Whether you sop it up with bread or use it as a flavor boost in your cooking,
olive oil is awesome.
But how can something so delicious also be healthy?
What’s the best way to use it?
And why does this bottle taste so funny?
Most of the olives consumed in the world come from this region, where olive trees thrive
in the sunny climate of the Mediterranean Basin.
And olive oil is considered one of the core elements of the Mediterranean diet.
There are hundreds of varieties of olives in the world, basically all of which could
be used to make oil, although producers favor the varieties with a high oil content, you
know, for obvious reasons.
The olives change color as they ripen.
Fun fact: all black olives start out as green olives.
Olive oil is made by crushing fresh olives, pits and all, into a paste, which is then
churned to allow the tiny oil droplets in the paste to combine into bigger drops.
Next the oil is separated from the pulp and water, either by pressing and decanting.
Or by using a centrifuge, which is the most common way..
It takes more than a thousand olives to make just one liter of high quality olive oil.
Lower quality oils may be extracted using chemical solvents like hexane that help to
pull every last bit of oil out of the olive paste.
But the BEST oils are extracted using only mechanical processes.
That’s called “virgin” olive oil.
To get into the even more exclusive “extra virgin” club an oil has to meet some pretty
strict standards for taste, with no flavor defects caused by oxidation, fermentation,
or other reasons.
The “extra virgin” grade is the most flavorful type of olive oil.
It's also the priciest one.
Oleic acid is a major component of olive oil, but it usually shows up as part of a larger
molecule called a triglyceride.
Sloppy harvesting and extraction techniques can lead those triglycerides to break down
into “free” fatty acids, which means higher acidity and a lower grade on the olive oil
report card.
For cooks, olive oil can kick up the flavor in everything from fish to baked goods.
It also works as a healthier alternative to refined vegetable oils.
So what’s so special about olive oil?
When it comes to fats, olive oil is one of the good guys.
It’s rich in monounsaturated fatty acids that pump up the rate at which your cells
pull “bad cholesterol” out of the bloodstream.
That’s the kind that can lead to heart disease.
Greasy French fries can’t do that.
Olive oil is also loaded with antioxidants in the form of plant phenols, plus vitamins
E. Your body uses antioxidants to keep highly reactive molecules called free radicals in check.
When free radicals run wild, they are capable of causing cell damage.
You can actually taste certain antioxidants in olive oil’s peppery notes.
Mmm delicious antioxidants.
Some of that flavor and nutritional content starts to degrade at high temperatures, but
virgin or extra-virgin olive oil can be safely used for frying, sautéing, and even baking
up to about four hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
Beyond that, you’re better off using a refined olive oil or a vegetable oil.
Where extra virgin olive oil really shines is in cold dishes, or foods where you want
its complex flavor to come through.
Like when you’re eating the entire bread basket at that Italian place.
Yes, of course I want more bread sticks.
Thank you.
It’s worth tasting a few varieties to find one you like, as olives harvested at different
points in the season produce different flavors.
How the oil is processed and stored is also important.
As Dan Flynn from the UC Davis Olive Center puts it...
"A really good oil should have a flavor reminiscent of something that’s grown out in a grove.
And it should have this ...
Maybe it’s a grassy flavor or a fruity flavor.
An oil that’s not very good would remind you more of something you’ve stored in your
garage for a long time."
Gross.
Finding the perfect olive oil is a bit like choosing a good bottle of wine.
But Dan recommends focusing on freshness over price tag, because unlike wine, olive oil
does NOT age well.
Kind of Like US presidents.
Light and heat are the natural enemies of olive oil, and eventually even the best oil
will start to taste rancid due to chemical reactions that occur when the oil is exposed to air.
Over time the fatty acids in the oil break down, forming peroxides that decompose into
the aldehydes and ketones responsible for unpleasant flavors and odors.
Think Crayons… or old peanut butter.
The oil’s antioxidant content will decline, too, as those compounds get used up fighting
oxidation on your kitchen shelf.
You can slow oxidation by protecting the oil from heat, light and air -- using a dark-colored
bottle, for example, or storing it in a cool, dark place.
You can also check for a harvest date before you buy a bottle to ensure you’re getting
the freshest stuff.
And try to use it up within six weeks or so to keep oxidation at a minimum.
So that’s how you can enjoy the full effect of healthy, flavorful olive oil in your cooking...
we’ll let you decide whether to add a glass of that other Mediterranean staple as well.
A big thanks to the UC Davis Olive Center for allowing us to visit.
Do you have any other food-related chemistry questions you want us to tackle in a future video? Leave it in the comments.
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