What Is the Best Olive Oil To Use?
Olive oil is extremely versatile. You can use it for cooking a delicious meal, moisturizing your skin, and boosting your overall health.
However, purchasing good olive oil isn’t always easy. There are thousands of different brands out there, and not all oil is created equally.
Keep reading to learn more about olive oil, what type you should be using, and how to select the highest quality oil available.
What Type of Olive Oil Should I Use?
Whenever you’re purchasing olive oil, you want to make sure you select extra virgin olive oil. Bottles that advertise just “olive oil” or words like “light olive oil” are often heavily refined vegetable oils that won’t add flavor or offer any benefits to your health or skin.
Extra virgin olive oil is made by grinding and processing olives. During this process, there are no chemicals, preservatives, or heat added. This means that the oil is of the highest quality available.
There’s a lot you can do with good extra virgin olive oil. Check out More Than Olives for delicious olive oils and other products.
Tips for Choosing the Best Olive Oil
Choosing the best olive oil isn’t always easy. Here are four tips that will help you find the best olive oil to use:
1. Check for a Harvest Date
Unlike a fine wine, good olive oil does not improve with age. You want to purchase fresh olive oil to get the best quality and taste.
Read the label of your oil before your purchase and see if you can find a harvest date. If there is no harvest date, find the “use by” date and choose the bottle with the furthest away.
2. Select a Dark Bottle
Light is damaging to olive oil and can ruin the taste. When you’re shopping for oil, select a brand that uses dark glass bottles. Dark bottles protect the oil from light in a store, during transportation, and in your kitchen at home.
3. Keep Oil Away From Heat
Heat is also damaging to olive oil, so make sure to store your oil in a cool, dark place if possible. When you’re cooking, do not leave the oil container near a hot stove.
4. Shop at Speciality Stores
If you’re looking to invest in quality olive oil, skip the supermarket and head for a specialty olive oil shop, gourmet market, or spice store. These stores carry quality oils from smaller producers. These oil brands are likely more expensive than what you’ll find in chain grocery stores, but they will be of much higher quality.
Get to know the employees at these stores. They are oil experts who get to know every brand and will able to make great recommendations for you.
Learn More About Olive Oil
There’s nothing better than delicious, high-quality olive oil. The next time you’re at the store, keep these olive oil shopping tips in mind to select the best possible oil.
Ensure you check out the rest of our website to learn more about olive oil and get other helpful health and lifestyle tips.