What's a good brand of olive oil to sauté with?

[Stevie]

What's a good brand to sauté with? I've read that extra light is best. Your opinions?

[Andy M.]

I guess it all depends on who you ask.

Mario Batali uses extra virgin for everything. Other will tell you to use a lower grade to save money and because lower grades of olive oil have a higher smoke point.

I choose to keep only extra virgin around and have had no problems. I keep a less expensive brand that I like for most cooking uses (not for deep frying) and a better brand for non-cooking uses such as dressings, garnishes and such.

[Erik]

I use Extra Virgin for my olive oil. I always stock up when it's on sale. Sometimes you can find it at a dollar store!!!

[GB]

When it comes to olive oil, I use extra virgin for everything. I found one that I really like a lot at Trader Joes and the price is great so I have no problem using if for things that others would want to use a less expensive oil for instead.

[Ishbel]

I only use extra virgin - but I don't 'cook' with olive oil very often - I tend to use it in garnishes and dressings.

I have been lucky enough to go to Italy on combined business/pleasure trips for the past 10 years or so, and manage to pick up a few bottles whilst I'm in Tuscany or Liguria.

Otherwise I buy from here - my favourite shop in Edinburgh
http://www.valvonacrolla-online.co.u...lla.storefront

[Leaf Storm]

I use extra virgin olive oil for most cooking but use other oils if it is called for sure as peanut oil for stir fry and sunflower oil for very hot oil or where the strong flavour of olive oil is not needed. I have lots of different oils that I keep here for different usage :)

[jennyema]

I use extra virgin for everything.

"Extra light" olive oil seems like an oxymoron to me.

[Otter]

I use Bertoli Extra Virgin.

[DampCharcoal]

I bought one of those big honkin' 3 liter cans of Fillipo Berio Extra Virgin for 23 bucks at Kroger and as much as I use it, I think I might have accidentally gotten myself a year's supply. I'm thinking about making bottles of olive oil infused with hot peppers, herbs, etc. Any idears?

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by DampCharcoal

I I'm thinking about making bottles of olive oil infused with hot peppers, herbs, etc. Any idears?

Infusing oil with FRESH herbs, garlic, peppers, etc. is ok if you keep the infused oil refrigerated and use it w/in 10 days to 2 weeks. Otherwise, it's an environment ripe for Botulism. It's NOT a long term thing.

Infusing with DRY herbs does not present the same botulism risk.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

[kitchenelf]

stevie - I too use the Extra Light Bertolli for sauteeing because of the lack of flavor it has - I don't want an olive oil taste in everything. I also will use it for some salad dressings etc., for the same reason. A strong olive oil taste can be the downfall to a good salad dressing. And the the light you still get the same health benefits.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by kitchenelf

A strong olive oil taste can be the downfall to a good salad dressing.

I think it's all a matter of taste, really. IMO an assertive tasting extra virgin olive oil is the key to a delicious salad dressing. With only limited exceptions, it's the only thing I'd use.

I sautee almost exclusively with a really good, tasty extra virgin oilive oil, too. I can't think of much that its taste does not improve (of course there are exceptions here, too).

There are no rules about what oils to use. It's a matter of taste, a matter of personal health considerations, a matter of budget, etc.

[kitchenelf]

Yea Jenny - oh boy, I can think of one of those exceptions - I made a ginger dressing one time and didn't have any vegetable or peanut oil - it was NOT good! LOL And a stir fry comes to mind that I did once - just didn't want that flavor (I can't remember the brand of olive oil - that could have had something to do with it - it was just too strong and it probably was the brand or maybe it was just rancid).

But my olive oil is handy at all times - I go through it fast. I have had several friends say they just don't like the taste of olive oil - so I turned them to light olive oil - they loved it.

[jennyema]

I absolutely agree with those exceptions. Ginger sez to me "asian" and never EVOO with asian food. I did have a roommate who insisted on "stir frying" everything with olive oil, red wine and red wine vinegar. We always "studied late" when it was her turn to cook. :?

And I agree that lots of people don't care for assertive tasting EVOO. Me, I do. I am not a big fan of "grassy" tasting oils but I adore buttery ones, and even more, strong peppery ones. I have a few bottles I bought in Italy that are so good that I only use them on really good fresh salad greens with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

To each, his own, as they say! :D

[kitchenelf]

I would love a bottle of a good Italian olive oil - I'm jealous!

Yea, the ginger dressing was pretty bad - but everything was chopped and ready to go and the rest of the dinner was in the works - lesson learned :oops:

[Stevie]

Thank you all for your replies :)

[Chef Cyril]

That's a big thinks in kitchen " oil"

Just you should try many, many oil...And you can feel nothing is the same !

Virgin, extra, AOC, so differents !

We got so many types of taste, the base should be normal for "sautée" and the other one " fruity" for cold, salad, etc...
Arround that's you can make different teste in normal oil...Just take 200 gr of garlic in 1 liter of sunflower oil...infused that's during 6 hours at 80°c.Teste it, alone in a good mix of salad with just on top some cheese !

Also, you can make curry oil, basilic oil,all teste you like...Not only olive's

Have a good time, arround you kitchen !

[Haggis]

I generally use plain olive oil for marinating where other flavours in the marinade are quite assertive. However in something like souvlakia I would use a more assertive and peppery extra-virgin olive oil since the oil is one of the main characters.

I also like to have a bottle of a more fruity extra-virgin olive oil on hand since I believe it goes better with most salads (though of course there are exceptions).

[norgeskog]

I exclusively purchase Trader Joe's brand of nearly every item for my kitchen needs.

[ironchef]

Originally Posted by jennyema

Infusing oil with FRESH herbs, garlic, peppers, etc. is ok if you keep the infused oil refrigerated and use it w/in 10 days to 2 weeks. Otherwise, it's an environment ripe for Botulism. It's NOT a long term thing.

Infusing with DRY herbs does not present the same botulism risk.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

Also, if you're going to infuse oil with say, rosemary and ancho chilis, make sure that the rosemary and chilis are completely submerged in the oil at all times. If any part of the herb or food item is sticking up out of the oil, that is the part where the bacteria will grow.