It depends a lot on your flavor preferences and your bread choice.

Out of the Pompeian bottles, if you want something really intense and herbaceous, go with Robust EVOO. It has the pungent, richer olive flavor, and it's especially good with sourdough, artisan wheat breads or rustic country loaves.

If you want something gentler, go with Smooth EVOO, especially if you want the bread's texture and subtle sweetness to stay present.

Whatever you choose, warm or lightly toast the bread before serving. Best case, you've got freshly baked bread that's still warm.

Which do you go for, robust or smooth?

Start by looking for the words "extra virgin," then consider the quality marks and the flavor description.

Quality seals. The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) Quality Seal is one helpful example. Olive oils carrying it, like Pompeian's, are tested and must meet the International Olive Council standard.

Harvest and best-by dates. Look for a harvest date or "best by" date stamped on the bottle to tell you about freshness. For everyday shoppers the best-by date is the practical reference, so you know when to use your bottle and, with proper handling, when it's still fresh.

Flavor language. This makes the choice easier when a product clearly identifies a style.

Producer standards. Certification seals show an independent organization has evaluated the oil against defined purity and quality requirements. Pompeian also brings its own process, with olive growers, oil craftsmen, quality professionals, and master tasters, and has earned three ISO certifications for environmental management, traceability, and quality processes.

What do you check for when you're standing in the aisle?

Consuming two tablespoons (about 30 ml) of extra virgin olive oil daily is a wellness practice designed to deliver a concentrated dose of healthy fats and antioxidants directly to your system, without the heat degradation that can happen during heavy cooking.

The predominant fat in olive oil is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. It's linked to reduced inflammation, lower LDL cholesterol, and a better blood vessel lining.

You also get an antioxidant boost, as EVOOs are loaded with polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory properties too.

To get the most out of this routine, many reach for an early harvest EVOOs, as the olives are pressed before they fully ripen and retain the highest concentration of polyphenols, giving that robust peppery flavor profile.

Have you ever tried taking a spoonful of olive oil?

Since olive oil and water don't mix, I can't see the point of doing this. One or two drops sitting on top of the water surface can't possibly coat all the pasta boiling underneath. But still, I know plenty of people who do.

The European Commission approved this extra virgin olive oil from Emilia-Romagna as a Protected Geographical Indication this week. The production area falls inside a UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 2023. The Commission describes the oil as having "very low free acidity levels, with medium fruitiness, bitterness and pungency intensity."

Has anyone here tried it?

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The most popular olive oil overall in the U.S. is Maryland-based brand Pompeian, according to data from Instacart that was shared exclusively with Food & Wine. Pompeian has been in business since 1906, and although its olive oil was initially made in Italy, production has since shifted to the U.S.

After Pompeian, familiar names Bertolli and Filippo Berio ranked second and third place, respectively, among the most-purchased olive oils in America.

All three of these top-selling olive oil brands offer a range of products in grocery stores. If you opt for the least expensive olive oil from each brand, you’ll likely be purchasing a fat that features a blend of olives from places like Italy, Spain, Greece, California, and South America. However, if you want olive oil from a single source, each brand offers that too, though at a higher price.

If anyone's not familiar with it, you put the pan on medium heat with a thin layer of oil and watch it. When the oil looks looser, starts moving in slow ripples, and the surface gently shimmers, you're roughly in the 300 -350F range, which is about right for sautéing and pan work.

A little edge of bubbles when you slide in a piece of onion or veg is a good sign. Continuous smoke is not. Turn it down and give it a second if that happens. Once you add food the temperature drops fast anyway, so you're not sitting at that peak heat for long.

Do you use it, or just eyeball it? Or do you go for the full thermometer?

I got creative and wanted to “infuse” my olive oil with garlic. Saw my dad do it but added balsamic vinegar. Little did I know, he is playing with fire, a fire called botulism.

Maybe yall know this, way smarter than me, don’t know, but this seems like an easy mistake for a newbie getting into fermentation and having a great idea like me, and this is all I want to point out.

You can actually die from your “inspired” ideas with fermentation. Always research first, don’t go by gut feeling LOL

Anyways, I’m fine. But I did eat the oil about 6-8 hours after it was submerged. Google says spores start producing the botulism toxin basically immediately once oxygen is cut off.

I only noticed that my oil was bubbling in the jar the next morning. I thought hmm… beer?

Oh no. Botulism.

So a lil googling had me thoroughly terrified. Just wanted to share my stupidity. Enjoy!

EDIT: Holy Oily Guacamole! This blew up!

TLDR: HEAT KILLS BOTULISM. Around 250F (don’t trust me. I’m a random guy on the Internet DYOR) Raw garlic mixed with just oil is perfect breeding ground for botulism as the ph is high enough and the no oxygen environment is what triggers the spores to turn on and produce the neurotoxin.

My dad adding the vinegar lowered the ph enough to make it unsustainable for botulism to grow, but that’s very sketchy because if you add too little amount of vinegar, the ph is not lowered to a safe enough level and BAM! you got yourself some poison. Thanks Dad!

🌈 the more you know

some extra virgin oil will solidify, but that’s really not an indication of the quality and purity of the oil. Extra virgin olive oil might freeze due to traits of the actual olives, including the climate, harvesting time, location and latitude of the specific olive grove they were picked from.

In fact, both high- and low-quality olive oil can freeze when exposed to cold temperatures, so that’s really not the best way to judge the quality of your olive oil at all.

Refrigerating EVOO will cause it to eventually lose its antioxidants and polyphenols. For that reason alone, it is strongly recommended to store it in a cool, dark place (like a pantry) rather than your fridge.

Eat This, Not That! asked culinary professionals which olive oils they keep in their own kitchens. Here's the list.

Oro Bailén Reserva Familiar Picual - Spanish, bold and peppery. Green notes, noticeable bitterness, best used raw over vegetables, legumes or bread.

Castillo de Canena Reserva Familiar Arbequina- Softer and fruitier, less bitter. Works well with fish, vegetables and vinaigrettes.

Olitalia Extra Virgin - Used in restaurant kitchens for sauces, ravioli fillings and focaccia.

Pompeian Extra Virgin Smooth - Everyday multi-purpose olive oil, mild flavor, adaptable enough for cooking and uncooked applications such as dressings and dips.

World Market Greek Extra Virgin - Made with Koroneiki olives from southern Greece. Lightly fruity, works for vinaigrettes, marinades and sautéing.

Williams Sonoma Crushed Lemon EVOO - Olives crushed together with fresh lemons rather than infused after. Good for dressings, pasta and seafood.

it's got a bright and balanced taste profile, Hojiblanca olives grown and bottled in Málaga province, so it should be great for finishing salads, bread, drizzling over grilled veg or fish.

If you've tried it, what did it go well with?