Olive Oil

Originally Posted by Manton

Click to expand...

Deep frying with it seems wierd, but then I deep fry at home maybe twice a year.

I'm the same, but he always makes a big deal about it when he does it, that's why it sticks in my head.

The one I use it medium price, about 30 $ for 35 cl.

I also use a good rapeseed oil. In fact I mostly use that for basic cooking.

Originally Posted by tricota

Click to expand...

The one I use it medium price, about 30 $ for 35 cl.

I also use a good rapeseed oil. In fact I mostly use that for basic cooking.

Isn't canola oil similar to rapeseed oil?

I used to use canola oil for high heat cooking, but I've substituted grapeseed oil in its place lately. They both have similar smoking points, but the grapeseed seems a bit more "natural" than canola. I'm sure this is mostly psychological. As far as the flavor goes, I haven't noticed much of a difference between canola and grapeseed.

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Click to expand...

Isn't canola oil similar to rapeseed oil? I used to use canola oil for high heat cooking, but I've substituted grapeseed oil in its place lately. They both have similar smoking points, but the grapeseed seems a bit more "natural" than canola. I'm sure this is mostly psychological. As far as the flavor goes, I haven't noticed much of a difference between canola and grapeseed.
Rapeseed is the real name for canola oil. Rapeseed doesn't sound too good and it mostly came from Canada thus Canola oil was born. Rapeseed oil used to contain a toxin that was fatal to humans. Through breeding, most of this toxin has been breed out but a minute amount still remains. Although canola oil is considered a healthy oil, I rather use corn oil for frying and grapeseed oil for cooking. Olive oil and walnut oil for finishing dishes.

A friend who works in the business says that olive oil fraud is so common that labels about origin on bottles exported outside the E.U. are basically worthless. Some ridiculously large percentage of oils labelled "Made in Italy" are not, and some aren't even olive oil. Interesting article here:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...a_fact_mueller

Originally Posted by HitMan009

Click to expand...

Rapeseed is the real name for canola oil. Rapeseed doesn't sound too good and it mostly came from Canada thus Canola oil was born. Rapeseed oil used to contain a toxin that was fatal to humans. Through breeding, most of this toxin has been breed out but a minute amount still remains. Although canola oil is considered a healthy oil, I rather use corn oil for frying and grapeseed oil for cooking. Olive oil and walnut oil for finishing dishes.

I did not know that. I am using a local brand though, so I guess we could call it DANola Oil, if that is better...

Originally Posted by TheIdler

Click to expand...

A friend who works in the business says that olive oil fraud is so common that labels about origin on bottles exported outside the E.U. are basically worthless. Some ridiculously large percentage of oils labelled "Made in Italy" are not, and some aren't even olive oil. Interesting article here:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...a_fact_mueller

Originally Posted by TheIdler

Click to expand...

A friend who works in the business says that olive oil fraud is so common that labels about origin on bottles exported outside the E.U. are basically worthless. Some ridiculously large percentage of oils labelled "Made in Italy" are not, and some aren't even olive oil. Interesting article here:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...a_fact_mueller

I remember this article. It sounded like a plot for a Simpsons episode.

I've had difficulty finding consistency in the taste of olive oil over the last few years. Just when you seem to get into a groove with one brand, the flavor profile changes for the worse.

CI rated olive oils in July of '08 and picked Columela as the winner and Colavita in second. Compared to their last taste testing in '05, their then favorite, DaVinci, finished at the bottom.

I use a Tuscan oil that I get ripped off on at Williams Sonoma. Of all the oils I've tasted, I prefer the Tuscan varities, anyone know any good ones that are reasonable (less than $50) and relatively widely available.

I'm Greek, and all my family's friends did a blind taste test between all the expensive Greek olive oils one finds in the various Greek/Import stores and the Kalamata olive oil from Trader Joes with the green label. Much to everyone's shock, the Trader Joes olive oil beet out oils that were 4-7 times more expensive.

food for thought

This is a great site. http://www.tuscanyflavors.com/specials_promotions.aspx

big fan of this one: http://www.tienda.com/food/products/oo-41.html fruity undertones, pairs well with dark chocolate actually.

+1 Greek olive oil

Ela twpa.

Few makers are willing to disclose on product label whether or not the content is a blend or a straight oil based on a single variety olives.
I just hate being kept in the dark. Many of the cheap "extra virgin olive oils" sold via supermarket chains are, in fact, blends made up of oils collected from - literary - all over the freaking map.
You may find oils from Tunisia, Spain, Turkey and Greece packed in the same bottle.
Even blends constituting a collection of various oils from the same house don't always come out great.
I had one such oil by Colonna (mid to higher tier brand) whose flavor was flatter than Kansas.
Despite the fact that food critics generally pee themselves over Colonna extra virgin olive oil.

I had the opportunity to talk with Harold McGee about the use of oils in cooking whilst he was in Washington on Monday. It was rather timely inasmuch as that was to be the topic of his New York Times Curious Cook column the next day. The bottom line is that heat has a very marked impact on the taste of cooking oils, reducing their flavor to the point where they more or less taste the same. Even the University of California at Davis experts on olive oil taste that he enlisted in his taste test were struck by the lack of a distinction between oils when used in cooking (that is, when the oils were heated, not drizzled etc). The surprise, McGee noted, was that they were surprised inasmuch as they were all aware that heat is used in processing specifically to remove aroma and taste! That is not to say there are not other differences, including the smoking point between refined and unrefined oils, but the choice of which olive oil to use for sauteing or frying will have little impact on the taste of the dish.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/di...%20cook&st=cse