Is Gourmet Olive Oil Worth Spending More Money On?
The other day I was shopping the isles of my favorite market and I came down the isle with the bottles of olive oil. There was a couple arguing about which brand of olive oil to buy. The Husband stated plainly that he didn’t think that gourmet olive oil was worth the extra money as compared to the cheaper store brand. The Wife on the other hand tried explaining why her favorite brand was worth a few dollars more.
For the most part, the few extra dollars you pay for Gourmet olive oils is not wasted. There is a reason why it cost more than store brands.
For one thing, Gourmet extra virgin olive oil is processed pure. This means that the olives are cold pressed quickly after being picked. They are not mixed with other olives and they are most certainly not mixed with other olive oils or oils from nuts or other sources. Generally, like fine wine, a good olive oil producer is known by the quality and taste of their oils. These producers go to great lengths to ensure that their oil lives up to the high standards their long time customers have come to know.
A reason why some shelf brands of olive oil may be cheaper is because it’s not uncommon for mass producers to mix less than high quality olive oil together. This dilutes the quality. Yet, under industry guidelines, this oil may be called “100% pure olive oil”. This can easily trick a consumer into thinking this low quality oil is just as good as an oil costing several dollars more.
If you want the highest quality oil, first look to make sure it is labeled ‘first cold pressed’ and then you want to make sure it’s labeled ‘extra virgin olive oil’. By buying oil labeled in this manor, you’re ensuring that you’re getting the best olive oil that you can, regardless of the bottler.
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