Kitchen

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Just read this article about a lot of EVOO's sold/bought in the US are likely fake. The article makes recommendations on what to buy. Glad to know I've been buying the right kind...either Kirkland (Costco's house brand) or California Olive Ranch.

http://cdn.eatlocalgrown.com/10-fake-olive-oil.html

[Alsee]

I buy it at Trader Joe's also. Tried several and they are all good

[Bhvbum]

NYTimes did a great article last year about most imported Olive Oils being fake. (Google to find it). Buy the CA. oils.

[HandJive]

Here's a great video about the olive oil I use and I live about 30 miles from where it's made.

ETA: here's the website.

[Dorothy11]

I went to an amazing seminar last year by Curtis Cord, founder of the Olive Oil Times and NY olive oil competition. You can get all your questions answered at oliveoiltimes.com as well as a list of winners from the 2014 competition. Not all imported olive oils are mixed with others.

I learned that the quality of an oil is judged only on flavor, not color. A good oil will have a strong grassy flavor, a hint of bitterness and make you cough.

[PamelaSue72]

I really like Trader Joe's olive oils. I have a bottle of regular olive oil strictly for sauteing and then a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil that I use for salad dressings and for brushing over breads.

[Campion]

Adulteration of oils is a worldwide problem. I worked with a scientist at U Mass years ago, trying to find an analytical method (with our equipment) to analyze food oil profiles to tell if they were adulterated. I assume most of what I buy is adulterated unless I get a boutique brand of California oil, for example, and pay a lot. We used to get oil in Europe when we lived there, from a friend who was from Sicily. It came in an unmarked jug and we'd joke it was the "Don's Olive Oil." It probably was. : (

[SaggingGal]

Costco has high quality extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany for sale. It comes in dark green glass bottles available only for a few months each year. I usually purchase 3-4 bottles at a time. It is the best EVO we have ever had. Spanish olive oil is offered off-season. I do not care for it.

Costco also offers extra virgin olive oil in plastic bottles but I think the plastic alters the taste of the olive oil.

I am careful to never cook over 370 degrees when using olive oil. Reaching its flashpoint of 375 degrees can make it carcinogenic.