There are a lot of misconceptions going around about Gourmet olive oils. Once of the most popular is that any olive oil is a good choice in cooking recipes. This simply is not true! There is a reason that the finest olive oils fetch the highest prices and are sought after by the best Chef’s.
For starters, gourmet olive oil normally comes from extra virgin olive oil. This oil is less refined than other oils so you get the full flavor of the olive. Since olives grown in different locations can have different taste, by refining the olive less, you can get the most taste from the olive in each region.
Also, most bottles of olive oil marked as such have been given extra attention during the refinement process. The kind of oil you want for your best recipes will be labeled as ‘first cold press’ or ‘extra virgin olive oil’. By using !
only this finest oil, you’ll be going a long ways in helping your recipes come out the best they can be.
You’ll also find that by using only the finest olive oils in your recipes that you’ll be getting the added benefit of obtaining the most health benefits from the olive oil. Oil that has been overly refined loses a lot of the health benefits of the olive.
Also, some bottlers will mix lesser and cheaper oils with their olive oils. This reduces the taste and health benefits of olive oil. Beware of olive oil that says ‘Pure’ or ‘100 percent pure olive oil’. Even these oils can be mixed. You always want to look for some type of quality seal on the bottle. The better bottlers will put the date the oil was bottled. This way you can be sure you’re getting a fresh bottle of oil, not one that has sit on a grocers shelf for a year or more
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