EVOO Recomendations

[blacknoir]

I found an awesome Italian market that sells almost everything I need. The problem is their EVOO selection is too good.. I don't know what to get.. so I thought I'd look for some recommendations and then see if they carry them.

-Shay

[texassourdough]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

I currently have three good to great Italian oils in my pantry (plus Costco's house EVOO which is shockingly good but below the three)

Among the best of the more commonly available Italian oil is Lucini. It is in glass. Forno Bravo sells Il Frontoio which is superb and might be in the store. It is in a can. Ditto Fattoria San Donato.

As an aside, I also have Yellingbo Gold from Australia which is also excellent.

An interesting factoid is that clear bottles are NOT good for EVOO is light sensitive. Better to be in a box or can. If you need to shoot blind, look for oils in cans or bottles in boxes. Some of the better oils have harvest dates (Yellingbo does for example). You want a young oil. (Experts tend to want it less than a year old and some are buying Australian oil in the US summer and Italian in the winter in order to get fresh oil!)

Cloudy oil is not a guarantee of quality but SOME of the cloudier oils can be really fruity and awesome - great for dipping and finishing. The shop should be able to help you with that and they should have at least some of the oils available for tasting. And I would ask them for about their tasting policy.

Good Luck!
Jay

[cynon767]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

For domestic oils, I'm a huge fan of Bariani. Very fruity, rich, lots of spicy/peppery flavors. Intense.

[splatgirl]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

One thing to ALWAYS look for FIRST is that the label says "FIRST COLD PRESSED" because not all EVOO is but it's definitely what you want.

I go through a lot of EVOO here, and I think the Costco stuff is fine if a little boring. If I need one that's more intense for something that's really, really depends on the EVOO flavor, I use something pricier/fancier.

One place you'll find a lot of different varieties of EVOO that are cheap enough to try is at Homegoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx, as weird as that sounds. I've had some from there that have been pretty amazing, but you can't bank on ever being able to get them again. Also, IIRC, Cooks Illustrated/Americas Test Kitchen did a taste off a couple of years ago that was extremely informative. Poke around the net a bit and you may be able to find that.

[RTflorida]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

I'm a fan of the Lucini that Jay mentions, good flavor but not too intense. I tend to use on/for everything. The big plus for me is the fact it is readily available at Publix Supermarkets here in FL.....which I am in at least 3 times a week.

The Forno Bravo oil is REALLY good, my problem is I use so much...it is a pain to have to order and wait for its arrival so I end up just buying the Lucini because of the convenience. Luckily, I'm in need of Caputo flour.....so a can of oil will soon be on its way as well (sure hope James has it in stock)

RT

[samiam]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

One of my personal favorites is Piccolo Molino - Dolce Verde Extra Virgin Olive Oil - if your store carries it, give it a try.

[papavino]

Re: EVOO Recomendations

I've got a gallon can of Piano del Principe that I picked up for just under $23 that seems to be pretty good. I've only cooked with it a couple times, but I like it.