TIPS RE OLIVE OIL

Buying and storing olive oil (FOUND ON AOL)

Before baking with olive oil, here are tips on buying and storing the fragile oil.

• Unlike wine, olive oil loses fruitiness and flavor as it ages. Buy oils the closest to harvest as possible. Use olive oil within 12 to 18 months of purchase.

• Be suspicious of labels that do not include a harvest date or a “best before” date. Unfiltered means oil as it came out of the processing tank, with solids that will sink to the bottom of the bottle. Although filtered oils can be top-notch, unfiltered oils often are more flavorful.

• Estate-bottled means the olives were grown on the same property where they were processed and their oil was bottled.

• Organic oils are grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

• Light, heat and air are the enemies of oil. These elements turn oils rancid.

• The best storage containers for olive oil are made of either tinted glass or a non-reactive metal, such as stainless steel. Avoid other metal and plastic. Containers also need a tight cap or lid to keep out unwanted air.

• Experts recommend storing the oil at 57 degrees, the temperature of a wine cellar. But any temperature under about 70 degrees will be fine. If your kitchen gets hotter, it’s best to refrigerate the oil.

• If you need to store oils for longer than 18 months, stick them in the freezer. Frozen olive oil retains its flavors and health properties.

Learn the different grades of olive oils

Olive oils, obtained by pressing tree-ripened olives, are graded according to degree of acidity. Here are descriptions of various grades of olive oil:

• Pure olive oil: An olive oil that has been filtered and stripped of much of its flavor and color. It has up to 3 percent acidity.

• Extra-virgin olive oil: The highest class of oils, these must, by regulation, contain less than 1 percent acidity. They must be mechanically, not chemically, produced, and are never subjected to heat during production. Milling and oil extraction occur within 24 hours of the olive harvest. These oils come in a wide range of colors, flavors and textures.

• Virgin olive oil: These oils range in acidity from 1.5 to 2 percent. Because of their less distinctive flavor, they are less expensive and a good choice for baking.

• Light olive oil: Contains a low amount of extra-virgin oil in the mix and up to 3 percent acid. Light does not mean lower in calories but, rather, less flavor.