If you're new to the world of olive oil, you may think of olive oils as being roughly similar in taste, appearance, and health value. It may be tempting to reach for the least expensive bottle of oil you see at the grocery store in the hope of saving money. As is true with most foods there are different levels of quality based on how the food is grown or processed. Olive oil is no exception. The olive oils you see on your grocer's shelf can vary considerably in quality based on the designated grade or type of olive oil. Here's how to understand the different types of olive oil and make the choice that's best for your needs.
All oil is derived from pressing the oil from the ripe olive after it's grown. Based on the characteristics of that pressing, olive oils can be designated as extra-virgin, virgin, and fine olive oil. To make matters even more confusing, olive oil can also be further classified as cold pressed, estate, or unfiltered. This variation in olive oil quality can make buying olive oil less straightforward than it might originally seem.
One of the most prized types of olive oil is oil labeled as extra-virgin. To be designated as extra-virgin, the oil must have been taken from the first pressing of the olive, should have less than one percent acidity, and must have been extracted through mechanical means without the use of chemicals of any type. Its deeper green color, rich flavor, and more potent aroma make it a highly desirable oil in the culinary world. How can you be sure you're getting genuine extra-virgin olive oil when you shop? Look for the IOOC seal on the bottle which the California Olive Oil Council uses to designate high quality extra-virgin olive oils.
Virgin olive oil is also derived from the first pressing using mechanical means without the use of chemicals or solvent. Unlike extra-virgin olive oil, it can have an acidity content of up to two percent. Because a lower acidity signifies that higher quality olives were used and that they were pressed quickly, virgin olive oils are usually inferior in taste to extra-virgin oils. Virgin olive oil tends to be less expensive than extra-virgin types of olive oil.
After the first pressing of the olive, more oil can be extracted using a combination of heat, pressure, and chemicals. The resulting oil can then be combined with virgin or extra-virgin olive oils to yield what is known as olive oil. This is the garden variety olive oil carried at most supermarkets which doesn't carry the designation of virgin or extra-virgin. Ordinary olive oil usually may have a higher acidity than oils from the first pressing. Because the flavor is usually inferior, many culinary enthusiasts use it only for frying when a fine quality oil isn't necessary.
What do the additional designations sometimes seen on olive oil bottles mean? Cold pressed simply means that no chemicals were used in the process of extracting the oil. Estate means that the olives were derived from a single farm and is not a blend of multiple oils. Unfiltered oil means that the oil wasn't siphoned through a filter to remove sediment which may be visible at the bottom of the bottle. Some people prefer the taste and texture of an unfiltered oil.
When it comes to choosing among the types of olive oil, for the best flavor and quality extra-virgin olive oils are usually preferred. Because extra-virgin oils are more costly, you may want to reserve them for salads where quality and taste will be most obvious. For cooking, select a less expensive plain olive oil. Plain olive oil is generally better for high temperature applications since extra-virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point. From a health standpoint, oils derived from the first pressing have the advantage since they have higher quantities of hear healthy polyphenols since they weren't exposed to chemical solvents during processing.
Spend a little time tasting and experimenting with the different types of olive oil. This will make it easier to appreciate a high quality oil and will allow you to get the best value for your money.
