Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook. I’m so glad you’re here!
This week, I’m continuing my Lenten series on foods of the Bible. Last week, I featured bread and this week, I’m featuring olives and olive oil.
Earlier in the week, my article focused on the Biblical significance of olive oil: as a symbol of peace and new beginnings, as an anointment during ceremonies, as oil for lighting lamps. It also highlighted the different types of olive oil: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), virgin olive oil, and “light” or “refined” olive oil, with EVOO being the highest quality with the most health benefits, and, no surprise: the price tag to go with it.
Today, I’m going to devote my column to a discussion of how to, and the importance of, choosing a high-quality olive oil.
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know that I frequently nag my readers on the importance of using good, high-quality olive oil. Because EVOO has strong flavor, it can dominate the flavor profile of dressings, sauces, dips, baked goods and sautes. When it’s off, the dish is, quite literally, ruined.
I know it doesn’t come as a surprise that olive oil can and does go bad and that not all olive oils are created equal. I mentioned in an earlier column that I have what’s known as a “super-sniffer,” and–not kidding–I can walk into someone’s house and know immediately if their olive oil has turned. If you have ever been unlucky enough to be served a meal that employed rancid olive oil, you never forget it: the smell, the taste–it truly ruins a meal.
How does olive oil go bad? The fats and polyphenols in olive oil are sensitive to light, air and heat. When exposed to them, the fat will begin to break down, or oxidize, causing the smell, taste and even the color of the oil to change. Olive oil should have a fresh, fruity smell. When it goes rancid, it will smell like stale, old nuts, wax crayons or even play-doh. I just call it nasty. It will also taste different–sort of musty or maybe a little sour. The oil might even change color.
Is rancid oil ok to consume? Well…most of the sources I found say that it’s probably ok to consume some, but could cause digestive issues. The degradation process of the oil generates what’s known as “free radicals,” which are unstable molecules that can damage healthy cells and tissues. And since that discussion really goes beyond the scope of this blog, I’ll just say–when olive oil has gone rancid, I have no idea why you’d want to consume it anyway–it smells bad, it tastes bad–just throw it out.
How can we protect our olive oil from going rancid? Olive oil has a shelf life–there’s simply no way of getting around it. Most sources say that it’s about 12-18 months after harvest, which makes finding out when the oil was harvested important–the fresher the olive oil, the better. Many producers will give a harvest date on their labels, like this one from McEvoy:
I received this bottle a couple of weeks ago, and given that it was harvested in the Autumn of 2024, I figure I’ve got a good year to consume it. Given how delicious it is, that will not be a problem! So–look for a harvest date.
The next thing you can do is to store it in an airtight container away from light and heat as much as possible. And I know, I know–I keep my bottle at hand and near my cooking surface, too–not exactly away from heat. My suggestion is either buy in small quantity that you can use up in a short time; or, if you buy in bulk, keep a refillable opaque container at your cooktop and store the rest in a cool, dark place.
The tricky part about buying larger quantities is the oxidation factor–make sure the larger container is sealed up tight to minimize oxidation. I buy my olive oil in 500 ml bottles and I generally have only one (maybe two) bottles open at a time, which lasts me three, maybe four weeks at the most. While I will buy my oil a case at a time, I keep the unopened bottles stored in the box in the coolest room in the house. If I do buy a larger container, I still try to buy only what I know I’ll use up in the next few months, which can be risky, but given the price of olive oil, it is more economical.
The last piece of wisdom I’ll give is to try to buy as locally as you can. Here in northern California, it’s easy for me to get my hands on very fresh olive oil because it only has to travel a short distance to get to my house. I’m fortunate to live so near an olive oil producing region, but olives are grown throughout the US. A quick check shows that olives are grown in California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Oregon and Hawaii. I figure the more local we can buy, the better the quality from a flavor and shelf-life perspective it is for us, and the better from a carbon footprint standpoint it is for the environment.
Finally, the very simple recipe I’m sharing today is this one: roasted vegetables with olive oil:
For this recipe, I cut vegetables I pulled from my fridge (in this case, asparagus, zucchini, red bell peppers, carrots and red onions) and tossed them in a mixture of about a third of a cup of McEvoy EVOO, a little salt and pepper and about a tsp each of fresh thyme and finely chopped rosemary. I roasted them at 325* for about 20 minutes and viola! fresh, delicious and nutritious! Enjoy as a side with any protein.
Join me tomorrow when I’ll be sharing a rather wonderful dessert involving olive oil.
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
