The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

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ALL ABOUT OLIVE OIL


How to Buy Olive Oil


Asking what olive oil you should buy is similar to


asking what knife you should use, what car to drive,
or what Beatles album to listen to: it’s largely a
matter of personal taste. Once you get past a certain
base threshold of quality, whether to choose an oil
that is buttery and rich or bright and grassy is
largely up to you.
Olive oil comes in several different grades:



  • “Virgin” and “Extra-Virgin” are standards set
    by the International Olive Oil Council, and they
    reflect a mark of quality. Virgin olive oils can
    contain up to 2 percent oleic acid. Extra-virgin
    olive oil contains no more than 0.8 percent oleic
    acid and it is subjectively deemed superior in
    flavor to standard virgin olive oil. Neither of
    these oils can be made from olives that have
    been heated to extract oil. The extra-virgin
    production of most countries accounts for
    between 5 and 10 percent of their total output,
    hence the relatively high price.

  • “First Cold Press” indicates that the olive oil

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