Good place to buy EVOO

The Big Lots clearance stores here have been selling different brands of EVOO at good prices. I've scored Bertolli Riserva ($6/liter) and Castelvetere ($6.50/liter). Take a look.

Without digging out my receipts, I believe I paid $11.79 for 2 L of Bertolli Riserva (nice green hue) at Sam's Club last week while shopping for NiagaraCOOL.
EDIT: I just found the receipt - it was actually $12.37 for 2 liters.

It's definitely a nice color.

[Jenise]

Big Lots occasionally has some remarkable values, don't they? Great tip.

I’m fairly frugal and enjoy finding a bargain as much as the next guy. If some generic brand of bleach is the cheapest, I will purchase that one. Or ammonia. Bleach is bleach and ammonia is ammonia IMHO. But olive oil is a completely diffrerent story. I will always spend the extra amount of money to buy the best extra virgin olive oil because there is a huge difference between the high quality extra virgin olive oil and the plonk like Bertolli.

I think of olive oil the same way I think of wine. Sure, I could buy a jug of Bertolli or Carlo Rossi for $5.99 per jug, but I will always purchase the smaller quantity of the higher quality product and be perfectly happy knowing that I can appreciate the difference.

Then you haven't tried Bertolli Riserva.

Then you haven't tried Bertolli Riserva.

I have tried it. My friend and his wife purchase it from Sam's Club and use it in their cooking and finishing. When it comes to olive oil, you get what you pay for.

Did you know that EVOO is only good for one year, any good bottle should have a date on the back with it's harvest date. Also it should be labeled as PRODUCT OF ITALY or SPAIN, GREECE etc. If it does not say PRODUCT OF then the olives could be sourced from any where, example would be MADE IN ITALY or PRODUCED IN ITALY could be using olives from Spain, Greece etc. and it is produced or bottled in Italy. Also Different regions produce different profiles, example would be Tuscan's generally are very aggressive and finish with pepper, as Sicilian oils are more grassy and finish a little herbal. so I use Tusacan EVOO for salads and meats an Sicilian EVOO for seafood and lamb. Some good on line sources are academiabarilla.com or olio2go.com. Both of these sites are great and offer nice choices for high end oils. I would never buy any EVOO from a large quantity super store as EVOO is real sensitive to heat and light exposure. Remember you get what you pay for and I am willing to bet any bottle you bought at Sams or any grocery store is probably expired or not stored properly. Just a little food for thought, and I am sure once you check out these web sites and purchase some EVOO from them you will be enlightened and will have a new perspective on EVOO.

[Jenise]

Chef Rick, welcome! Have to agree with you that olive oils lose their intensity over time and fresher is better, but if kept properly in a cool, dark place good EVOO's keep nicely for several years. I didn't set out to prove this, but once upon a time I received a slew of condiment-quality EVOO's as gifts at approximately the same time that I ordered a bunch of single-orchard Tuscans from the Rare Wine Company in Sonoma, and it took me several years to use them all up. So I kept them in my wine cellar and to my delight, not only did none of them acquire any rancidity, none even showed any significant deterioration, even the last of the Produttori's that I opened four years out.

Then you haven't tried Bertolli Riserva.

I have tried it. My friend and his wife purchase it from Sam's Club and use it in their cooking and finishing. When it comes to olive oil, you get what you pay for.

Well, duh. I'm not talking about stratospherically priced OOs. I think Bertolli Riserva is just fine for lower-class slobs like me with thin wallets and no tastebuds. It sure beats Pompeian OO, IMO.

