Jared Eats World

In most of my recipes, I call for “GOOD” Olive Oil. In this post, I’m going to explain what MY definition of “GOOD” Olive Oil is.

Throw out everything you know about what you think regarding Olive Oil. Grab your cheat sheets and books, your olive oil bibles, your mass produced grocery store olive oil, and throw it in the trash. You know, that thing we put our garbage in. Ohh, and for god-sakes… stop calling it “EVOO”. Really. There’s no need for that. In fact, unless you’re a hoarse-spoken celebrity host on TV… you should never repeat the words “EVOO” ever.

We’re going to start with the basics: Olive oil comes from Olives. Olives come from trees. Trees are in the ground. Got it? Good.

Before you get inspired by this post to leave your house, go to your local Green Acres and purchase an Olive tree with the intention of “growing your own olive oil”… I have a few warnings for you. First, Olive Trees are messy. If you don’t pick all the green olives off the tree, they ripen, turn a purplish color, fall to the ground, and proceed to stain every little bit of your nicely cleaned property. Second, it takes a lot of Olives to make Olive Oil. More than you could ever grow. Unless you have a 400 acre ranch… then you’re fine. Please ignore this paragraph.

Now, unto this phrase we here in America call, “getting smart”. In these next few paragraphs, this is where “getting smart” might happen. If you need to sit down, that’s fine. I’m just warning you. There might be some educational growth after reading the following.

In the USA, we do not adhere to the IOOC. What is the IOOC? Get more information here: International Olive Oil Committee It’s pretty much the governing body on Olive Oil Quality. Europeans take their Olive Oil seriously… as they should. We here in America just purchase great quality “Star” Olive oil and call it a day. (I’m kidding. Star Olive Oil eats my ass).

Here is a simple trick on knowing if an Olive Oil is good or not: If you can remember it being in a commercial, or an advertisement… don’t purchase it.

When things are grown here in the USA, we have to adhere to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Please see paragraph number three, on where Olives come from. The United States gives 4 levels of Grading for Olive Oil. Grade A, B, C, and D. Obviously A is the best, while D is the worst. I could explain in depth how they break things down, but I don’t care. If I posted them, you’d stop reading. That’s how much fun working for the USDA is… You make guidelines all day long. Long, drawn out, stupid, boring guidelines.

If I were you, I’d focus on the most important and best tasting Olive Oil; Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It does everything. The only draw back, it has a very low smoke point. Once again, if I describe smoke point, you’ll stop reading. Just Google the terms you don’t know. It’s faster for us both.

Tasting Olive Oil is just like drinking wine. The taste varies from varietal, location, farmers, and how they extract the oil from the olive. Each oil is different. If you find an oil you like, stick with it. I have my favorite oil, and I’ll tell you about it later.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil should have an earth flavor. It should taste like grass and pollen. You should be able to taste the dirt, but not actually taste dirt. If there is actual dirt in your Olive Oil, you have problems. If you take a tablespoon of olive oil, sip it… and you don’t make some sort of face, it’s not good oil. Good olive oil pairs with everything. Loving the taste when the oil stands alone takes appreciation, time, and understand of where the olive came from.

There are two types of oil I use. One is “green” olive oil, the other is regular Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I use green when making salads, or adding to dishes that need a “finish”. Green olive oil is high is Chlorophyll and has an extremely grassy flavor. It doesn’t hold up to heat very well, that’s why I never cook with it. I don’t like the burn taste that it leaves. If you’re a fan of burnt toast, then I suggest you cook with it.

The only type of Olive Oil I use is Bariani Olive Oil. Not only are they local, but their oil taste like Italy. What does Italy taste like? Bariani Olive Oil. Its the closest thing you’re going to get to Mediterranean Oil here in the states. Did I mention it was local to California? It’s a bit more expensive than normal oil you purchase from the store, but it’s worth it. Trust me. You’ll never use another oil again… unless you move to Italy, then I can see the reasons for switching. They also make amazing Balsamic Vinegar, but that’s a whole different blog post.

Now onto the important stuff: Caring and Storing for your Olive Oil. Never purchase olive oil in a clear glass bottle. Just like beer, light KILLS all the flavor. Make sure the oil is in a dark bottle. Something that can reflect light. In cases where you have to purchase oil in a clear bottle, store it in dark cold area of your kitchen. A cabinet definitely works. Just make sure you move your cookies out of the way, or eat them. I prefer the latter. In fact, cookies make you fat. You shouldn’t have them in your cabinet to begin with. Although, Oreos are pretty good. Once again, that’s a whole different blog post.

Hopefully you learned a few things about Olive Oil today. If not, then you just wasted 5 minutes of your life reading this… I’m not going to apologize, because deep down… you liked it. So, throw out all of your old, boring, non-local, and crappy olive oil. Spend a few extra dollars and buy the good stuff. It’ll completely change your culinary world.