Olive Oil Questions, Options, Favorites

[ghostrider]

Just got a bottle of Berio Extra Light Tasting for cooking. On back of the label it says "Composed of refined olive oils and virgn olive oils." So now I've fiinally seen the term "virgin olive oil" on a label in the US.

On front it says "100% pure all natural." I'll have to query them about solvents when I have the time. Their responsiveness to Mr. Finn is admirable.

BTW, in the US, all of the labels on this sort of oil are careful to spell out "Extra Light TASTING." There's probably some FDA reg requiring this so that they aren't claiming to be a "Light" oil.

"Pure" is an older designation for non-virgin olive oils, typically blends of virign and refined oil. It's been replaced by "olive oil" (number 3 in the regs below). I suspect it evolved from marketing adjectives used when "extra virgin" didn't apply.

Virgin oil is typically used as the blending agent with refined oil, so it's rare to find it in the market.

Here are the complete definitions for the different grades of oil, at least in the EU....

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Thanks for those definitions, very enlightening.

The Berio spokesperson is right about the major labels. They have reputations to protect, and the oils they sell are true extra virgins. However, the oil in the bottle is a blend of bulk extra virgin oil from a variety of sources. While firms such as Berio and Bertolli are justly proud of their ability to produce a consistent flavor in their blends year after year, the results are typically milder flavored than estate oils, which come from a single source and can vary in flavor depending on the agricultural conditions of any given year.

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I'll note in passing that Berio Bertolli, & Carapelli will tell you the countries of origin represented in their blended oils on their labels. Bertolli also has the "Composed of refined olive oils and virgn olive oils" line. Carapelli simply says "Blended from high quality olive oils."

The major brands are good cooking oils, but to my palate don't have the flavor for use as a condiment (and my palate is, I'll admit, jaded).

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Agreed. Trying the really top oils & finding the good ones is one of life's ongoing pleasures.

And there are many "extra virgin" oils on the shelves packaged in clear bottles, some of them a shocking green tint. A true extra virgin wouldn't last too long in a clear bottle under the direct light of the market, and that green tint, which in true extra virgins comes from the chlorophyll in the olive skins, would fade even faster.

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I keep noticing those green oils in clear bottles too. They're usually odd brands that seem to come & go on the shelves, Colavita being the exception. (And not all of Colavita's EVOO is green. Not sure if that's shelf age or different harvests.) Are these "lesser" brands using food coloring? Edited January 20, 2007 by ghostrider (log)

[Slow Lorus]

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).

[srhcb]

I fell that Bertolli, or any of the better known brands, is perfectly acceptable unless you're making something very special where a particular aspect of a certain oil would be noticed.

[Slow Lorus]

I fell that Bertolli, or any of the better known brands, is perfectly acceptable unless you're making something very special where a particular aspect of a certain oil would be noticed.

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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.

[Smithy]

I fell that Bertolli, or any of the better known brands, is perfectly acceptable unless you're making something very special where a particular aspect of a certain oil would be noticed.

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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.

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Hello and Welcome, Slow Lorus!

I don't know of particular olive oils in question at the places you visit, but I can recommend one to watch for. Have you run across Mustapha's Moroccan Olive Oil (Extra Virgin, first cold press) yet? I picked mine up at Crate and Barrel, but I've seen it at other shops (and other prices). I like its spicy, peppery flavor - it's very different than my usual extra virgin olive oils. If you can't find that one around, perhaps you could talk a proprietor into an olive oil tasting? We'd love to get recommendations back...

As for the pink links, you're right that you didn't do it. The eGullet Society has set it up so that Amazon somehow automatically builds links to products sold at Amazon. Click here for more information about the Amazon Context links, provided in eGullet's full flaming Flamingo-color. As noted toward the bottom of the post, the system is still in development and sometimes Amazon picks up a phrase or name and attaches an entirely irrelevant link to it. Hey, nobody's perfect.

