Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cold-pressed from ripe olives without heat or chemicals, this is the oil that Mediterranean cooks have reached for first, every day, for thousands of years.
What It Is
Extra virgin is the least processed grade of olive oil. It is made by pressing olives and nothing else, which keeps the flavor grassy, faintly peppery, and bright. That peppery finish you taste at the back of your throat is not a flaw. It is a sign of quality.
Olive oil has a moderate smoke point, somewhere around 375 to 405 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it ideal for sauteing, roasting, and low to medium heat cooking. It is also genuinely excellent uncooked, where its flavor can actually be tasted.
What To Do
Use it as your everyday cooking oil for vegetables, eggs, fish, and pasta. Drizzle it over finished dishes: a bowl of hummus, a plate of roasted carrots, a piece of grilled bread with a pinch of flaky salt. It does real work there.
For dressings, whisk it with lemon juice or vinegar in roughly a three to one ratio of oil to acid. Store at room temperature away from direct light and use within a few months of opening. Heat and light are the enemies.
