really heart lots and lots and LOTS of garlic in my pasta so the garlic olive oil is just dandy. For everything else regular olive oil does the job.

Funny, there's a winery on the Silverado trail that when you ask to have a taste of their oil, they pour it into a glass just like they just poured your wine.

And you never give them any back :D

I prefer local ones when I go to California, stuff I can taste there to see how it is. The more grass and pepper flavors, the more I like it.

Of course, if we are in Italy and one of the wife's relatives happens to offer us some of the stuff from their property to take back, well that's worth trying to sneak through:p

If we do have to buy in a store between trips, it's usually either Italian or Greek.

We've got some great Italian restaurants here in Providence. One of the restaurants offers an olive oil tasting. Make sure you keep the oil in a cool place so it doesn't over heat and turn bitter.

Greek all the way. Extra Vrigin Kalamata to be specific. I love the richer flavor.

When cooking with it, it doesn't really matter which we have. We do usually go for extra virgin as we're happy with the strong taste (even for fried eggs) and it depends on what deals are available. For standard extra-virgin oils, more-expensive doesn't equate to better - occasionally a supermarket has a 2-4-1 deal and we stock up, or a local Greek or Turkish shop will have some nice ones on offer, even the Lidl (discount supermarket) has well priced good oil.

We only get snobby on the oil we eat cold - salads, dipped in bread, vegetable marinades for antipesto etc...

I grew up eating a lot of local agricultural produce from Spain and have had a hand in harvesting and pressing oil (both in Spain and in Italy).

Good oils, from Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Moroccan, Australia etc... will vary. They vary considerably depending on the 'farm' and the pressing process used. If it's done with love and care and the olives are good quality, it doesn't really matter to me where they come from (although it is natural that I'll sway towards Spain).

Most important thing is the date of a good oil. The newer, the better. Oil in no way improves with age. I'd advise always to check the dates on the bottle. Oils should get thicker in cool weather, and a bit of sediment is usually a good thing.

An OK oil can be pepped up by popping a dried chilli into a bottle and leaving it to marinade for a while. I think some less honest oil producers do this to some of their oils to give it some of the 'pepperiness' that is currently in demand. The effect can be subtle and not taste obviously of chilli. But, depending on your tastes, even a really good oil can be given an extra edge this way.

The Moroccans like to very gently cook chillis in olive oil and serve it with bread and a little salt. This can be quite sensational.

I doubt I'll even get to taste even a fraction of what is available in my life time though. Same with olives themselves. There must be thousands of ways of preparing them, there was a time when every household in Spain would have had their own method, my grandad's were amazing and his son still makes his own with self-gathered mountain herbs. As a cottage industry, it's not as common as it once was, but a significant amount of Spaniards still have their own personal recipes and supplies.

For me, it's Greek extra virgin.

I buy it by the case in 3L cans from http://www.tassos.com - although they just raised the price. :( I use it for everything - I couldn't live without it!