Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
good? What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should I
expect to pay more for the extra virgin? And finally when should I use extra
virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything. As you can
probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I were
watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some olive
oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil, regular,
extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.

Amber in central Illinois

Am 14 Aug 2004 16:20:38 GMT Amberinauburn wrote:

> Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
> regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
> pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
> good?

depends on what you like. Extra virgin olive oil comes in many varieties,
from lemony light to intense green and fruity & dark.

> What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should I
> expect to pay more for the extra virgin?

Yes, you should, but make sure it's the real thing. If you can, taste
before you buy. Over here in Germany there is a lot of stuff called extra
virgin which is, technically, extra virgin, but not worth what is paid for.

> And finally when should I use extra
> virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything.

Depends on you, again. If you are new to it, try it in salad dressings
(vinaigrette) or stir some in your store-bought pesto; dip it with fresh
Italian bread, sprinkle on your pizza before it goes in the oven... or on
bruschetta...

Tonmates, mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of fine olive oil - heaven!

For frying, a cheaper variety is ok, I use a light 'refined' olive oil for
mayo.

> As you can
> probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I were
> watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some olive
> oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil, regular,
> extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.

The epicurious dictionary is a great resource, see

http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary...sf?DEF_ID=2962

HTH,

Petra in Hamburg, Germany

Am 14 Aug 2004 16:20:38 GMT Amberinauburn wrote:

> Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
> regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
> pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
> good?

depends on what you like. Extra virgin olive oil comes in many varieties,
from lemony light to intense green and fruity & dark.

> What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should I
> expect to pay more for the extra virgin?

Yes, you should, but make sure it's the real thing. If you can, taste
before you buy. Over here in Germany there is a lot of stuff called extra
virgin which is, technically, extra virgin, but not worth what is paid for.

> And finally when should I use extra
> virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything.

Depends on you, again. If you are new to it, try it in salad dressings
(vinaigrette) or stir some in your store-bought pesto; dip it with fresh
Italian bread, sprinkle on your pizza before it goes in the oven... or on
bruschetta...

Tonmates, mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of fine olive oil - heaven!

For frying, a cheaper variety is ok, I use a light 'refined' olive oil for
mayo.

> As you can
> probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I were
> watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some olive
> oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil, regular,
> extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.

The epicurious dictionary is a great resource, see

http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary...sf?DEF_ID=2962

HTH,

Petra in Hamburg, Germany

Am 14 Aug 2004 16:20:38 GMT Amberinauburn wrote:

> Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
> regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
> pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
> good?

depends on what you like. Extra virgin olive oil comes in many varieties,
from lemony light to intense green and fruity & dark.

> What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should I
> expect to pay more for the extra virgin?

Yes, you should, but make sure it's the real thing. If you can, taste
before you buy. Over here in Germany there is a lot of stuff called extra
virgin which is, technically, extra virgin, but not worth what is paid for.

> And finally when should I use extra
> virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything.

Depends on you, again. If you are new to it, try it in salad dressings
(vinaigrette) or stir some in your store-bought pesto; dip it with fresh
Italian bread, sprinkle on your pizza before it goes in the oven... or on
bruschetta...

Tonmates, mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of fine olive oil - heaven!

For frying, a cheaper variety is ok, I use a light 'refined' olive oil for
mayo.

> As you can
> probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I were
> watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some olive
> oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil, regular,
> extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.

The epicurious dictionary is a great resource, see

http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary...sf?DEF_ID=2962

HTH,

Petra in Hamburg, Germany

Olive oil is lower in saturated fat than other cooking oils, and hence is
better for you. It can also have a more distinctive flavor than
balnd-tasting oils like canola, or generic vegetable oils. On the downside,
olive oil has a lower smoke point than most other cooking oils; you probably
don't want to stir-fry with it, and you want to be a little careful when you
sauté. Most people don't deepfry with olive oil, but I guess you can if you
keep the temp down.

Here's a good explanation of the different types:

http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/...0,4171,00.html

We typically have a smaller bottle of the really good stuff (first cold
pressed extra virgin olive oil) for salad dressing and dressing other
dishes. We use pure olive oil for most cooking/marinating. For high temp
stir frying, we use peanut oil.

