I have a different questions that relates to the safety questions here. I have a jar of artichoke hearts in the fridge, a big jar from Costco. I've had it for months. It contains both oil and vinegar, and the oil sits in a pretty thick layer on top of the artichokes and brine. Should I be worried about safety, because the oil is creating an anaerobic environment underneath? I've been eating these sporadically in uncooked pasta sauce with no ill effect. Now I want to bake them inside some turnovers to bring to the ALS fundraising walk in my city. Of course I don't want to put strangers at risk, especially not sick strangers. Should I throw out the artichokes and stop buying big jars? If I buy new artichokes, can I assume a newly opened commercial jar is safe, or should I forget the artichokes for this potentially immune-compromised population? Melissa

It was regular plain filtered olive oil - the mildly flavored kind. I like to use it when I want oil without olive flavor. I did think about cold, but the bottles weren't cold - it was fairly warm in Sacramento that day. I did wonder if the bottles could have been exposed to cold or some other condition during shipping and the clouding had stayed even though it wasn't cold any more.

My absolute favorite is Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil. That's what I use when I want olive oil flavor, whether it's in a salad, sauce or even in cooking. For most cooking, I'll use a "light" olive oil and I'll buy ALMOST whatever's on sale. I usually stick with, in order: Bertolli, Pompeian (which my grandmother used almost exclusively), Filippo Berio. I've bought plenty of gourmet and/or imported olive oils and it's hit and miss. Some good, some bad, rarely great. By the way, a current study showed that the difference in the smoking point of extra virgin olive oil versus "light" olive oil is insignificant. I use light olive oil in cooking not because of the smoking point but because most foods don't stand up to extra virgin olive oil. I like the flavor of extra virgin olive oil but when I cook fish, I want to taste fish (and the same with chicken and eggs and etc.) I rarely use any other olive oil for cooking (except peanut oil for Asian foods). I have a bottle of "vegetable oil" in the refrigerator but I may use a few tablespoons every few months, if that. For those of you who don't use a lot of olive oil, buy a good bottle and store it in the refrigerator. It gets cloudy and thick but no big deal; do as some of the others here do and pour a little bit into a nice bottle for your cooking area. Joe

rhome, I forgot you were cooking several batches - I probably would add a little more for each batch - depends on whether the wok looked oily or not. If not, then I'd add a little. Someone here, I'm afraid I don't know who, recommended "Breath of a Wok" and I got a copy for Christmas. Really helpful about technique, wok types and styles etc. Interestingly, the author makes it pretty clear that the inexpensive carbon steel woks are the best. I just heat mine until the oil begins to smoke a little. I've never timed it. I use Sclafani extra virgin olive oil. They are a local importer, in CT, and have been in the forefront of a campaign against 'adulterated' olive oils. The consumption of olive oil worldwide has skyrocketed, and the entire production of Italy cannot now possibly account for the amount being sold as "Italian". So CT is now testing oils, and discovered that several are only 10% olive oil, and the balance is groundnut oil - which is pretty serious for those with allergies. So, I'm confident with Sclafani, and their quality and flavour.