What You Need to Know About Shopping for Olive Oil

Ingredient expert Jack Bishop shares tips for buying extra-virgin olive oil.

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[Rdasboss]

the california is great, its like oh olive oil is supposed to have a taste, and the peppery notes take you by surprise

[christinebeirne]

I’m Greek descent - so I use a lot of olive oil, I tend to buy it in a 3 liter can. I usually buy mine at the Greek market. I like Iliada Kalamata Olive Oil. Greeks like different olive oils for different purposes. During lent when no animal products are allowed, they make baklava with olive oil. But for me, the Iliada is the best all-purpose. I wish they labeled olive oils here like they do in Greece and Italy - with the acidity level on the label.

[georgianawhite]

I've been a fan of Test Kitchen for a long time and am grateful for the many, many tips and the volumes and variety of information you present. Thank you.

[aaron]

What would be nice is a demo of both what to get and what NOT to get. Show the brands in the hall of shame.

[davidgatzen]

One of the biggest labeling things to watch out for, that Jack did not mention, when buying olive oil is when the bottle has Olive Oil Blend written on it, most of the time it is a blend of olive oil and a less expensive oil, like soybean oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, or safflower oil. Usually what they do is they write "Olive Oil Blend" in big letters on the bottle, and then you have to get a magnifying glass to read "Blend of Olive Oil and Soybean Oil".

Another example of deceptive labeling I saw was a label on Iberia brand "Premium Blend" Olive oil. They wrote Sunflower Oil & Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a dark green label, and they wrote Extra Virgin Olive Oil in gold colored letters, and they wrote Sunflower Oil in black lettering which made Sunflower oil difficult to read against the dark green label.

[slowery]

I have used the California Ranch brand since it came out. Love the taste

[HendersonHinchfinch]

Costco’s Kirkland olive oil is really solid, especially considering the price

[lynnglidewell]

With so many choices on the shelves in stores it's good to know Jack's tip about only purchasing ones in dark bottles to avoid light. Also explaining the harvest date. Not buying one more then a year old or older.

[phylisparsons]

I so enjoy these short little videos. They are so helpful and informative. Thank you.

[motoscro]

California Olive Ranch, 100% California. Not too expensive and great flavor.

[Hearts]

Thanks, Jack-- this was a quick and helpful lesson in olive oil shopping. Thanks! I needed that 👍👏

[SwannOG]

Enjoyed this even though had already been buying for these very reasons what is good oil.'
Would love to see from you folks more common food options where you convert from frying to oven baking for more heart and diabetic friendly recipes.

[choimdachoim]

I disagree about oil in cans...I use 101 ounce cans of Partanna and Mr. Papou's because they both have strong, enjoyable flavor. It's hard to not just drink the stuff.

[jase_allen]

Jack and ATK changed their tune a bit on EVOO. I recall just 2 years ago when Jack said it was a "very bad sign" if the label listed a bunch of different countries of origin. They said California Olive Ranch brand was their winning choice partly because back then it was sourced from and bottled in one single region. It's why I pay more for COR's "100% California" oil instead of buying the cheaper "Destination Series" oil.

It's fine if Jack and ATK change their mind about traits they think we should be looking for in a product, but at least address why they changed their mind. Why is it now okay to buy oil that is blended from several different sources when it wasn't advisable just 2 years ago?

[Conmezzo]

The California brand is well-deserved. The olive oil I buy at Greek festivals always have amazing flavor.

[thisis.michelletorres]

I love California Olive Ranch, but not the "Destination Series." They do still have a version that's made from 100% California olives, and I buy that instead!

[lightdark]

The cans of olive oil can be delicious. Get them fresh, from a store that moves a lot of them.

[metamii]

Checking my olive oil harvest date ASAP

[DarinMcGrew]

We've never expected "light" olive oil to have fewer calories. It's pretty clear that it's light tasting. We use it in recipes that call for "vegetable oil" where we don't want a lot of olive oil flavor. We use extra virgin olive oil when we want the flavor (and where high heat isn't going to destroy the flavor).

[dougfrith]

I use Bertolli. It consistently gets high marks, and it’s available everywhere.