Olive Oil Name Your Favourite

[flipkeat]

After reading that the Barefoot Contessa uses "Oilo Santo" on her cooking show..I wanted to give it a try..I found it at Williams Sonoma here in Toronto...it's a good choice for me. What's yours?? I would like to give something else a try for everyday cooking.

[kirinraj]

I use Bom Dia brand olive oil from Portuga. You can find it at Portuguese grocieries

[dijon]

any 3L tin of EVOO (sorry) for less than $20, makes my day, and usually quite good, doesn't bother me to pay more though, i'd love to do a tasting.

[Das Ubergeek]

I actually tasted several olive oils at Michael Chiarello's "Napa Style" store in South Coast Plaza and it was certainly new to my palate. Some of them were quite good, and some of them, though expensive, were truly awful.

There is also an olive oil store in Fashion Island in Newport Beach (near LA) whose name escapes me, with a lot of fantastic oils, but so expensive!

[globalgourmand]

I do the same for my cooking oil. The 3L EVOO tins, especially when on sale take care of 95% of my cooking needs.

[Sean]

Ravida

http://www.ravida.it/ravida-extra-vir...

[jmckee]

I LOVE Alziari from France. Love it, love it, love it. Love it.

[MMRuth]

I just got my first bottle of that a couple of weeks ago - lovely.

[jmckee]

Did you get the big blue and gold tin? It sure dresses up the kitchen.

It makes an outstanding mayo. I'm going to try my first aioli with it later this month.

[Fritter]

The Tuscany estate EVOO at Costco. I've compared it to bottles costing 3x as much and it stands up very well. An incredible bargin.

[amyzan]

IF you like grassy notes in your olive oil, that is! Which is not to say I don't, but I always tell people on big boards like this something about the flavor of the Costco Tuscany evoo. Many Americans aren't accustomed to that soon after harvest flavor that's so popular on the west coast. Not saying anything disparaging here, just offering info.

[modthyrth]

I've been happily buying olive oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ for about two years. It's the olive oil that Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco uses, and is a truly wonderful product. As a bonus, it's too hot here in AZ for the olive mite, the nasty bug that plagues most olive harvests. I know there will always be *some* bug content in commercially produced foods, but the incredible volume and prevalence of that olive mite grosses me out.

Going to their facility and tasting all the oils and olives and tapenades they produce is a real treat. I've never tasted olives as amazing as these. I'm currently in love with their blood orange olive oil--it adds an incredible punch to shrimp tacos and grilled pork tenderloin marinades.

http://www.queencreekolivemill.com/

[ibsteve2]

Would anyone know what Columela Artesano is compared to the regular. It is listed as unfiltered on the internet sometimes but looks too clear for that. Also Gourmet Garage has a house brand EVOO the is quite yummy for around $10.

[BJE]

what is a good spanish olive oil?

[ishmael]

I really like Columela ( Spanish) very rich and fruity with little to no bitterness

[Das Ubergeek]

Mallafre. It's 100% Arbequina... and boy howdy, is it GOOD.

[BigSal]

I am in love with Nunez de Prado Spanish olive oil. The sweet smell of the oil is intoxicating. The delicious, fruity smell is so inviting when cooking potatoes for a tortilla espanola.

[FAL]

Asaro Brother's Extra virgin olive oil. From Sicliy ( Hard to find out of the NYC area)
Sasso 100 % pure olive oil
Coluchio's Virgin Olive oil

[feelinpeckish]

Martinis Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the liter size is my preference for an all around olive oil (cooking, dipping, dressing etc) and is available from Trader Joe consistently and other common vendors from time to time.

[flipkeat]

Great!! Thanks everyone..I've made a list to give a few new ones a try!!

[funkymonkey]

For salads and dipping bread in, i like Stonehouse from San Francisco, but i also recently bought a recommended olive oil on chefshop.com and it's wonderful. i can't remember the name of it, and i can't find it on their website now, but i can certainly vouch for their recommendations!