Olive oil is like wine in that the most expensive types typically come from
a particular area (some Northern California wineries now sell olive oil from
their groves) and have the most distinctive flavor. The everyday oil has a
less distinctive flavor; but, being refined more, tends to stand up better
to heat. If you can afford it, you can use EVOO for sauteing, but it isn't
really critical.

By chance, we once happened to find 4 different brands of EVOO in the house
(one Kirkland, Costco's house brand, another non-Kirkland from Costco, some
organic EVOO from Spain, and something we got in a supermarket). We tried
them all with some nice Italian bread. The flavors and colors were very
different; the Spanish oil was the one we liked best, but it's too expensive
for everyday http://www.med-int.com/. We thought the Kirkland Tuscan style
EVOO was too acid; we preferred the cheaper one from Costco.

When I was growing up, Berio pure olive oil was the choice of most
Italian-American families.

My suggestion is:

-- get a few small bottles of first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, try
them with bread, and see which one you like; use it on dishes when you can
really taste the oil (like salad dressing, or oil drizzled over a cooked
dish)

-- for cooking, get a larger can of pure olive oil (try some smaller bottles
to see which one you like)

-- avoid "light" olive oil; it has no distinctive flavor at all - if you
want a neutral-flavored oil, use canola or generic vegetable oil.

Mangia!
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"Amberinauburn" > wrote in message
...
> Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
> regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
> pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
> good? What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should
I
> expect to pay more for the extra virgin? And finally when should I use
extra
> virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything. As you
can
> probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I
were
> watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some
olive
> oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil,
regular,
> extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.
>
> Amber in central Illinois
>

Olive oil is lower in saturated fat than other cooking oils, and hence is
better for you. It can also have a more distinctive flavor than
balnd-tasting oils like canola, or generic vegetable oils. On the downside,
olive oil has a lower smoke point than most other cooking oils; you probably
don't want to stir-fry with it, and you want to be a little careful when you
sauté. Most people don't deepfry with olive oil, but I guess you can if you
keep the temp down.

Here's a good explanation of the different types:

http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/...0,4171,00.html

We typically have a smaller bottle of the really good stuff (first cold
pressed extra virgin olive oil) for salad dressing and dressing other
dishes. We use pure olive oil for most cooking/marinating. For high temp
stir frying, we use peanut oil.

Olive oil is like wine in that the most expensive types typically come from
a particular area (some Northern California wineries now sell olive oil from
their groves) and have the most distinctive flavor. The everyday oil has a
less distinctive flavor; but, being refined more, tends to stand up better
to heat. If you can afford it, you can use EVOO for sauteing, but it isn't
really critical.

By chance, we once happened to find 4 different brands of EVOO in the house
(one Kirkland, Costco's house brand, another non-Kirkland from Costco, some
organic EVOO from Spain, and something we got in a supermarket). We tried
them all with some nice Italian bread. The flavors and colors were very
different; the Spanish oil was the one we liked best, but it's too expensive
for everyday http://www.med-int.com/. We thought the Kirkland Tuscan style
EVOO was too acid; we preferred the cheaper one from Costco.

When I was growing up, Berio pure olive oil was the choice of most
Italian-American families.

My suggestion is:

-- get a few small bottles of first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, try
them with bread, and see which one you like; use it on dishes when you can
really taste the oil (like salad dressing, or oil drizzled over a cooked
dish)

-- for cooking, get a larger can of pure olive oil (try some smaller bottles
to see which one you like)

-- avoid "light" olive oil; it has no distinctive flavor at all - if you
want a neutral-flavored oil, use canola or generic vegetable oil.

Mangia!
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"Amberinauburn" > wrote in message
...
> Can someone please explain to me the difference between extra virgin and
> regular olive oil? Someone told me that extra virgin was from the first
> pressing of the olives. What about regular olive oil? Does it not taste as
> good? What about the price of the extra virgin verses the regular, should
I
> expect to pay more for the extra virgin? And finally when should I use
extra
> virgin. Do I save it for 'special' dishes or use it for everything. As you
can
> probably tell using olive oil is a new experience for me. My husband and I
were
> watching a TV food show and we were discussing the idea to go get some
olive
> oil and using that. But then the question of what kind of olive oil,
regular,
> extra virgin or what? Any one who uses olive oil? Please some help here.
>
> Amber in central Illinois
>