How Do I Choose a Good Olive Oil?

There are so many questions our customers have when it comes to buying olive oil. I usually answer their questions with a question (which is annoying and I apologize but I don’t do it that often). Which olive should I buy? Which olive oil is best? How do I choose and olive oil? Does a higher price tag make it better? To which I question: “How do you cook at home?”

I really think this is the most important question you can ask yourself. And answer truthfully. Don’t answer in a way that makes you seem trendy or more food savvy than you actually are. Few of us, me included, cook on a day to day basis that would be described as haute cuisine or gourmet. And thank goodness. Who needs it! “Basic food! Simple meals! The best ingredients!” This is my battle cry.

I’m going to give you a beak down-which is not an extensive exploration of olive oil but merely a summary and what I, as a home cook, find most helpful.

1. Don’t use olive oil to fry or sauté. Why you ask? The ideal temperature for frying is 180 degrees C/356 degrees F. The smoking point of olive oil-the point at which its molecules start to break down and form toxic substances is 210 degrees C/410 degrees F. Now that may not seem like much, but try keeping that temperature. And if you can, start thinking about how much olive oil you’ll need to fry that chicken. It’s too expensive to use olive oil for frying. Plus if you have a strongly fruity/peppery olive oil it will impart that flavor on your food. I say stick to grape seed oil. It has a high smoke point, is a by product of wine making and is cheap, cheap, cheap.

2. To me, there are 3 different types of olive oil and we’ll categorize them this way:

1. Lightly Fruity (with notes of butter).
2. Medium Fruity (a light olive taste, maybe notes of tomato or grass. A light peppery finish).
3. Strongly Fruity (a strong, pronounced olive taste, maybe notes of tomato, artichoke, grass. A strong peppery finish).

3. Lightly Fruity: A lightly fruity olive oil is great for salads and fish. Think of a nice piece of grilled fish, after it’s grilled you pour on a few drops of olive oil. (Incidentally, this is a Tuscan ritual of sorts, called the ‘battesimo dell’olivo’-the christening with olive oil. A bit of the best olive oil is reserved for dishes after they are cooked. Most famous in Tuscan Ribolita, a bean and cabbage stew, it has found its way into other dishes and thank goodness because it is delicious and you should try it).

4. Medium Fruity: A medium fruity olive oil is best when used to dress cooked vegetables, chicken or pork. That grilled pork chop is finished wonderfully with a little medium fruity olive oil. That roasted cauliflower is completely naked without a few drips. You can also use this olive oil to dress a salad, it just depends how much flavor you want the salad to get from olive oil and how much flavor you want it to get from vinegar/lemon juice/etc.

5. Strongly Fruity: This is my favorite olive oil. Why? Because this is how I cook. A strongly flavored olive oil is best for red meat, game and vegetables. I admit it. I cook a lot of red meat (I’m form the mid west, it’s in my blood). A grilled or cast iron seared steak never reaches my table without being drizzled with a strongly fruity olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Roast leg of lamb with strongly fruity olive oil. Ridiculous. My favorite would have to be Alex’s Smashed Tomato Bruschetta. I love it with a strongly fruity olive oil; he loves it with a lighter olive oil. That’s all preference. And as you work olive oil into the way you already cook at home, you’ll find yours.

So, how do you cook at home? Are you a meat eater like me? Do you cook more chicken or fish? Many of us fall into more than one category. I say pick the one you feel most comfortable with and invest in a good olive oil. Think of all the health benefits, pretend you’re Tuscan for a day, and impress your friends with all your olive oil know how. Look at you, smarty pants.