What Do You Know About the Different Olive Oils on the Market?

How adventurous a cook are you? Do you enjoy experimenting with new recipes and methods? Are you the first of your friends to try new crock pot recipes or to use an interesting oil? Wanting to learn more about olive oils?

Cooking with olive oil is very popular. Olive oil tastes good and is healthy for you as well. However, some folks are terrified of the large amount of oils they see at the market. I know the feeling well. Standing in front of the many different shelves containing everything from pure to refined to extra virgin and plain old everyday virgin...who knows what to buy! This does not have to be the case however. It is possible to learn the basic elements of olive oils so you can choose the right one from the oil department.

Seriously, there are a ton of different flavors, colors and brands of olive oil available. Why so many anyway? Olive oils come from different places around the world, and depending on the area and climate of where the olives were grown, the oil will have its own characteristics.

Before you go shopping, let's look at some of the different basic types of olive oil:


Light and extra light oils are usually a lower grade of olive oil because it tends to be a mix of different olive oils. Light does not refer to the caloric value or fat content, but the lighter color or flavor of the oil. Light or extra light olive oils are good for cooking or when the olive flavor is wanted.

Extra-virgin olive oil is given that name when it contains a one percent or less acidity value and cold pressing of the olive. Many olive oil brands state that they are 'virgin' or 'extra virgin' but usually the claim falls short of reality.

Virgin olive oil is created from olives that are riper than those in extra-virgin. This type of olive oil is made using the same process as extra-virgin, but the acidity value is a little more than one and a half percent.

Pure olive oil is most often considered a commercial oil made by pressing the olives twice or other extraction process. This type of olive oil is lighter in color and hasn't much flavor.

The basic olive oil types briefly described above will give you some points on the type to purchase from your local market and maybe get your 'experimentation gene' going with different flavors and kinds of oils for interesting quick and easy recipes. Many wonderful recipes can be found online that incorporate olive oils from around the world. Enjoy!