Olé, olé, olé olive oil #2

The most common grades of olive oil as defined by the IOOC are:

1. Extra virgin
Any olive oil with less than 1% acidity and produced by the first ‘pressing’  without using heat or chemicals (aka cold press) is classified as Extra Virgin. There are better and worse ones – flavour, color and consistency differs due to the olive variety, region of farming and the weather. Much like wine. Due to it’s good flavour, it’s the best to use for salad dressing and meat drizzling.

2. Virgin
Virgin olive oil is made in exactly the same way as Extra Virgin – but from slightly over-ripe second grade olives. The result is a slightly higher acidity, making this the next best oil to consume and cook with.

3. Refined Olive Oil
When Virgin olive oil has defects (acidity higher than 3.3%, poor flavour or a not so nice smell) it is chemically refined to make it edible (pretty much tasteless). This is Refined olive oil.

3. Pure
Pure refers to the fact that an oil is made from only olives. Pure olive oil comes from the second cold press and is generally blander and lighter in color than virgin olive oil. It’s the best grade of olive oil to use for frying as it has a lower smoke point than Extra Virgin or Virgin olive oil.

4. Light and extra light
Despite its attractive name, olive oil labelled Light or Extra Light doesn’t have a lower number of calories (sneaky). It’s actually not even usually 100% olive oil, and is a mixture of refined olive and other oils that would be poisonous if not chemically treated. It has a bland flavour due to excessive processing, and is to be avoided.

5. Pomace
All you need to remember about olive Pomace, is not to eat it. It’s the most chemically altered olive oil out there, so put it in your bath, or on creaking doors, but not in your belly.

Olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats. It contains a good ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids and lots of polyphenols. These are wonderful little anti-oxidants that help prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Regular consumption of olive oil also boosts the metabolism. No wonder Hercules was such a strong healthy guy, his clever Greek mom probably had him on the stuff from birth.

Finally, we thought you’d like to know that olive oil can be used to replace butter, for healthier baking. Here’s a simple conversion chart:

Liquid gold, indeed.