Olive Oil

Maggie Nemser, over at Yahoo!’s new Shine Foods, wrote an interesting post yesterday about expensive olive oils.

The verdict: they’re pretty much unnecessary.

For everyday cooking, you’re better off using the cheap grocery-store brand extra virgin olive oil (Note: I part ways with Maggie here – I don’t recommend using canola for anything other than deep frying. Olive oil has a lower smoking point, but you’ll rarely cook at temperatures where that is a problem in the average consumer kitchen).

That said, the expensive, cold-pressed olive oil is sort of like a good bottle of wine. There are even expert olive oil tasters, and you can go on olive oil tasting tripsin Napa Valley. A truly excellent bottle of olive oil has rich, distinct characteristics that are best appreciated in a simple meal: a good bottle of wine, a small loaf of freshly baked bread, and a sliver of baked brie…mmmmmmmmmmm

(Side note: if you have thyroid problems you may want to stay away from canola oil since some brands contain glucosinolates that can act as a goitrogen))