585948 Wed Jan 07 12:12:47 -0800 2009 17 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4304761 I recently heard on a NPR radio program that the majority of imported Extra Vrgin Olive oil is diluted anyway where.on Long Island can I get the real deal or what brand can be trusted.???????Awhile back I had purchased a Lebanese EVO in a clear gallon (or 3 litre) clear bottle.It was good .Thanks Wed Jan 07 12:12:47 -0800 2009 11065 scunge 1 4304876 i use olive oil with everything!! even as my lotion now! its so great for your skin as well Wed Jan 07 12:41:25 -0800 2009 4304761 245995 grabtrees 1 4305017 Your posting made me start to wonder. So I did a rather down and dirty search on " Extra Vrgin Olive oil is diluted". While I found pages of information, most of them where linked/based off of one story which was written by one company. Which was selling their own product. Same with a few other sites as well. Did find some interesting information on olive oil in general. Do a search and check it out yourself. Wed Jan 07 13:16:33 -0800 2009 4304761 151970 Jon1856 2 4789539 Wikipedia tells the whole story under "olive oil." I also read a major article from the New Yorker and many international stories on olive oil fraud. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=olive+oil+fraud&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1 Sat Jun 20 03:00:15 -0700 2009 4305017 1082387 riverwalk 1 4306767 fairway has excelent olive oil, believe its about $18-20 for a 1.5 liter approx...but its excellent and does not taste diluted at all Thu Jan 08 06:10:33 -0800 2009 4304761 174745 missmar79 1 4307194 As far as dilution goes, Cooks Illustrated tested supermarket level oils, and while they found quality overall (i.e., taste/hedonics) was not great, dilution was not an issue: "Having read reports of the fraudulent adulteration of mass-market olive oils with cheaper oils such as soybean or hazelnut, we sent our samples to an independent laboratory for analysis. All were confirmed to be made only from olives." http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=9812 Thu Jan 08 08:31:52 -0800 2009 4304761 116345 ChefBoyAreMe 1 4307278 According to Cook's Illustrated, they did not find dilution in supermarket level EVOO: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=9812 Taste and hedonics was anther question, however. (Under the Fair use doctrine http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html "How much of someone else's work can I use without getting permission? Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. " ) I believe I can post this excerpt as commentary: "...we sent our samples to an independent laboratory for analysis. All were confirmed to be made only from olives" Thu Jan 08 08:50:26 -0800 2009 4304761 116345 ChefBoyAreMe 1 4562124 I attended an olive oil tasting and I could definitely taste the differences between different brands. This has been confirmed by Cook's Illustrated and other publications. Having said that, I've also read that foreign producers feel that Americans are not as sophisticated as counterparts in Europe so the oil sent to us is of lesser quality. Thu Apr 02 14:33:23 -0700 2009 4304761 100812 jayjay 2 4562180 I personally find the greatest differences to be between "first cold pressed" and others which are not from the first pressing. The first pressing gives an extra virgin olive oil that tastes very fruity - like olives. I use this first press for salad dressings if I want that fruity flavor or as a last drizzle over pasta. The rest of the time I use regulat extra vigin. Buy a small bottle of first pressed and you will definitely taste the difference. ALso look for oils that are kept in cartons or containers which are not see through. You wouldn't believe the damage to flavor that light can do. Look for Rienzi Gold -Extra Virgin - First Cold Press. It is in a cardboard-like container (1 liter) with a shiny goldish tint. It tastes like liquid olives - delicious! Thu Apr 02 14:50:32 -0700 2009 4562124 268902 westchesterdiner 2 4641114 I had the opportunity to taste wonderful Spanish olive oil during my travels to Andalusia. Luckily, my daughter lived in El Puerto de Santa Maria and I was able to get some very tasty oils from the region. Now that she's moved away from Spain, I miss my favorite oil, Venta Barone. Wed Apr 29 20:15:45 -0700 2009 4610703 22801 bkhuna 2 4645915 Olive oils all taste different - they are very much like wines. The best, of course, will be the first cold pressing but they will also come from a particular field, during a particular season, at a particular year. Like wine, they will be controlled and labeled with this information. And like wine of this calibur, will be expensive. And unlike wine, do not age well. These oils will range from spicy to fruity - one is not better than the other - and be used according to their characteristics. These oils come from all over the world and each has a lovely, unique personality. A daily use extra virgin olive oil is likely a blend from various oils across the world. The goal is to have a standard, consistent flavor so this is not a bad thing. They will be less expensive and accessible - they have their uses. Later presses will lose more and more of the olive flavor. The final press is heated and so cooks the oil changing it into something else entirely. Olive oils diluted by other types of oils will taste different - less like eating an olive. These will be cheap and have little or no use. If someone wanted canola, they would have bought it! While others may disagree, the only olive oil to use is extra virgin. Vary the quality of the oil but not the first press. Do even get me started on 'lite' extra virgin olive oil. Fri May 01 11:19:27 -0700 2009 4562124 155034 alwayscooking 1 4612001 I don't think EVO is diluted but it might be blends or a mixture of oils from different countries. The ultimate decision is yours. If you like that taste then it's the best for you. In a Consumer Report test a while back, they rated Goya as one of the best. I tried it and I like it. I've tried store brands from Trader Joe's and Stew Leonard and found them very good. Mon Apr 20 12:26:15 -0700 2009 4304761 81649 JohnAM 1 4637500 Has anyone tried the Coldani Olive Ranch .5 L Calivirgin Olive Oil? The product information on the site seems intriguing, although it will be hard to pay such exorbitant prices with the quantity of olive oil I use. Tue Apr 28 18:25:28 -0700 2009 4304761 283595 pestopower 1 4789565 http://apollooliveoil.com/stones.php is the link that goes below at the end about California. Sat Jun 20 03:31:13 -0700 2009 4304761 1082387 riverwalk 1 4852467 Since I read the story about adulterated Italian olive oil, I have switched to Greek olive oil. I have found a brand that tastes good, and that I can afford. I pick it up in a local upscale grocery. I also understand that Spanish olive oil is good, and not blended with oils from all over, or adulterated. I am glad to know that testing has not found traces of adulteration. Sun Jul 12 20:36:18 -0700 2009 4304761 134265 sueatmo 2 5053357 I have read so many bad stories about olive oil being a mixture of different oils. One bad story is that there is no law about oil processed in Turkey and then shipped and packaged to Italy and then the olive oil can say product of Italy. Maybe a good bet would be buying from a California oil company that produces fresh, small batches. Wed Sep 23 15:35:19 -0700 2009 4852467 1111495 daveyd 3 5072547 It all depends on your food budget, and how much oil you consume. I use olive oil daily. If I had to purchase from California, I don't think I could afford it. I went to an upscale grocer and found Tassos, a Greek cold pressed extra virgin oil. I like the taste very well. I buy smallish bottles which I keep in the fridge, so it doesn't turn rancid. (If you buy regular olive oil, I don't think it matters where you keep it, but I might be wrong there.) If it is convenient, you might visit such a local grocer to see what oils they carry. And you can try Trader Joe's, although I had trouble finding a consistent brand to buy when I did this. I'm with you. I refuse to buy olive oil packaged by a conglomerate. Thu Oct 01 11:14:36 -0700 2009 5053357 134265 sueatmo 4 5164639 I have found that Trader Joe's President Reserve from Italy is a great every day EVOO and at a good price. On the bottle it tells you where the olives are sourced, and it guarantees that the olives are all from Itlay and that the oil is 100% olive oil. For the price, you can't beat it (for everyday use). Sun Nov 08 04:38:19 -0800 2009 5072547 268902 westchesterdiner