
How To Pick The Best Olive Oil For Cooking, Eating, and Dipping

When I first started dating my now husband of many years, I was often fascinated by the differences in his motherโs Italian cooking based on her heritage and experience. Her father was a first generation Italian immigrant who owned and cooked in his own restaurantย in New York City. The food was not fancy.ย Butย it was always delicious and often accompanied by a story or explanation. Tossed salad was always served with dinner and eaten after the main course. On the table wereย two glass decanters with stoppers, one withย rubyย red liquid, the otherย a distinct green-gold. Yes, red wine vinegar and olive oil.ย
โExtra virgin olive oil is best for salads,โ she explained, โbecause you are going to eat it and really taste it. Cooking oil (also olive oil) doesnโt have to be the same.โย
On the floor of her pantry was a large, rectangular, 3 liter container of extra virgin olive oilย โ used to fill the salad dressing decanter and whenever the olive oil should take center stage for its flavor.ย Long before a now famous television food personalityย first spoke the catch phrase, โEVOO,โ Ritaย was well ahead of the trend.ย ย


Olive Oil Ages Like Fine Wine
Before we get into the different types of olive oil and their pairings, it’s important to note that olive oilsย range in flavors in the same manner as wines. The variety of olive, where it is grown, how it is treated in the production process and even how it is packaged may all play a part in theย finalย taste.ย Also,ย like wines, olive oils mayย have additional certifications on their labels from various agencies whoย conduct various tests to ensure the claims match the quality of the product.ย
Extra Virgin Olive Oilย
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)ย isย createdย byย grind the olives into a paste, thenย pressing themย with aย cold press processย that does not include heat or any chemicals.ย Thinking about the phrase, โextra virgin,โ it is not a far leap to equate this withย purity. For these reasons, EVOO is perfect when theย olive oilย is playing an important flavor role such as in salads and dipping oils.ย
Virgin Olive Oilย
Virgin olive oil is also produced with cold pressing. The main difference is in the quality or grading of the olives.ย A further distinction between virgin and EVOO by the United States Department of Agriculture is around the levels of free fatty acid content. EVOO is not more than .8% while virgin olive oil canย be as much as 2%.ย
Refined Olive Oilย
Refined oliveย oilย can be made with the use of heat,ย and filtering techniques to produceย a product that is lighter in color, has a longer shelf life and higher smoke point than other olive oils. This makes it a great choice forย cookingย sinceย the flavor of the oilย is not the focal point of the dish. Refined olive oil may haveย a percentage of virgin olive oil included for flavor.ย The price point of this product is likely far less than EVOO.ย
Quick Olive Oil Recipes
Quick EVOO Italian Bread Dip:ย Simply pour aboutย ยผ cup of EVOOย in a small bowl, mix in a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to taste),ย garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.ย Whiskย and use a hearty, crusty Italian bread for dipping.ย ย
Grilled Crostini with Olive Oil: Pair thisย grilledย crostiniย recipeย with your favoriteย olive oil!ย Switch up the toppings to freshย chopped tomatoes with basil for a seasonal and classic bruschetta.ย
Mangiaย and enjoy!ย
