OLIVE OIL
In the last few years, some claim that cooking with Olive Oil is toxic. I disagree with this new trend for various reasons, which I write about in Nine Servings of Vegetables. You can read more at pp. 126-127
In the meantime, I reached out recently to Emily Lycopolus, a Olive Oil Sommelier, from Victoria British Columbia, asking her what olive oil would she recommend for cooking and here is what she said:
In the meantime, I reached out recently to Emily Lycopolus, a Olive Oil Sommelier, from Victoria British Columbia, asking her what olive oil would she recommend for cooking and here is what she said:
It isn’t always easy to find an good olive oil off the shelf. Always buying in dark green glass, and finding a harvest date (not an expiry date or bottling date) as well as a varietal of olive (Picual, Arbequina, Croatina, etc) listed is your best bet to ensuring quality.
For cooking - it’s actually really important to cook with extra virgin, because it isn’t chemically refined, it can actually help prevent free radical damage in our bodies and the oil is better integrated as it’s absorbed in what we are cooking too, making it easier for our bodies to digest, instead of sliding through when we use it in a salad, or other topping/dressing. Not cooking with quality olive oil is probably the number one myth that’s spread in the culinary industry.
As for specific groves, feel free to check out my website where I review different olive oils and give suggested uses.
Please check out Emily's website if you want to buy good cooking olive oil and read some of her own reviews.