As olive oil has become more popular over the years, there’s been an increase in the spreading of false information as well. At D’Olivo we believe in providing our customers with all of the relevant information that they need to make a great decision about purchases. To help with this, we’re highlighting and dispelling some of the top myths about olive oil.
Myth #1 – You Can’t Cook with Olive Oil at a High Heat
There are many who claim that olive oil isn’t a great choice for those who want to cook something at a high heat, and this simply isn’t true. In fact, one of the benefits of extra virgin olive oil is that it has a relatively high smoke point. Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to emit smoke, and the point at which degradation or the loss of nutrients can occur. Learn more about smoke point here.
If you visit us at D’Olivo we cover the smoke point of our oils as part of each tasting experience to help you make the best selection for your cooking needs.
Myth #2 – Where the Olive Oil Comes from is Most Important
While it’s important to pay attention to the label of your olive oil for a number of reasons, the production area of your olive oil isn’t a clear indication that it’s a more superior oil. In fact, the true test of the olive oils quality comes down to the production level. How a producer sources, handles, and packages the oil will play a very large role in ensuring quality.
We are proud to source all of our oils at D’Olivo from Veronica Foods who takes the utmost care in all areas of production. Olives used in production are sourced from a variety of locations to ensure the freshest fruit is used, depending on the time of year. In addition, each oil must meet 33 internal parameters to earn the Ultra Premium (UP) designation that all of our oils carry.
Myth #3 – The Quality of Olive Oil Can Be Seen in the Color
Another falsehood that many believe is that you’ll be able to tell the quality of the oil based on its color. The color of an oil is determined by many factors during production and a high quality oil can appear dark green, lighter yellow, and many that are freshly produced may even appear cloudy.
We recommend that you look for other factors to determine the quality of your oil including freshness, taste, how it’s packaged and stored, and we always recommend purchasing from a trusted retailer.
Myth #4 – Olive Oil is like Wine – Better With Age
While wine is one of those products that improves with age, olive oil is not. It’s actually extremely important to the quality of the oil that it be fresh. When purchasing an oil you want to pay attention to the harvest date on the label. Similarly, once you’ve opened your bottle of oil make sure that you use it up in a reasonable amount of time to ensure it doesn’t go rancid.
Myth #5 – All Olive Oil is Created Equal
While it would be great if this were true, it just simply isn’t the case. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the top of the line when it comes to oils. Made from the first pressing of olives, and done at temperatures below 85 degrees (cold-pressing) these oils maintain all of the health benefits of the olives themselves.
Other olive oils on the market that do not carry the extra virgin designation are more likely to be altered or mixed with a lower quality oil like canola or vegetable.