Chef Rick, welcome! Have to agree with you that olive oils lose their intensity over time and fresher is better, but if kept properly in a cool, dark place good EVOO's keep nicely for several years. I didn't set out to prove this, but once upon a time I received a slew of condiment-quality EVOO's as gifts at approximately the same time that I ordered a bunch of single-orchard Tuscans from the Rare Wine Company in Sonoma, and it took me several years to use them all up. So I kept them in my wine cellar and to my delight, not only did none of them acquire any rancidity, none even showed any significant deterioration, even the last of the Produttori's that I opened four years out.

what I should of said is EVOO is at its greatest quality when used within one year. I agree that you can keep them if properly stored for more than one year, but I would never purchase EVOO if it is older than a year because I have no control over the storage of the product. As far as that goes we use over 100 cases EVOO per year and I would never pay the premium price if the bottle was not a new release. And believe me there are people in this industry that will try to sell you old EVOO at new release prices.

[Jenise]

As far as that goes we use over 100 cases EVOO per year and I would never pay the premium price if the bottle was not a new release. And believe me there are people in this industry that will try to sell you old EVOO at new release prices.

Nor would I. Where do you cook, Rick?

Then you haven't tried Bertolli Riserva.

I have tried it. My friend and his wife purchase it from Sam's Club and use it in their cooking and finishing. When it comes to olive oil, you get what you pay for.

Well, duh. I'm not talking about stratospherically priced OOs. I think Bertolli Riserva is just fine for lower-class slobs like me with thin wallets and no tastebuds. It sure beats Pompeian OO, IMO.

Larry,

Once again you are testing my patience and misunderstanding what I stated. I never mentioned “stratospheric” priced olive oil or claimed you are a “low-class slob” with “no taste buds”.

The Bertolli Reserva is labeled as such and sold in places like Big Lots so that some of the people that shop there see the “Reserva” designation and think it is something special and conclude they are buying a fine olive oil that only costs $6.00 per jug. As I mentioned, I have tasted it and found it to have zero qualities of identifiable terrior or anything else that would set it apart from any other cheap oil.

If you like it, that is the most important thing. I tend to prefer quality over quantity, but that is just my preference and not categorically right or wrong.

As far as that goes we use over 100 cases EVOO per year and I would never pay the premium price if the bottle was not a new release. And believe me there are people in this industry that will try to sell you old EVOO at new release prices.

Nor would I. Where do you cook, Rick?

I work at Kirsch's in Lake Geneva WI. Kirschs.com We are updating our webpage and it should be up in a few weeks.

As far as that goes we use over 100 cases EVOO per year and I would never pay the premium price if the bottle was not a new release. And believe me there are people in this industry that will try to sell you old EVOO at new release prices.

Nor would I. Where do you cook, Rick?

I work at Kirsch's in Lake Geneva WI. Kirschs.com We are updating our webpage and it should be up in a few weeks.

Lake Geneva? You must be crazy busy this time of year. Nice part of the country and a fun place in the summer.

[quote="Dave R]
Larry, Once again you are testing my patience and misunderstanding what I stated. I never mentioned “stratospheric” priced olive oil or claimed you are a “low-class slob” with “no taste buds”.

The Bertolli Reserva is labeled as such and sold in places like Big Lots so that some of the people that shop there see the “Reserva” designation and think it is something special and conclude they are buying a fine olive oil that only costs $6.00 per jug. As I mentioned, I have tasted it and found it to have zero qualities of identifiable terrior or anything else that would set it apart from any other cheap oil.

If you like it, that is the most important thing. I tend to prefer quality over quantity, but that is just my preference and not categorically right or wrong.[/quote]

Fair enough. I'm just a testical guy when it comes to matters of my taste. I can ID super quality items, but I'm happy with using ordinary oils and wines for everyday use and saving the good stuff for special occasions. I drive a Ford, not a Bentley. Another ordinary oil I purchased was Castelvetere. What's your take on that brand?

Chef Starr,

Welcome to FLDG!!

Thanks for the advice concerning EVOO and freshness. It is more or less what I expected to hear (i.e., that the food industry is somewhat less than honest about EVOO prevanance).

-Paul W.

I used to use the most popular brands of EVOO with labels that were familiar. Then I read in Cooks a tasting result which showed to the tasters that Whole Foods 365 held the best QPR. For an every day oil to cook with any of the "'reliable" brands will do since once brought up to temperature EVOO and also toasted sesame oil lose their flavors and become rather neutral.

