[Olive Oil Questions, Options, Favorites]

Further clarification from Filippo Berio:

Dear Bill,

The labelling standards for Extra Virgin Olive Oil in particular are not

that "weak". That term is closely defined by the International Olive

Oil Council, and most of the major players in the industry subscribe to

the IOOC International Monitoring Agreement and standards. Only about

1% of any olive oil harvest qualifies to be labelled Extra Virgin. There

is a full chemical analysis profile that the oil must meet naturally

without any type of corrective processing, the most significant factor

of which is the percentage of oleic acid, which must be at or below

0.8%--this alone will knock a lot of oils out of contention. In

addition, there are "organoleptic" (sensory) standards, for aroma and

flavor characteristics, which are judged by panels of IOOC-certified

tasters (SALOV S.p.A., the parent company of Filippo Berio, has 5

certified tasters on staff).

In the USA, the North American Olive Oil Association works tirelessly to

ensure compliance to labelling standards and to quality standards. Their

Quality Control committee has a random-testing program that collects

samples of all varieties of olive oils right from the store shelves and

has them analyzed by an expert olive oil chemist. In addition, they

follow up on any allegations or suspicions of impurities that are

reported to them.

In general, people are quick to believe the worst of any industry.

Something that we as consumers should keep in mind is that cheating is a

penny-wise, pound-foolish thing for most industry players to try--and

the larger and more well-established a company's business is, the more

they have to lose if they're caught cutting corners.

In every industry, there are some "bottom feeders", smaller companies

who make their sales on the basis of price alone, rather than quality.

This is the segment where you are likely to find corner-cutting and

cheating going on. The olive oil industry is not without its share of

these. Every few years, news will break of discovery of adulterated

olive oil, that has been mixed with some cheaper type of oil. This is

most likely to happen at times when the cost of olive oil is high, due

to harvest and market factors--for companies that sell only on price,

that's when the temptation kicks in.

Here's something else for you to consider: That simply isn't something

that applies to the major players in the industry, or any of the

companies that is known for quality. How can I say that? Because even

in the best of years when olive oil prices are at their lowest, olive

oil is *always* more expensive than other edible oils. People do not

buy olive oil because it is a cheap cooking oil; they buy it for either

the flavor characteristics or the health benefits (or both). And the

statistics show that there is *not* a significant fall-off in our

customer base in years when our prices are high. Yes, we do lose a few

of the people who are are on limited incomes, but the majority of our

consumers continue to buy the product even though the price fluctuates,

because they want our quality.

With this type of buying pattern, which is true for all the reputable

major brands, there is no temptation to cheat; our consumers will pay

for our quality. Not to mention that any of the established companies

that got caught cheating would have a *tremendous* amount to lose!! It's

a competitive business, and there's a lot of monitoring of competitors'

products going on all the time, too--all the major companies have

in-house laboratories, which have the triple purpose of monitoring all

oils that will be used in the company's brand to ensure their purity,

performing analysis of the company's items for which there is a

quality-related complaint, and, frankly, analyzing competitors' products

for a variety of reasons.

People are slow to believe in a company's integrity per se--it always

sounds like just so much PR hype to make statements about tradition and

quality standards--but, for the cynics, it's a fact that a company's

reputation for quality and integrity is one of its most valuable assets,

in the literal sense of translating to dollars and cents. I hear

frequently from consumers who tell me that Filippo Berio has been the

only brand their family has used for 3 or more generations.

Hope this helps give you a larger perspective on it....

Andrea

[Olive Oil Questions, Options, Favorites]

I have been buying the 3 liter size ($20) of Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil at Costco and have been very happy with it. Based on this thread I shot off an email to consumer services at Filippo Berio and asked them if any refined or rectified oils were blended with extra virgin oils in this product. They got right back to me and stated "That oil is 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is not blended with any other type or grade of oil." It appears that this particular company is true to it's labeling; irrespective of our weak labeling standards.

[Minimalist No-Knead Bread Technique (Part 1)]

I used Abra's conversions for the larger loaf with the following changes:

17 oz bread flour, 4 oz semolina, 3 oz rye flour.

Went through the 18 hour fermentation, folded and into an olive oiled

glass bowl. After the 2 hours, I turned the bowl into the pre-heated

Dutch oven. It did not come out as a ball but rather took a glacial

drop into the Le Creuset and needed a final bit of coaxing with a spatula.

450 degrees covered for 30 minutes and 15 minutes uncovered and it

produced the best bread yet. A bit denser and better flavor than the all

bread flour, and better texture than a previous bread flour/rye mix.

I used a Le Creuset # 24 (4 1/2 quarts) and it was the perfect size for

this amount of dough. The olive oil gave the bread a great lacquered look.

Although I will continue to experiment, I think it will be hard to improve

on this recipe. Thanks Abra for your conversions and the semolina suggestion

Bill

[First Trip to Montreal]

Hi Bethala, we did a similar trip to Montreal a few months back and you will have a great time.

Eggspectations is an OK spot but I would be inclined to take a couple of the other recommendations that have been offered.

Au Pied du Cochon was the highlight of our trip and definitely make reservations at the bar.

L'Express was the only disappointment of our trip so I would suggest another choice there.

The Atwater market is great and if you have time for both, all the better. Otherwise I would head up to Jean-Talon on Saturday morning and spend lots of time; this place has it all and is truly special.

Breakfast at the St. Viateur cafe on Mont. Royal E was very nice. However, on the way out of town, I would stop at their location on St. Viateur and stock up. After that stop by Fromentier on Laurier Avenue E and load up on really great bread and cheese. Than I would head to Schwartz's and have your smoked meat for breakfast and than hit the road. Schwartz's opens at 8 AM on Sunday and you will have the place to yourselves. The only problem will be staying awake for your ride home. Have a great time; Montreal is a wonderful city. Also, not sure if you guys are into beer but Dieu du Ciel has some of the best beer I have every had and it is a real fun bar. Bill

[Cleaning Stubbornly Stained Cookware]

I have cleaned up a few Le Creuset pots that were in a similar state. Bar Keepers Friend and a Dobie pad will do the trick. It will require some elbow grease but it will work. To get rid of the surface browning (staining) that occurs on the interior enamel, pour in some bleach and let it sit. It will disappear in short order; no scrubbing required.