Imagine a world without the rich, fruity taste of olive oil in your cooking. A world where bland, uninspiring flavors rule the kitchen. Sounds unappetizing, doesn’t it?
But what if I told you that finding the perfect olive oil for cooking is like striking culinary gold? That by discovering the right oil, you’ll elevate your dishes to new heights, unlocking a world of bold and enticing flavors.
Have you ever wondered why your grandma’s spaghetti sauce tastes so much better than yours? It’s the secret ingredient, that splash of extra virgin olive oil she pours in at the end. With its unique and complex flavor profile, it’s no wonder why olive oil has been a staple in kitchens for centuries.
But with so many options on the market, how do you know which one is right for you? Don’t worry, I’ve done the heavy lifting and tasted my way through countless bottles to bring you the crème de la crème of the olive oil world.
Get ready to take your cooking to the next level with the best olive oils for cooking.
How To Choose The Best Olive Oil For Cooking
Firstly, it’s important to recognize that all olive oil is not created equal.
Depending on the climate in which the olives grew, the soil type they lay in and when they were harvested – the color, aroma and flavour can vary dramatically.
For additional scientific information about olive oil check out this informative article on olive oil.
How Will You Use The Best Olive Oil
Next we can start to choose our best olive for cooking by deciding what we are going to cook and how we will cook it:
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is the highest grade of olive oil. This type of olive oil is made from the very first pressing of the olives. It has a very strong “full bodied” taste. It is without a doubt the best thing to dip bread in or dress a salad with. While it can be used for pretty much all types of cooking, there are times when the strong flavor will overwhelm the dish.
- Olive oil. This is often branded “pure olive oil”. This doesn’t have the same strength of taste and it’s perfect for frying, roasting, etc. when you want a little taste of the olive oil in the dish.
- Extra-light olive oil. The “light” isn’t about calories it is about the color and taste of the finished product. When you use olive oil but don’t really want much of the flavor to transfer to your food or you just want a mild flavor – this is the way to go.
After that, it’s time to consider the origin of your olive oil.
The Origins Of Olive Oil
Each specific location will offer something different to the taste of the oil. For example, we know that Spanish cuisine whilst very tasty doesn’t tend to be overwhelmed with oil and that’s because a Spanish olive oil is very mildly flavored.
It’s hard to buy American for olive oil as more than 99% of it is imported though there is some grown in California.
We tend to prefer Italian olive oils as our best olive oil for cooking because they have quite a bit of bite.
Cost of The Best Olive Oil
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the cost of your olive oil as a factor in the purchasing decision. As with pretty much everything, the more you pay – the better the quality is likely to be.
A “single source olive oil” (that’s one where all the olives come from one place) is the most premium offering and can be extremely expensive.
However, the best guide is this – don’t buy any bottle of oil that seems to be a lot cheaper than the equivalent oils around it. This is almost always an indicator that’s it’s not great. The best olive oil for cooking in your home is going to be within your budget.
Olive Oil Bottle Size
Our final note is that olive oil keeps for about a year when you don’t open the bottle but once it’s open it only lasts for 6-8 weeks at its best.
So, buy the right size for your consumption and never buy too big a bottle.
The Best Olive Oil For Cooking
Our choice for one of the best olive oils for cooking isn’t cheap but it is absolutely brilliant.
It’s the Pianogrillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italy. It’s a Sicilian offering which has a very distinct good olive oil taste. You can’t go wrong with it. It may be the best extra virgin olive oil out there.
You can check the latest price of the Pianogrillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Once you’ve chosen a good quality olive oil it’s time to start cooking! For recipe ideas check out our best cookbooks article for tons of recipe ideas.