❶ How To Choose The Right Olive Oil

Olive oil is the most valuable product in cooking and cosmetology. Much is known about its beneficial properties, however, only high-quality oil will have a beneficial effect on the body. Taste, color, smell, special labeling: all these characteristics will help you make the right choice. Location: Location:

A healthy and effective Mediterranean diet is able to fully heal the body thanks to only one olive oil, which is present in large quantities. Its properties have been known for many centuries. However, it is necessary to know how to choose olive oil, as a poor quality product is unlikely to benefit.

The key point when choosing: olive oil should be unrefined, obtained by cold pressing. By the way, the technology of pressing has hardly changed over many centuries, because it is this method that ensures the safety of all useful ingredients.

In the store, take a close look at the olive oil label. The best product is made in Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Israel and Cyprus, so it is better to refuse oil made in other countries.

A bottle of real unrefined olive oil must be labeled "virgin" (or "vierge" in French and "vergine" in Italian). If this term is preceded by the word "extra", it means that the oil was produced as a result of the first cold pressing at a temperature not exceeding 27 degrees.

In addition, on the bottle you can see the DOP mark (denominacion de origen protegida). Such an inscription indicates that this product comes from a separate geographical area, intended specifically for the cultivation of olives and the preparation of oil on site. There are not many of these areas, and manufacturers can indicate the name on the label.

If the word "extra" is absent, then this fact indicates that the olive oil is made using a simpler technology and therefore it is of slightly lower quality. However, such oil can be used for culinary purposes.

As a rule, unrefined olive oil is not fried; it is used only in its pure form and as a base for salad dressings. If you still need oil for frying, choose refined olive oil. Of course, it is practically devoid of all useful properties, but when heated, unlike many other vegetable oils, it will not emit dangerous carcinogens. On the label of such oil you will see the designation "light olive oil".

Manufacturers often mix refined and unrefined oils, labeling the label with the phrase "pure olive oil". Such oil is tastier than refined and also suitable for consumption cold, although it lacks healing properties.

Olive oil ranges in color from deep green to light golden, and can be equally natural. The color is influenced by the variety of olives and the nuances of their processing technology.

Connoisseurs unmistakably determine the quality of olive oil according to its taste - intense, rich, aromatic and slightly tart. Any chemical, sour flavor is a red flag.

The acidity of the olive oil is equally important, i.e. the content of oleic acid in it. For Extra Virgin oil, it should not exceed 1%.

The easiest way to find out if you bought a product is to put it in the refrigerator. In the right olive oil, a white stearic precipitate will certainly appear, and in some cases the contents of the bottle will completely lose their fluidity. The oil will quickly return its properties at room temperature.