Slow Lorus

I love Surdyk's! I definitely do try whatever they put out and since they're only five minutes away from me that is easily about 3 or 4 times a week. (Cheese is another weakness.) Very dangerous. Unfortunately, as some other people have pointed out, having a feel for olive oils at places like Williams Sonoma or Surdyk's still leaves me bewildered when perusing the selection at Middle Eastern grocery stores. No tastings, oils without IOOC affiliations, unfamiliar brands, and no press or media that pays attention to these brands -- all of this contributes to my great ignorance of the wealth of Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Turkish, Moroccan, or Tunisian oils on the shelves at Holy Land or Bill's Imported. I feel like I am able to find much more information and support (i.e. - actually taste before purchasing) when shopping for French, Italian, Spanish, or even Californian olive oils. Sadly, not so much with olive oils from some of these other regions scattered through the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.

Wow, hey thanks for the recommendations. I got a 3 liter can of Romeo last night but now I'm excited to start trying some of the other ones out there too. I wish I could buy a few varieties at a time to do a tasting with some friends but I can't afford to buy several cans/bottles of oils at once nor would I have the room to keep that much on hand. I'm already on condiment, dried goods, and baking supplies overload in my cramped kitchen. I went down the slippery slope on vinegars and now there's no going back. I think olive oils would be way too dangerous. I get a little overwhelmed when there is so much to choose from when I don't have a clue as to how to narrow the selection down. Just having a list in my hand of a few brands helped me to make a little sense out of the wall of olive oils. Thanks again!

Right, yes. But I'm more interested in recommendations regarding the great selection of olive oils that Middle Eastern grocery stores seem to have. Are some of them really good? Are some just to be avoided? Also, why does "Holy Land" have a random link to a book on Amazon? I don't think that I did that...at least not on purpose. -- S.L.

Hi, I'm a little new here so if there is already a thread about this perhaps someone can point the way. I've been wandering around my local Middle Eastern grocery stores (Holy Land and Bill's Imported Foods both in Minneapolis) confounded by all of the different olive oil brands. I just want a basic all-purpose olive oil, mostly suitable for cooking but also acceptable for raw applications, like an everyday vinaigrette. I keep a few small bottles of higher quality olive oils for drizzling and finishing dishes but since I'm practically right around the corner from a huge selection of olive oils I'm wondering if someone here has any experience with any specific brands. Anyone have any recommendations for a good olive oil or a warning about a bad one? Thanks much! S.L. p.s. - In the past I've bought big bottles of olive oil from Costco (both Fillipo Berio and Kirkland), picked up Bertolli from the supermarket, or filled up at my co-op from their bulk olive oil station (not as good as Berio, Kirkland, or Bertolli).

I've had a number of meals at Prune and every one of them lovely. I admit that it can certainly get raucous in there and really pushes the cozy/cramped distinction but if you have a slightly larger group (more than 4 people) there's a table downstairs you can try to reserve that gets you away from the crowds. It's not the most romantic space...the space is partially under the stairs, you get a window onto the stockroom, and the bathroom is down the hall but you certainly get room and privacy. I like the energy of the upstairs but the downstairs also feels like a little hidden spot -- each with it's own pros and cons, I guess. -- S.L.

Thanks Kerry, I'm excited to experiment now! I just got back from a trip to SF and tasted a whole bunch of delicious items. I'm still recovering from the generosity of the samples available at Michael Recchiuti's. I did come away with a few boxes of treats but am torn between eating them myself or giving them away as gifts. Best, SL

Kerry, Did you arrive at your ratios through trial and error or did you reference a source that aided in your calculations? I can just see myself going through numerous batches erring on the side of caution before finding the right balance with the flavorings. I'm pretty excited right now though...especially your mention of bergamot and chocolate, mmm! Best, SL

Hi, I know of Mandy Aftel. She's a pretty big name in perfume circles but I've never looked at her book. Thanks, it's probably full of interesting information. Like Paul, I'm curious if anyone has more scientific insight into this topic. Maybe Aftel can shed some light on this topic for me. I have also used Boyajian oils and I do always have their lemon and orange oils on hand for baking and cooking. I really appreciate the citrus zing without having to change the texture of my dishes when the presence of zest might affect the mouthfeel. I saw that LorAnn Oils supplies King Arthur Flour/The Baker's Catalogue with their flavoring oils but they also have their own website and many of their oils are listed in both the aromatherapy and "gourmet" sections. In general I'm glad to hear from Kerry and Miriam about their experience with essential oils. I know through my limited experience with essential oils in body products that a few drops go a long way and one should be careful and knowledgeable about dosages, I just don't know anything in regards to the oils when it comes to food preparations. Kerry, how many drops do you use to flavor your chocolates? Best, SL

Hi, Can I revive this topic? I've only recently joined up after years of lurking. I'm also interested in cooking and baking with concentrated oils. I did some research online and asked around at a number of co-ops/natural foods stores/herbalists and apparently essential oils that are labeled therapeutic grade are indeed edible. Simplers is one brand that I know is safe for ingesting and seems to be pretty common but I'm sure there are others. The therapeutic grade oils are used for a number internal applications (from capsules to suppositories, it appears). It seems to me that using essential oils like peppermint, cinnamon, ginger, or lime would be entirely different than using or making a flavored oil because of the intensity/potency/concentration of the essential oils. Has anyone here actually cooked or baked with essential oils? I'm really interested in hearing from someone who has experience using these in kitchen setting. This could open up a whole new world of flavoring methods for me! Thanks! Best, SL