Welcome to eGullet!

[Shalmanese]

What I look for in a house olive oil is that green, peppery kick. I want something fresh and with a lot of bite that can stand up to a lot of assertive flavours. Currently, my house olive oil is the Trader Joes Californian estate olive oil. It's cheap, got great flavor and is neutral enough to pair well with lots of things. Avoid the organic EVOO from Trader Joes though, personally, I think it's bland garbage.

[Maureen B. Fant]

I don't know specific brands, but you should be able to narrow your selection just by reading the labels. First, eliminate anything not extra-virgin. Prefer cans to bottles (the color is irrelevant to the quality, and the can protects from light, which causes deterioration). Then look at provenance. The narrower the geographical designation, the better.

[gfron1]

I run an international grocery and have tried many "available" middle eastern oils. I love the Mustafa's recommendation if they have it - probably they won't because they don't do a good wholesale program but it quite nice. We use Al Wazir for our everyday oil at home now. Its not exceptional like many of the Italian, Cretian (Taste of Crete is my all time favorite available oil), Greek, French, etc...but it has a great flavor that you can cook with or dip into.

Also look for Romeo. Middle Eastern stores carry this good value ExV from Italy because it comes through an Armenian distributor in LA. Its our best seller.

In the end, don't stick to one. Buy 3 or 4 and have a tasting party! Then you'll be like many of us who have a bottle for every occasion.

[djyee100]

I'll cast a vote for Mustapha's Moroccan Olive Oil also. It's spicy and well-flavored, my favorite olive oil for a plain green salad. You can buy it online at Sur La Table http://www.surlatable.com/product/mustapha...asc=true&page=1

For ordinary cooking these days I'm using Zatis Olive Oil, a Turkish olive oil. It has a good flavor, fruity but not too strong. The purveyor has a picture of his mother on the label. In these days of marketing commodified beauty, that alone is a good reason to buy this olive oil.

http://www.zatisrestaurant.com/zatisoil.html

[paulraphael]

A couple of the bigger Williams Sonoma stores in NYC have all the olive oils set out with bread so you can taste them.

It's the only way I've ever been able to buy good quality olive oil, besides guessing. And it's about the only thing I ever buy at WS.

There must be other merchants clever enough to figure this out, right? I would never have picked the oils I've liked based on labels, names, lore, or guessing.

[Lisa1349]

A couple of the bigger Williams Sonoma stores in NYC have all the olive oils set out with bread so you can taste them.

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I've encountered many rancid oils out for tasting at WS. The ones you can purchase of course aren't but because the masses can't manage caps correctly, the oils are exposed to too much air.

If you're in any store of quality, ask for a taste. If they don't already have one open even if it's not on display - they'd be smart to open one for you. It usually leads to a purchase even if it's not a purchase of what you tasted.

I've been favoring an Australian olive oil that comes in a bag in a box. $10/liter that I buy at Giant Supermarket of all places. Tonight I'm making mashed potatoes with olive oil and goat cheese with roasted chicken. Yummy.

[Slow Lorus]

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!

[pansophia]

Surdyk's in Minneapolis also has a great selection of olive oils and usually has several available to tasting. You might give them a try.

[gfron1]

Oils can be overwhelming, but do a bit of internet research or get a book and learn the basics. I try to get our customer to explore different basic flavor profiles - buttery, peppery, piquant, fruity, etc. and guide them through the oils that way. Once they understand those rudimentary concepts then we explore how to use each flavor profile, and finally we talk quality. Middle Eastern stores will probaby not be sampling, but hit your higher end stores to taste around. The Middle Eastern oils are definitely cheaper but there's a whole world of oils out that to blow you away. Have fun with it.

[Slow Lorus]

Surdyk's in Minneapolis also has a great selection of olive oils and usually has several available to tasting.  You might give them a try.

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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.

