Good Deal on Olive Oil

[FryBoy]

For several years I've been buying Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but recently our supermarket, Von's, which is owned by Safeway, stopped carrying it. After debating whether to buy the Bertolli, I decided to try the house brand because it was incredibly cheap. It turned out to be pretty good, especially for the price.

It's Safeway Select "Verdi" Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil imported from Italy. A two-liter bottle (67.6 ounces) was $14.25, which seemed very odd because a one-liter bottle of the house brand of regular (not EVOO) olive oil was the same price! I thought maybe that was an error, so I checked on line yesterday (www.safeway.com) and found it for $12.25 with $2 off for members of their buyers' club. That's about 1/3 of the price of Colavita or Bertolli EVOO.

And it's pretty good. I was out of Colavita so I couldn't taste them side-by-side, but I tried it on plain crackers. It has a very fresh, clean taste, no off flavors or metallic taste and not acidic. It's on the mild side, but still fruity with a good green-olive flavor. I recommend it, especially for the price, if you have a Von's or other Safeway-owned store nearby.

 

[Gretchen]

Costco and Sam's olive oils are excellent. The brand has changed to Star--it is Tuscan. Costco may still carry their Kirkland brand Tuscan oil also. It is in the square liter bottle. The Star brand is nice because it is a bit spicy.

 

[ChefJune]

FWIW, I think Colavita is a much better product than Bertolli. That said, you can often find great deals as you found out, if you're willing to experiment, and if you have some idea of the taste you like in evoo.

I've been buying the 3-liter tin of 365 EVOO from Whole Foods. At $20 for that size container, it's a steal! The olive oli is a blend of oils from Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco.... but the taste is terrific. AND. lots of oils that SAY Italy may just be imported from there, and not produced there. As well, Italian olive oil is not necessarily BETTER than that from other countries, we've just been advertised into believing that it is!

If I had a Von's or other Safeway store near me, I'd be giving your new hourse brand a try! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[FryBoy]

I agree about Colavita and Bertolli, and about Italian oils -- like Italian wines, they are very good on average, but range from awful to stupendous. California is making some great olive oil, but it's too expensive for everyday cooking.

I'll give the Whole Food's brand a try when Von's comes to its senses.

 

[ChefJune]

Most of the California olive oil I've enjoyed is too expensive for cooking, but I love them for salad dressings and drizzling / finishing a dish, especially fish!

McEvoy Olive Oil from Petaluma is one of the best evoo's available anywhere, imo.

 

[college_cook]

I use house evoo for everyday stuff... but on a dish where I'm pulling out all the stops I break out my Bertolli

 

[ChefJune]

imo Bertolli is an "everyday" oil. If I'm pulling out all the stops, I use McEvoy, or a small production Italian, Provençal, Spanish or Greek oil.

 

[jennyema]

I find it hard to use Colavita anymore because it is too bland for my taste. I do keep some on hand when I need the oil to be bland, though.

I use a variety of oils I get at Fairway that are a bit $$ but taste lucious. I am using a nice Spanish one right now. They sell oils from Italy, Australia, Spain, Greece and California. Like wines, each is quite different and enjoyable. Plus you taste before you buy.

I also use Greek oil called Sitia that I get at Titan Foods.

 

[vagriller]

The Farm Fresh near me has a great selection of oils. I have not really paid them any mind as I wasn't running low. For years I have used the Bertolli light (it says its for sautéing on the label) because when I first started cooking that seemed like a good idea. I've just used the same stuff out of habit. It is very timely for me that this thread came up! I will have to see what brands Farm Fresh has.[FONT=&quot]
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[Robo410]

many house brands are quite good. many are blends of oil from several countries. check out the lables. I found a great one from Turkey called Lio. nice and fruity. Pompeian is from Spain, a leading producer of olive oils...also very nice. I do like the Costco Tuscan.

 

[Gretchen]

Just my opinion, but "light/lite" olive oil is just not there for me. I use EVOO for everything I do. It's all in the flavor. and OO's come in all kinds of nuances. Delicious.

 

[vagriller]

Just my opinion, but "light/lite" olive oil is just not there for me. I use EVOO for everything I do. It's all in the flavor. and OO's come in all kinds of nuances. Delicious.

That occured to me over the weekend. The fact that I was missing out with my olive oil! I am a creature of habit. Also the "light/lite" doesn't refer to fat content. It's just about taste.