[meganw]

In Toronto, check out "Oliviers & Co" in the First Canadian Place underground. I first found this shop in Seattle, and happily discovered in on my last trip to TO. It's just past the LCBO on the left - can't rememer the name of the food court. They also have an olive oil tasting bar and lots of different varietals to choose from. Also try their aged balsamic - expensive, but worth it!

[kobetobiko]

This is an Oliviers & Co store at Grand Central station in Manhattan. It is right next to the gourmet market in the terminal, above the food court.

[ben61820]

ive used lots of DaVero, Colavita, and probably a lot of the other usual suspects, but recently i keep buying (and loving) BIONATURAE extra virgin. excellent stuff. i only use it raw tho, almost never heat it. i guess occasionally if i ovenroast some fennel or something. in sauteing i always use extra virgin coconut oil (which, btw, i heartily recommend for taste and flavor as much as for health benefits).

[ChowFun_derek]

What country produces BIONATURAE? Do you get it at a "National" store?

[ben61820]

i get it at pretty much any somewhat 'healthy' store here in NYC. i bionaturae is from Italy. i think they also produce a line of pasta but i havent tried that.

[ChowFun_derek]

Here is the website for Oliviers & Co.... they have quite an extensive collection, and stores worldwide (Including here in S.F. on Fillmore St.)
Thanks for the heads up!

http://www.oliviersandco.com/index.asp

[scuzzo]

Coconut oil for health benefits? Isn't it super high in saturated fat? The bad fat?

[amyzan]

There is some disagreement now about the conventional wisdom on coconut oil. I believe there's been discussion of the topic on the Home Cooking board? I could have the board wrong, maybe you could google it up. Anyway, my understanding is that cold processed (or expelled in traditional methods) coconut oil has mostly medium chain saturated fats, which aren't used in the same way as long chain fatty acids in the human body. It also doesn't have the trans fats in partially hydrogenated tropical oils. Mary Enig has written about the subject if you're interested in further reading, scuzzo.

[kobetobiko]

I usually buy DaVero (the brand used in Batali's restaurant) and custom blend from Despana.

[nyfoodjoe]

I love Manni olive oil....expensive, but worth it...peppery, beyond belief

[Bengaliwife]

I Like the taste of Da Vinci Extra Virgin.

[jmckee]

This is a good all around oil for a supermarket brand. I bought it on recommendation of a friend, and now we're never without it.

[tonina_mdc]

I'll have to see if our grocery store carries that. I live at least an hour away from the nearest store that would carry anything better, so my options are pretty limited.

[Nom De Plume]

I'm not sure how widely available this is outside of Greek-oriented stores/neighborhoods, but there's an organic Greek olive oil called "Bio-Sita" that is one of the tastiest I've found. It's about $8 for a sizeable bottle, and works well both raw and in cooking.

[amyzan]

There's a Moroccan olive oil that I can't quite recall the brand name. It's two words, and I think they both start with M, mahjoub is one of them? Anyway, it's fabulous, or was a few years ago when I tasted it. I've been unable to find it in date here in KS. Only Dean and Deluca carries it, and the bottles they have are very near out of date, so I'm reluctant to spend $25 for around 8 ounces.

ETA: I found it online, and it's Tunisian, Moulins Mahjoub. http://www.rogersintl.com/Olive_oils/...

[the word yes]

i'm a big fan of morgenster out of south africa. http://www.morgenster.co.za/

[bluesman13]

flipkeat,

I used to think all olive oils were the same. At Williams Sonoma, they have an olive oil tasting bar. I suggest going there and trying as many od the olive oils as you can. I couldn't beleive the difference in flavors between the choices. I think you'll find out pretty quickly which ones appeal to your palette.

[flipkeat]

Thanks for reminding me about that...You're right..next time I'm in there I'll try a few.

[Den]

If I'm heating or sauteing with the oil I use a regular brand like Colavita. If I'm using it as a dressing or not heated I use Montenidoli.

http://www.montenidoli.com/olioe.htm