3 Tips for Buying Olive Oil.  The dilemma: you’re standing in the grocery aisle and looking at dozens of brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  You’re confused.  Which one do I choose?

 

1. Choose EVOO in a tin or dark bottle or in packaging that shields it from light and oxygen. The packaging should protect the oil. Never buy in plastic. Plastic is porous, which allows oxygen to pass through the bottle and degrade the oil.
2. Look at the label carefully to see where the olives are from. Buy oil from a single country. Look for the producing country’s seals of certification/authenticity (COOC from California, DOP from Italy, Portugal, and Greece, DO from Spain, AOC from France.
3. Check the harvest date. If there is not a harvest date, do not buy it. If there is only a use by date, there is a chance the producer may have put two different years of the harvest in the bottle. Olive oil is good for 18 months from its harvest date; once opened, use it within 60-90 days.

Best advice:

• Have always at least two EVOO’s (or several): one for all purposes and one for drizzling.
• Ask a trusted retailer or know your producer. 
• Taste the oil and ask yourself: “What do I personally like?” Do I prefer a mild/delicate; medium; or intense/robust extra virgin olive oil.

And remember: The enemies of olive oil are: light, heat, time, air and – I always add one more – untruthful labeling.

See Flavor your Life article