Digi Bits

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Types of Olive Oil

If you love gourmet cooking, then you probably cook with olive oil. To most great chefs, olive oil offers the best tasting and highest quality oils on the market. There are three different types of olive oil sold today. Most cooking fanatics enjoy their olive oil just like they enjoy their wine.

The three types of olive oil are Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Virgin Olive Oil, and Pure Olive Oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is based on acid content and does not necessary determine the quality of the oil. Extra virgin olive oil is made from green olives and has an acidity level of less than 1%.

Virgin olive oil is also made from green olives an acidity level of 1.5%. Believe it or not, that is all that separates these two types of names- the level of acidity.

Pure olive oil is also made from green olives and is commercial grade. Where the other oils are pressed this oil is made by refining the entire olive including the pits.

To those who love to cook and are looking for the perfect olive oil, it is important to experiment and do some research on the best types of oils available. As with wine, the taste can be complicated at times and you may find that you are using different oils for different dishes. Bon Appetite.