Sometimes when we’re at the shop standing in front of hundred of olive oil bottles deciding which one to choose we think which one is the best? Is the green one better than the yellow one? Or is the one with bits more flavoursome than the one without bits? WHAT SHOULD I DO??! I just want an olive oil to add to my salad bowl…!!!
Well, olive oils are very difficult to assess once they are bottled. Usually the best way to know if the oil you want is good is by tasting it, of course when we’re buying it in shop or in the supermarket we don’t have the leisure of asking the shop manager to let us try the oil before buying it, so here are some basic recommendations you can use to help you make a decision.
1) In reality a good oil should not have a “best before date” older than 18 months from the date bottled. This is because the oil has to be new never from a previous year.
One of oil’s worst enemies is light. Olives contain chlorophyll which is a great preservative and antioxidant but quite bad for the preservation and quality of the oil if exposed to light. Exposing chlorophyll will transform the antioxidants making the oil go from green to yellow very quickly. Some olive oil producers add synthetic chlorophyll to “hide” this effect, so try to go for a green olive oil.
2) When choosing an oil place the bottle against a source of light for a few seconds. This will tell how clean or not the oil is and its real colour. Oils can be either filtered or unfiltered. Some oil producers prefer to leave the oil unfiltered as these “bits” make the product more flavoursome and with a stronger olive taste but this process makes the “best before date” even shorter. Sometimes though these unfiltered results are not purposely made by the producer but the result of a bad filtration process which leaves nasty flavours resulting in a bad quality oil. It is also important that you don’t buy an extra-virgin olive oil yellow or brown as this indicates a badly preserved product.
I hope these simple are helpful the next time you’re in the supermarket wondering what olive oil should you choose. Any questions leave them in the comments below!
Also check out my quick guide on Which is the Best Olive Oil for Cooking and Save Money in your Shopping
HAPPY COOKING! 🙂
