How to Make Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil has been in use for thousands of years and dates back to 3500 B.C. It is used for cooking all types of foods, but also for hair conditioner, steel and silver polish as well as furniture polish and paint remover. Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first pressing of the olives, and therefore makes it the highest quality (and most expensive). Learning to make your own extra virgin olive oil can be as simple as a few steps, and might provide a fun exercise for couples who love to cook.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 lb. Olives (green or black)
• Knife
• Small bowl
• Large bowl
• Water
• Strainer

Instructions

1. Slice each olive horizontally with a knife and place them in a glass or a small bowl.

2. Fill the glass or bowl with water, and place the glass or bowl into a larger bowl, without displacing the olives and water.

3. Place a strainer on top of the glass or bowl containing the olives and pour additional water in the olive glass to top off the glass.

4. Weight the strainer down on top of the small bowl, and leave it sitting in the larger bowl for a full day. Because oil is lighter than water, the oil will flow out of the glass into the larger bowl, leaving you with a bowl of olive oil the following day.

Tips & Warnings

• Pour your olive oil into an attractive glass bottle with a stopper. Try preparing different types of olive oil with different varieties of olive.

References

• History of Olive Oil