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EVOO anyone?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Anybody have any good knowledge of these in general, and/or in regards to health and most particularly blood sugar?
I know some good things about them for health/nutrition reasons and some good things about them for culinary reasons.
What I don't know is which of the dozens and hundreds of kinds to buy! They can cost anything from about six dollars to sixty dollars and even higher per pint! And one has to watch out for fake olive oils, and really poor quality oils that won't deliver benefits, and there's a LOT of criticism of the most popular (that is cheap) supermarket brands.
And then there's the question of, once you open a bottle, how long before it's going to go rancid and you should toss it? I've seen numbers from 30 days, to 2-3 months, and I was talking to a random gentleman in a fancy market the other day, who seemed to know what he was about and was buying some very expensive EVOO, and he said six months. You're supposed to be able to smell or taste it, but I need some examples to learn from - or I've just never let it go that far.
Anyhow, open to any advice, thanks!
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As I understand it, the most potent benefit is to lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol.
The best possible olive oils are first cold pressed and should come from a single source. When the oil comes from 3-4 different countries there is greater risk of poor oil.
If you keep it in a dark glass bottle (out of sunlight, etc), and in a room that doesn't get too hot, it should last a while.
I don't cook with evoo, I use Avocado Oil, as it has a higher smoke point.
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1 ReactionAnd make sure it is organic or from a company that don’t use a lot of chemicals.
Talk to people you know that are using olive oil and ask him what brands they use and why.
Wish you the best, figuring it out
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1 Reaction@dextolen
I have a little avocado oil around when I want to brown or carmelize something, but the olive oil is good for veggies I just microwave, for dressings and for dipping bread. Some people drink a shot of it, but I haven't gotten there, yet.
Another thing they recommend now is they should list the harvest date, and/or the processing date, some come with batch numbers, and even QR codes with even more specific data available online. I've noticed the harvest dates on sale now are mostly 2024, some 2024-2025, and only one lists the months, too, and listed November-December 2025. That was for a California made EVOO and me being in California, this sounds like a plan. Was a bit more expensive but has a lot of good reviews, I plan to try it.
(then there is "unfiltered" oil which some like but it's even more time-sensitive from processing time and also from the time you opened it, likely to go bad circa 30 days, they say)
Who knew there was so much going on with olive oil, well not me, but getting into it, it kind of makes sense.
@minnesota10
I just picked up some Whole Foods 365 brand California, $12 for 500ml, that seems about the going price for a "better" grade. My next try will be about $24, for another California sourced brand. See if I can tell any difference.
I buy a lot of stuff "organic" but it doesn't seem that common on EVOO, a number of growers are close to it but it takes a lot of paperwork to label it "organic" and some smaller places decide its better to focus on the product.