I love olive oil and use it all the time. I would get the extra virgin, cold pressed. Bertolli is a good brand that seems to be available almost everywhere. Once you start using it, you won't want to use anything else. The only thing I don't use it for is baking.

Like Fran, I use Bertolli. It is not quite as costly as some of the others and such a wonderful taste. I will use Olive oil before anything else when possible.

Trish

I always buy Extra Virgin, whatever brand Sam's Club is offering at a good price. Often it's Bertolli.

And you can even use it for baking. It gets a nice buttery taste that way--I've used it in all kinds of dessert type baking.

We also like to use olive oil for dipping bread. Sometimes I add fresh herbs, sometimes we just use the oil and fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

And remember, unlike any other oil, olive oil actually CLEANS out the deposits in your arteries, so it's a really healthy as well as flavorful choice.

I use the one from World Market...a huge bottle of Extra Virgin for $7.99!!

Deb

I like to mix 1 part olive oil with 3 parts canola oil (if you REALLY like the flavor of olive oil, you could try half and half). I then sprinkle Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese in the mixture. Make a WONDERFUL (and high calorie) dip for sour dough bread or any type of firm bread.

Extra virgin is the best of course, but to save money, if you are using it for frying you can get away with lesser quality.

I would never use anything but extra virgin for salads, pasta or bread dipping. For frying you'll never notice the difference if you use lower grade.

I use extra virgin,cold pressed Bertolli brand.I think the extra virgin has a milder taste and like it better for baking and such but I have used the regular kind too.

I use Extra Virgin olive oil for salads and for some sauteeing but I coat the food in the oil before I add it to the pan or add it after cooking. I use Grapeseed Oil or Canola Oil for anything that needs a higher heat.

Personally I don't care for the taste of Bertolli Olive Oils after doing my own taste testing years ago. I prefer to use Calavita, Carapelli or Paesemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I also like the olive oils from Greece.

Anne

I use Kirkland pure olive oil for cooking everyday things....I buy the five gallon size. (Costco's)
If I want something fancier, I go to our Farmer's Market and do a taste test.

extra virgin is the healthiest. Just know that if you're using it to fry foods, it burns VERY fast. You actually get the best health benefits from raw uncooked olive oil. While I do use it for frying, to get the full benefits, I use it as my oil for oil and vinegar dressing. And I add 1 tsp to my soup after my soup is heated up. (Weight Watchers soup)

Thanks, gang. I'll look for cold press extra V olive oil next time I go shopping. I'll probably do most of my frying with canola oil. What made me interested in olive oil is, I've seen on the cooking channel, roasting root vegetables and they always sprinkle them with olive oil before roasting. They always look so delish Dottie

The reason they sprinkle olive oil is that olive oil has a very low smoke point and will "brown" the veggies better than other oils in the broiler. You need to oil the veggies in the broiler otherwise they just shrivel and dry out. If you use other oils they don't brown and just get greasy.

The low smoke point is the reason you cannot use olive oil in a deep fryer. When using a wok, peanut oil is one of the best as it has a high smoke point and gives a nice flavor to veggies.

If you want veggies to brown in the broiler spray some sugar water on them. The sugar browns them nicely in the broiler but be careful not to leave them in too long and burn them. Sugar will caramelize at 275° . And do not ever try to splash wine or brandy on veggies in the broiler or you risk starting a fire as the alcohol will ignite into flames. Wine or brandy is a nice touch when sauteing and/or degazing though.

I use Extra Virgin for salads, dips...my basic rule is, if it's not going to be cooked, use the Extra Virgin.

For cooking, I use virgin olive oil.

I use many different brands...my favorite EV is one from Australia, for Virgin, I usually buy Bertolli or Carrapella whichever is cheaper at the time.

I'll have to try some of the new ones I've never been a big fan of using olive oil in cooking. It might be in food I eat out but don't like to use it. never liked the taste

I came across this article saying that some olive oils selling at discount places are only ten percent olive oil.

Article: "He had tests conducted on the oils and found one brand that billed itself on the label as "100 percent pure extra virgin olive oil" but was actually 90 percent soy oil. He then alerted state officials."

I'm waiting for the follow up article saying they were imported from china. LOL.

Read More:

http://www.connpost.com/editorials/ci_11044703

Here is a link that might be useful: Fake Olive Oil For Sale

Little did I know this has been going on for a long time. I Googled for more info and I came across this article from the New Yorker Aug 2007.

Article: "The investigators also discovered where RibattiÂs adulterated oil had gone: to some of the largest producers of Italian olive oil, among them Nestlé, Unilever, Bertolli, and Oleifici Fasanesi, who sold it to consumers as olive oil."

I knew there was a reason I always hated Bertolli olive oil.

Its six long pages of reading, but a very intersting article:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller

Here is a link that might be useful: Fake Olive Oil Scandal

I always bought cold-pressed extra virgin, whatever brand was cheapest. Until I scored my fav --Newman's Organic -- marked down to $4.69 for 750 ml (labels were greasy, probably from breakage.) My 4 bottles will last a delicious while! It's SOOOO good!

i noticed commercials now for crisco brand olive oil
has anyone tried it yet?

thanks for the info, dilly. I double checked another site and the info is very similar. At the bottom is a list of what to look for and avoid. Neither brands of my inexpensive olive oils are on that list, so I'm assuming I've got the real thing. ;o)

Here is a link that might be useful: list of olive oils there weren't olive oils....

When I lived in NYC I bought the strongly flavored green extra virgin olive oil from Greece (sometimes Italy). It might be used as dipping oil these days. I haven't found it for sale around here, which is probably just as well as it would be out of my price range these days. But it was really delicious. I'm sure you have to be an olive oil lover to appreciate it.

Interesting info on the fakes!