It may be difficult to choose an olive oil from a store stocked with bottles of drastically varying prices. From olive oil farmer and producer Nancy Harmon Jenkins, here are three quick takeaways. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will release her newest book, Virgin Territory: Exploring the World of Olive Oil, in the first quarter of next year. To buy Private label olive oil follow the link.
Buying extra-virgin oil is step one. The oil may not be the finest, but at least it won't be the worse if this is the case. The olive oil and light olive oil sold in simple "Olive Oil" and "Light Olive Oil" bottles are both refined oils that, like vegetable oil, are perfectly good to consume but lack much in the way of flavor or character.
2 - Check the label. There's a good chance you can decipher the harvest and "use by" dates even if they're written in Italian, French, or Spanish. The best olive oils are always clearly marked with the harvest date, as is customary among the industry's most reputable manufacturers. Since the "best by" date is often 18 months after bottling rather than harvesting, it might be misleading to certain consumers.
Third, you shouldn't buy anything packaged in transparent glass, no matter how lovely the label. Since light is olive oil's worst enemy, the oil within is likely to have lost most of its flavor and scent. You should seek for extra-virgin olive oil packaged in either opaque tins or dark glass bottles. To buy quality extra virgin olive oil follow the link.
4. Realize that the phrase "first cold pressing," however common, is superfluous. Extra-virgin oil is defined by law as having been produced with a single, cold pressing that does not include the use of any heat (at temperatures no higher than around 80 degrees Fahrenheit).
In addition to point 5, extra-virgin olive oil does not improve with aging. There's nothing quite like the sensation of tasting olive oil straight from the mill. Unexpected harshness or pungency may overpower the fruitiness of fresh oil. Tough tastes are prized by gourmets as a sign of quality and by nutritionists as proof of a high polyphenol content.
Neither light nor heat are friends (6). Your valuable bottles should be stored in a cold, dark place. Two 1-and-a-half-cup tins keep cooking oil within easy reach, giving me enough for many days' worth of meals. The majority of my oil is stored in a closet in my cold pantry and is used to restock them.
Seven, put that oil to use! Don't be shy about using extra-virgin olive oil in the kitchen. Up to roughly 420 degrees Fahrenheit, it maintains its integrity without any degradation. Since the recommended temperature for deep-frying is 360 degrees Fahrenheit, I use extra-virgin olive oil for practically all of my meals. I use oil from last year for cooking and oil from this year for garnishing since olive oil doesn't improve with age. To read more about extra virgin olive oil follow the link.
Put it to good use! Discover the joy of a hot cooked potato, slathered with the best oil you can find, some fleur de sel, and freshly ground Telicherry pepper. Alternatively, you might make my favorite Catalan breakfast: grilled rustic bread topped with a smashed ripe tomato, then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Nine, only shop at reputable stores that know how to preserve quality. Most of the greatest olive oil I've ever had came from an online store.