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Do you have a great Olive Oil to recommend?


Ginevra
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I like the California Olive Ranch brand because it's one of the few in my price range that I can be sure is 100% olive oil because of you know... regulations... in CA. I'm sure there are more gourmet ones, but I can buy it at several local grocery stores including Walmart. I think it tastes very good. 

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I am in an olive oil club.  This is so decadent to me.  I get three olive oils every quarter.  Probably they are ridiculously overpriced, but dang it is fun, and I LOVE olive oil.

They come with recipes, which are awfully good.  And they are always very good and very fresh-tasting.

OMG!  I never heard of such a thing!  I can see giving that as a wonderful gift for some otherwise hard-to-shop for relatives.  A quick google search showed me several clubs.  Which one are you in?

 

TIA,

 

Vicki

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America's Test Kitchen has some info on it https://www.splendidtable.org/story/americas-test-kitchen-finds-a-lot-to-love-about-premium-olive-oils

 

Side note: America's Test Kitchen really gets me with their thorough research and comparisons - so many things I didn't know I need/want!

 

They also concur with California Olive Ranch as a good supermarket option. 

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I may be misinformed but I seem to remember that CA has strict guidelines what can truly be labeled as olive oil. So if you get olive oil harvested, bottled and labeled in CA, you should (in theory at least) get the real thing.

 

Chaffin Family Farm is a good source among several others: http://www.chaffinfamilyorchards.com/farm-products/extra-virgin-olive-oil/

 

California Olive Ranch is a good choice as well.

Here is another, more specific option: http://shop.weolive.com/

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I am in an olive oil club.  This is so decadent to me.  I get three olive oils every quarter.  Probably they are ridiculously overpriced, but dang it is fun, and I LOVE olive oil.

They come with recipes, which are awfully good.  And they are always very good and very fresh-tasting.

 

That is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard.

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If you have Bountiful Baskets near you, my favorite has been from them.  It's not offered every week, it's an extra that's offered a few times a quarter, but it's really good.

 

I've read that Costco's Kirkland's Organic EVOO is widely the best quality for the price - cold pressed, tastes and smells like olives, and is the largest brand that has routinely tested as 100% real and not cut with cheaper oils. 

 

Here's an article about brands that seem to be okay & those that should absolutely be avoided: http://lifehacker.com/the-most-and-least-fake-extra-virgin-olive-oil-brands-1460894373

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I am in an olive oil club.  This is so decadent to me.  I get three olive oils every quarter.  Probably they are ridiculously overpriced, but dang it is fun, and I LOVE olive oil.

They come with recipes, which are awfully good.  And they are always very good and very fresh-tasting.

 

The things I learn here! It never occurred to me that such a thing existed. (Very cool gift for foodies.) The Hive is an education unto itself.

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Trader Joe's has a California olive oil in a tall, skinny, round bottle. It has a nice, subtle peppery bite that doesn't choke me in the back of the throat. I like it on salads and DH loves it on popcorn. There are some stores around here that sell nothing but oil and vinegar! You can go in and sample.

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I was happy to see this thread.  Most olive oil tastes rancid to me.  I have been using Wegman's store brand, no idea where it comes from but it's been fine, but not great.  I've tried several others, including from Trader Joe's, and haven't liked them.  Thanks to this thread, I've got a reason to go to World Market (fun store!) tomorrow to pick up some California Olive Ranch oil to try. 

 

:-)

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For everyday olive oil, I also use California Olive Ranch. It's delicious and decently priced. 

 

For the good drizzling stuff, I go to a local oil and vinegar store in town. They have delicious oil and really fun and yummy balsamics.

 

A few years ago, I read a really interesting book on olive oil, called Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. I switched to California Olive Ranch after reading it.

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I did buy not one, but two versions of the California Olive Ranch oils today (Mild & Buttery; Rich & Robust), along with a decadant flaked salt and aloaf of round Italian bread. I tried both, first with no salt, then with the salt flakes. Man, oh man, that is yummy! I think I prefer the Mild & Buttery one, but they are equally good.

 

That salt is brilliant. I also had with dinner fresh tomatoes sliced from my garden, with the flaked salt and shreds of parmesan cheese. I ate too much salt. But it was good. But now my tongue hurts, lol!

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I've been getting olive oils from CA too. I heard somewhere that the oils from Italy may not be true olive oils because of the mafia and counterfeit oils. Strange. I thought I'd just bypass that altogether and buy from Cali.

 

If you could get to Italy where the olive orchards are, it would likely be great but importing oils and bottling oils leaves (evidently) a lot of room for diluting the olive oil with other - often rancid - oils.

 

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