I keep a bottle or two of really good EVOO around to just splash on things before serving. For example I love to serve Gazpacho with a garnish of avocado and a slash of really good EVOO at time of service. With salad dressings made in advance of service I use my everyday EVOO and finish just before service with a splash of the really really full flavored stuff. I store the extra unopened bottles of my "splashing" oil in my cellar.

Being the Curmudgeon I am, I really hold suspect the author of any recipe that requires EVOO or toasted sesame oil to be used as the "frying" or saute oil.

We use Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Sicily). Product of Italy. It runs around $10/liter. We cook with it and use it in salad, and for dipping. Prefer to dip in Tenuta del Numerouno, but can only buy it when True Love isn't looking. Actually the Partanna is just fine.

Being the Curmudgeon I am, I really hold suspect the author of any recipe that requires EVOO or toasted sesame oil to be used as the "frying" or saute oil.

Being the curmudgeon I am, I really hold suspect anyone that uses the Rachael Ray term EVOO.

Being the Curmudgeon I am, I really hold suspect the author of any recipe that requires EVOO or toasted sesame oil to be used as the "frying" or saute oil.

Being the curmudgeon I am, I really hold suspect anyone that uses the Rachael Ray term EVOO.

Read through the thread and you finally said something I agree with!

In verbal conversation I use the entire name. In writing I prefer using the abbreviation.

Concerning Rachael Ray, I do admit to watching her occasionally. I, in fact, have picked up a couple of ideas from her that I use often. Three, if you count using the written abbreviation.

One is a very simple way to prepare fish fillets. Being born and raised in Minnesota in a family with a fishing father and then living in northern Minnesota for three years as an adult with summers free to fish I have eaten and prepared yellow perch and walleye fillets in many ways. Having such an abundance of good fresh fish gave me lots of opportunity to experiment. One thing I never tried nor even thought of was simply dipping the fillet in beaten egg and then into the pan. I saw Rachael Ray do it with sole and thought, "So simple, and yet I never thought of it!". In frying fish I had used about every sort of batter, breading and seasoning mix one could think of.

I discovered that this simple technique which I believe is an Italian peasant preparation was ideal for both yellow perch and the thinner of the walleye fillets. Both these fish have a very delicate flavor. The combination of just the egg and a non-stick frying pan with just a spray or flick of oil seems to enhance the flavor. It is also a rather healthy preparation. One egg goes a long way and the fat is almost nonexistent. Many of you probably have used this method for years but I had missed it. It is also idiot proof. With a thin fresh fillet when the egg is done flip the fish. When the egg is done on the other side the fillet is done. Thank you RR.

The second technique is one she said her mother did before serving pasta with a red sauce. She tosses the pasta with a small bit of sauce and EVOO before plating it with the rest of the sauce in the middle. Simple but something I had never thought of doing regularly.

I lean to the more small town/rural/peasant/rustic style of cooking. I know that my Danish grandmother, my mother and Don~a Julia all would have been quite comfortable with RR in the kitchen. As would I.

Concerning Rachael Ray, I do admit to watching her occasionally.

I know that my Danish grandmother, my mother and Don~a Julia all would have been quite comfortable with RR in the kitchen. As would I.

I know that if my Grandmother caught Rachael Ray in her kitchen, she would point to the garden, hand Rachael Ray a rake and tell her to go out there and make good use of herself. As would I.

One thing I never tried nor even thought of was simply dipping the fillet in beaten egg and then into the pan. I saw Rachael Ray do it with sole and thought, "So simple, and yet I never thought of it!".

So simple, in fact, that it's been part of classical cookery for a long time. Only we do it right, first drying the fish and then dredging it in flour so the egg will then adhere completely. The French call this "Dore" or "golden".

As a matter of fact I cooked some fresh Petrale Sole with this technique last night. And made a beurre blanc to go with it.