Is your olive oil extra virgin as the label says?  It might not be. There has been a lot in the media lately on this particular topic.  Did you read the article in the December issue of Cook’s Illustrated?  How about the 60 Minutes report on Olive Oil in Italy, did you catch that?  If you have been keeping your eyes and ears open, you probably have heard that the Italian Olive Oil that we commonly purchase is not always Extra Virgin.  That’s right!  A lot of the Italian Oil is rancid.  According to the 60 Minutes report, any where between 75 to 80% of it is bad.  People in the industry know this. I just didn’t know that it was the Mafia that was involved in this rip off.

Many of my friends ask me to tell them which oils are the best.  I would always try to steer them away from the Italian ones but it was hard for me to come right out and say that their everyday oil from Italy is probably bad or will soon be for sure.  It’s hard to say that Italian oils are bad because there are so many wonderful oils from there.  If you have ever been to Italy, you know that their food and olive oil is outstanding but it’s what they send to us that is not always of good quality.

So, how do you know that you are buying something of good quality?  How can you tell? That’s exactly what I cover in my Olive Oil Tastings.  I show you what to look for when purchasing.  I tell you some of the qualities that make a good oil.  AND I teach you how to taste oils so you can distinguish, somewhat.  That’s what I do.  I taste oils for sensory analysis.  It’s through the human senses that one can distinguish if the oil is extra virgin or not.  It takes hours of training but I give you an idea of the most common defects found in oils.

I love doing this.  I present for about an hour and then, we all taste oils.  When it’s a small setting of 10 or 15 people, I encourage everyone to bring their olive oil from home so that we can taste them, too.  It’s great fun!  I believe that everyone leaves knowing more about this healthy food.  I dedicate myself to educating others because I have always considered myself a pretty good home cook but I didn’t know the difference between olive oils. I just bought Italian ones.  I use EVOO in just about every meal I make.  I was so taken aback when I found out some of the facts of the olive oils that I trusted, I feel I have to share with everyone I can.

If you would like to learn more or find out about that bottle of oil in your pantry, just contact me. I am now booking Olive Oil Tastings.  I am in Northern California.  Please contact me through this website if you are interested.

Happy Tasting!