A. Extra virgin olive oil should have the best flavour and aroma, with a maximum acidity of less than 1%. A truly, good extra virgin olive oil naturally has an acidity level of less than half that of 1%, the maximum allowed by law. It can be used for cooking, baking and dipping and on salads.
Perhaps the great Italian chef, Marcella Hazan said it best when she wrote in her classic cookbook, Marcella Cucina that "the taste of a dish for which you need olive oil will be as good or as ordinary as the oil you use. A sublime one can lift even modest ingredients to eminent heights of flavour; dreary oil will pull the best ingredients down to its own level. Partial clues to the quality of the olive oil you are buying are supplied by the label and the price, but ultimately, the only way to determine which one, among those available, is right for you is to taste and compare."

Q. How should oil be stored?

A. If stored in a dark, dry and cool place, the very best extra virgin olive oil can last up to 30 months. An extra virgin olive oil made without the attention and the experience required, will have a shelf life of only several months after opening. It should be stored away from heat, light and air. This is especially important because light sets forth a reaction that prematurely ages the olive oil and exposure to air causes oxidisation. Oxidisation is a slow but constant breakdown that robs the oil of its good aromas and flavours, leaving the oil lifeless and drab as opposed to being fresh and alive. It is easy to detect if an olive oil is past its prime or simply bad, because it will smell of hay, rotten apples or rotten pumpkin.

Q. Aren't all extra virgin olive oil the same?

A. The term extra virgin olive oil only describes oil, which meets the chemical parameters required by law. Unhealthy olives can produce a low quality olive oil that will still meet the necessary chemical parameters to be declared an extra virgin olive oil. Low quality extra virgin olive oils generally have an unpleasant taste that you can easily detect by comparison.

A. Many think that "gourmet" olive oil should be reserved for use as a sauce or on its own, and should not be used to cook. This is simply not true. Premium extra virgin olive oil possesses an incredible capacity to enhance the flavours of your food. During cooking, even at high heat, extra virgin olive oil of quality maintains its capacity to enhance the flavours of your food. A low quality extra virgin olive oil, or any other fat, does not have the ability to do the same.

Q. Isn't cold pressed olive oil the best oil available?

A. To guarantee high quality during pressing, the olives must be store at a temperature that is below 33°Celsius, which is called "cold pressed". For an extra virgin olive oil to be of high quality, it must be cold pressed. Cold pressed is an obvious indication that it needn't be noted on labels. Bear in mind, however, that unhealthy olives can be cold pressed to produce an extra virgin olive oil of inferior quality.