How to Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is one of the healthiest types of cooking oil. It's good for the heart, it lowers bad cholesterol and it impedes certain types of aging. Choosing the right extra virgin olive oil can be difficult to do because slick ads often confuse consumers with labels like "lite" or "cold pressed." The true quality of extra virgin olive oil depends on the quality of the olive and on how the oil was processed.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Investigate the differences between extra virgin olive oils. Start with a local natural food store, like Whole Foods. Most natural food store personnel can provide good information or at least direct you to where you can get it. Check the Internet too, especially, the web site for the "International Olive Oil Council."

2. Make sure extra virgin olive oils are indeed what they are advertised as. Well-nurtured olives that have not undergone intense processing make the healthiest olive oils. Choose organic extra virgin olive oil to increase the health benefits of this amazing cooking oil. Ask grocers or people who enjoy cooking for advice on product names.

3. Try out a few quality extra virgin olive oils for taste. Move forward with the one(s) that please your palette the most. Realize that, like wine, good extra virgin olive oil comes in many different varieties of flavors, moods and styles.

4. Choose one or two tasty and high quality extra virgin olive oils to sprinkle on salads and other dishes. Choose a lower quality (and less expensive) extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Know that some of the common brands of extra virgin olive oil are good to keep on hand for cooking.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep extra virgin olive oil in a cool storage area, and don't store it for longer than six months to avoid rancidity.
• Olive oil burns easily, so keep temperatures low during stove-top cooking.

Resources

• Bartleby.com/Columbia Encyclopedia
• Tiscali Olive Oil
• Culinate—Food Features
• International Olive Council

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How to Lose 30+lbs Guaranteed. Try it Free.

[Kyle10jeep]

on 8/5/2008 Don't misinterpret cool storage area (a cupboard) as a refrigerator. Putting the olive oil in a refrigerator will make the oil cloudy & thick. Key factor is to keep the oil away from sunlight in an airtight container.