Olive Oil

I like to use the local olive oils for salad dressings, finishing a dish, and for some sauté. When I am browning meats for braised dishes, or other applications where the olive oil taste is not so much a part of the dish, I prefer to use a less expensive OO. After doing some research, I also found out that some OO is not totally made from olives, but soy, hazelnuts, etc. Such is the case of Pompeian which when tested was found not to be the real deal. I've heard Kirkland mentioned as a good priced olive oil for the amount you get. What olive oil do you like for general cooking?

We've been using Kirkland lately, although my trip to the Corto factory has probably brainwashed me into using their in the future.

I use Whole Foods 365.

The Greek Kalamata EVOO from Trader Joe's is pretty good quality for the money.

We like Partanna Sicilian EVOO for everyday use. It is widely available in these parts and is currently running $11.99 per liter, which is a couple of bucks higher than a year ago.

Funny, I just read an article somewhere...not sure where...that rated Pompeiian as one of the best tasting off the grocers' shelf.

I usually use canola when taste isn't important. When it is, we definitely prefer Sicilian olive oil. In fact, we just brought some back from there! Brand doesn't seem to matter much.

Funny, I just read an article somewhere...not sure where...that rated Pompeiian as one of the best tasting off the grocers' shelf.

I usually use canola when taste isn't important. When it is, we definitely prefer Sicilian olive oil. In fact, we just brought some back from there! Brand doesn't seem to matter much.

I just read a study done by someone and I thought it was UCDavis, not sure, but it listed Pompeian as a blend. Here are some facts and the results of the testing. The study I saw was a listing of the brand names and which were found to be blends but listed as extra virgin oo.

http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/news-events/news/files/olive%20oil%20final%20071410%20.pdf

I believe the study you are referring to was in "Cooks Illustrated"

I believe the study you are referring to was in "Cooks Illustrated"

I finally found the list I was looking for, by UCDavis
Scroll down a bit to see the complete list.


http://mamanatural.com/virgin-olive-oil-scam-fraud/

I think this was the article I read in April's Bon Appetit. They obviously edited down the article for the web and left out the part about Pompeian...maybe they found out after the fact that it wasn't 100% olive oil...?

http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2011/04/olive-oil-taste-test.html

[Jenise]

Funny, I just read an article somewhere...not sure where...that rated Pompeiian as one of the best tasting off the grocers' shelf.

Then Pompeiian must have written the article. It's crappy oil, always has been. Devoid of everything that's so fruit-forward, peppery and flavorful about a good fresh olive oil.

I remember either a Consumer's Reports or Cooks Illustrated article where I was surprised to read that Pompeiian was judged highly in a blind test. I've always found it heavy and dull, but maybe it was good compared to the competition? The fraud issue seems particularly a problem with what claim to be "Italian" olive oils.

Lately I've been using inexpensive extra virgin from Spain or Portugal. Some of it is very nice, like Marialva from Portugal. I doubt it is doctored (much?) because some are products of what looks like olive growers co-ops, so it seems unlikely they would undercut their own growers by including other oils. The problem with recommending this stuff is that it you probably won't find it in your area.

Funny, I just read an article somewhere...not sure where...that rated Pompeiian as one of the best tasting off the grocers' shelf.

Then Pompeiian must have written the article. It's crappy oil, always has been. Devoid of everything that's so fruit-forward, peppery and flavorful about a good fresh olive oil.

Good to know. I don't think I have ever had it. My grocery store brand of choice is Colovita.

For everyday use and cooking we use a Spanish OO named Zoe. http://www.amazon.com/Zoe-Extra-Virgin-Olive-1-Liter/dp/B001E5DZU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319442489&sr=8-1
With a subscription order from Amazon it cost's us about $9 per liter and it's very good.

Drew