[MattJohnson]

I'm out of the last bottle of grocery store olive oil. I've had really spotty luck with the stuff at my local grocers. Some is ok, some tastes like play-doh. I'm looking for that good QPR olive oil I can use for every day cooking.

I've done a search for olive oil (which returns quite a bit) and found a few threads, but most seem to be quite specific to a certain region.

What do you use for your every day stuff? If anyone is in the Milwaukee area, where do you buy it? Are there any great online retailers people have used?

Just in case someone is in the same boat a bit later, here's a nice discussion regarding middle eastern oils.

[gfron1]

I like my oils from middle eastern companys (there's a topic about these in MN). I use Romeo, Al Wazir and sometimes Spitiko (Greek). All flavorful and exv, fcp, but not too pricey. Good for cooking or dipping.

[Joe Blowe]

You may want to try that search again -- "titles only" usually works better for a broad topic like this.

After going through the same search as you, I've narrowed our house olive oils down to Costco, Goya, and Trader Joe's Kalamata and Sicilian. I haven't tried enough M.E. oils, but I do have an unopened bottle of Mustapha's that needs to be opened!

[Fat Guy]

Every year or so I try to pick up a gallon tin of Edda olive oil from Teitel Bros. wholesale in the Bronx. It's quite good -- certainly better than anything I've had from a regular supermarket or Costco. I use this olive oil for cooking, salad dressings and the like. They do ship, and their prices are great (though I don't know what they charge for shipping).

http://teitelbros.com/

Click through to olive oil, then to "Edda Olive Oil 1 gallon"

[Smithy]

I'm quite fond of Bella extra-virgin olive oil. It's fruity, relatively east to find, and fairly inexpensive. I don't know how it compares to the Edda mentioned above, but it's cheaper than Mustapha's (which is quite good) and the Kalamata oils that I've seen.

[chezcherie]

my every day olive oil is from trader joe's (which i think you have in milwaukee). it's a california oil, in a manageable size (i don't like to buy a gallon at a time as it's too bulky for my storage set-up, and doesn't improve with age). i like the flavor, and especially like the bottle--tall and pretty, with dark glass to keep the sunlight from hastening rancidity. (i go through it pretty fast, but i AM guilty of leaving it out by the stovetop, rather than proper dry, dark, cool storage...)

in fact, most of my olive oils are tj's--i like their spanish one when doing tapas, and they have an unfiltered italian (can't recall if it's tuscan or sicilian) that's also tasty.

[weinoo]

I use Goya EV for my everyday sauteing, and keep a few different bottles on hand that are higher - end; they're from Italy, Spain, etc. Here in NYC, there are a number of places that will let you try the oils before you buy them - DiPalo's and Fairway for sure, and a few others, I'm sure.

[Mayhaw Man]

I use Goya EV for my everyday sauteing, and keep a few different bottles on hand that are higher - end; they're from Italy, Spain, etc.  Here in NYC, there are a number of places that will let you try the oils before you buy them - DiPalo's and Fairway for sure, and a few others, I'm sure.

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I have all kinds of high end stuff, but if I am just dumping for frying or some kind of quick dressing, I use the 365 stuff from Whole Food. It's good, it's cheap, and has the convenient spout thing that keeps me from pouring it all over the stove when I am multitasking.

[MattJohnson]

You may want to try that search again -- "titles only" usually works better for a broad topic like this.

After going through the same search as you, I've narrowed our house olive oils down to Costco, Goya, and Trader Joe's Kalamata and Sicilian.  I haven't tried enough M.E. oils, but I do have an unopened bottle of Mustapha's that needs to be opened!

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Sheesh, you are totally right. I had a feeling the threads were in there... thanks for the tip and all of your continued patience.

Thanks for all the recommendations. FatGuy, you weren't kidding - the prices at Teitel Brother's look fantastic. I'll look around town for some of these brands. Perhaps a tasting is in order...

[Smithy]

Those are great-looking prices, FG, and Teitel Bros seems to have a really good selection. Thanks for the tip.