olive oil - is it all pretty much the same?

I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
(non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
is extra virgin, right?

On Feb 1, 7:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
> Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
> is extra virgin, right?

I read that the bottle has to let as little light as possible going
in. I see some bottles that you see the oil very well. Is this a
problem?

On Feb 1, 4:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
> Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
> is extra virgin, right?



No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
stuff and save the good stuff for salads.

go to www.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
anything food-wise.

Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
worth the extra money, imo.

"SFrunner" <bastmag666@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1170385743.632183.118530@a75g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com...
> On Feb 1, 4:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
>> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
>> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33
>> ounces.
>> Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra
>> virgin
>> is extra virgin, right?
>
>
>
> No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
> stuff and save the good stuff for salads.
>
> go to www.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
> anything food-wise.
>
> Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> worth the extra money, imo.

I totally agree. No matter how much you spend on food at home, it's always
cheaper than going out to eat, and better for you!

On Feb 1, 7:34 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
> "SFrunner" <bastmag...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1170385743.632183.118530@a75g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com...
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 1, 4:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
> >> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> >> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33
> >> ounces.
> >> Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra
> >> virgin
> >> is extra virgin, right?
>
> > No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
> > stuff and save the good stuff for salads.
>
> > go towww.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
> > anything food-wise.
>
> > Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> > start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> > vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> > worth the extra money, imo.
>
> I totally agree. No matter how much you spend on food at home, it's always
> cheaper than going out to eat, and better for you!- Hide quoted text -
>

So true. And where you and I live are great gastronomical centers of
the US. I love strolling through the Ferry Building Farmers' Market,
trying different things, talking to the farmers who really grow the
produce they sell, asking for cooking advice and running into so many
others doing the same thing. As the weather gets better, you can take
the whole family out and check out the spring produce.

Fortunately, there are now Farmers' Markets bursting out nearly
everywhere in the US. I remember a trip to southern Indiana in the mid
90s. I was a vegetarian at the time and besides iceberg lettuce, the
only vegetables I could find in restaurants were deep fried!!! No
wonder there were so many obese people.

I like the fact that the produce is fresh, organic, grown in season
(thus containing more nutrients) and because it's raised by local
farmers, I'm supporting the local economy. It's a win-win.

SFrunner wrote:
> On Feb 1, 4:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
>> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
>> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
>> Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
>> is extra virgin, right?
>
>
>
> No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
> stuff and save the good stuff for salads.
>
> go to www.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
> anything food-wise.
>
> Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> worth the extra money, imo.
>
I read a lengthy article a few months back, I think it was in Consumer
Reports, that discussed olive oil.
If I remember correctly, there are different pressings of the olives,
that give it the different colors and flavors. The darker, more
flavorful oil comes from the first pressing and the lighter oils come
from subsequent pressings. Apparently the industry is getting pretty
competitive and there are differences in the olives from various regions
(California versus Italy, for example). If I remember the article
correctly, I think that in Europe there is also a standard and grading
committee that evaluates the oils and ranks them.

I have also heard the rule of thumb that dark green oil is 'better', but
that some companies put additives in it, such as chlorophyll to cheap
oil to make it look green for this purpose. Beware.

Cost wise, the consumer reports oil, ranked Costco's Kirkland brand as
pretty decent, especially at the price.

On Feb 1, 10:09 pm, "SFrunner" <bastmag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Feb 1, 4:22 pm, "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
>
> > I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> > (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
> > Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
> > is extra virgin, right?
>
> No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
> stuff and save the good stuff for salads.
>
> go towww.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
> anything food-wise.
>
> Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> worth the extra money, imo.

Or go to your local store that sells fine wines. The kind of place
that does free wine tastings. We have a shop like that here, and in
addition to fine wines, they carry a selection of fine olive oils. If
price is your concern, skip this suggestion. The best, most flavorful
olive oils cost an arm-and-a-leg, but they are ohhhh sooo wonderful,
and once you try, you'll never ever think to ask, "are all olive oils
the same." :-)

Good olive oil is very fragile. Always store in a dark place, away
from heat and temperature extremes. And buy in small quantities even
if it costs more, because it goes bad fast and you'll want to use it
up quickly.


jen

"SFrunner" <bastmag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "determined" <determi...@comcast.nest> wrote:
>
> > I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> > (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33 ounces.
> > Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean, extra virgin
> > is extra virgin, right?
>
> No, olive oils are not all the same. You can cook with the cheaper
> stuff and save the good stuff for salads.

To me that suggests you should try several types over time, see what
you think of the differences, and form your own opinion on the matter.
The difference being price, your opinion matters the most. The
difference in nutrition is small enough that flavor and price are what
matters to me.

Here's what ended up happening at my house: My wife does not like
olives so she tolerated extra virgin olive oil for a while but never
actually liked it. I suggest that she progress through the lighter
types with each purchase and as they got more clear she liked them
better. Now there's a bottle of the clearest plain olive oil that is
easy to find in the market on the counter. I like olives so I like
extra
virgin better. We've tried various types over the years and I like
the
fancier brands better but not enough to pay the extra price. Now
there's a bottle of a nicer-but-not-nicest brand of EVOO on the
counter for me.

> go towww.epicurious.com and you can get all the info you need about
> anything food-wise.
>
> Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> worth the extra money, imo.

Local markets rule.

It depends for what..

I buy cheap to cook with..

I have a tiny bottle of the "fuffy stuff" that I use for salads, and
dipping. I buy it in tiny bottle cause I don't use it all THAT much and it
would turn rancid sitting around too long..

Will~

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:q_ednY3MlrPWGV_YnZ2dnUVZ_silnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33
> ounces. Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean,
> extra virgin is extra virgin, right?
>

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:q_ednY3MlrPWGV_YnZ2dnUVZ_silnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> I've been buying extra virgin. I just noticed that the store brand
> (non-organic) is $15 for 67 ounces. The organic stuff is $15 for 33
> ounces. Is there any reason to buy the organic stuff, really? I mean,
> extra virgin is extra virgin, right?
>
Isn't the difference the "organicness" rather than the extra virgin. The
organic one costs more because it is produced in a less industrialised
process with fewer pesticides so a low crop from the same acreage. You can
have extra virgin normal or extra virgin organic and the choice is whether
you want the lower input one or not.


--
Rachael

176/116/<119

www.justgiving.com/rachaelslondonmarathon

On Feb 2, 7:25 am, "Doug Freyburger" <dfrey...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "SFrunner" <bastmag...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> > Have you ever ventured to a Saturday morning Farmers' Market? Time to
> > start your adventure!!! In your area, there's tons of them! Go to a
> > vendor and taste the olive oils. Ask them this question. Good food is
> > worth the extra money, imo.
>
> Local markets rule.


Yeah, they do. And one of the most important features about small,
local farmers is that they do not get government subsidies, unlike the
huge, corporate-sponsored farms. They are true examples of free
enterprise.

On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:22:39 -0800, determined wrote:

> I've been buying extra virgin.

Funny coming from you.

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