How to Identify Genuine Olive Oil - 7 Best Shopping & Storage Tips
Do you want to change your current
cooking oil to olive oil? Read on to find out how you can choose the correct
grade of olive oil to maintain good health. Despite the recent hype over olive
oil, it is not a new product; it has been in use for centuries and its healing
properties were well-known.
Olive oil is also used for perform
rituals and other holy purposes by certain religious sects. By replacing your
present cooking medium with olive oil, you can visibly see a change in your
well-being.
1. Cold-pressed
When you read the label of the olive
oil brand, look for the phrase “cold-pressed.” This means that heat has not
been used to extract the olive oil during crushing, thus avoiding the dangers
of degradation of the oil into harmful constituents, and increase in
impurities.
2. Heat or chemical
free
The best and the cleanest way to obtain
oil from olives is the mechanical method, without the use of heat or chemicals.
3. Flavor of the olive
oil
It is a common mistake to think that
green olive oils are better in terms of taste than yellow olive oils. In fact,
the color of the olive oil has no bearing on its flavor or quality. The taste
of the olive oil is the best indicator of its quality. Lightly-colored olive
oil can be of superior quality as well.
4. Light or diet olive
oil
There is no such as “light” or “diet”
olive oil. Lightly-colored olive oil is not a low-calorie variant. Olive oils
labeled “light” have most probably been treated with chemicals to suppress its
smell and taste, and alter its acidity level and color.
5. Dark glass protects
the olive oil
Olive oil that comes packaged in a clear
container or a plastic bottle should not be purchased. Containers made of tin,
ceramic, or dark glass protect the olive oil from light and prolong its shelf
life, while retaining its quality.
6. Harvesting date
Discard olive oil that has been lying
around for a year or so since it has reached the end of its shelf life. Ethical
companies include the date of harvesting on the labels of their olive oils.
Sometime, however, the date on the label does not indicate the harvesting date.
Instead, it shows the date of bottling. It is useful to remember that the
harvesting time for olives is between October (in warm places) and March (in
cold places).
7. Color of the olive
oil
The difference in the color of olive oil
occurs due to the varying concentrations of chlorophyll present in the olive
when they are harvested. Olive oil can be light straw, dark green, or
yellow-gold in color. The color of the oil does not affect its quality.
Instead, the procedures used to manufacture the oil and store it have the power
to harm it.
