I use extra virgin olive oil for some cooking - where taste matters, but never knew what to look for.
Several years back, we did a taste test of brands and styles found in my grocery, and settled on one that was good, but they no longer stock it. Now I need to look for a new one but still have no idea what to look for, so what do you look for?
I used “Philipo Berio” brand robusto. I don’t know if that’s considered good but it tastes good to me and has a reasonable price. My grocery still carries the brand but not robusto and the other styles don’t have as much flavor.
Apparently robusto is not a thing, since no other brand uses that nomenclature, so what can I look for to find one with a strong flavor? How can I find a “good” brand without spending a lot? Is there a price sweet spot, like with wine?
You use whatever you like, and what tastes good for you. If you’re concerned with authenticity of the source, just search around a bit.
Honestly, you really only want to use olive oil in certain recipes where the flavor actually comes through, or raw. Ignore all the terrible recipes sites that use it in EVERYTHING. Don’t use it for frying anything, for example. It’s got a low smoke point, and you want a more neutral oil with a higher smoke point for such things.
Also, Costco’s more expensive olive oils are pretty good.