When I decided to junk all my oils (even my beloved Crisco) and switch to strictly olive oil because of it's health benefits I tried so many that I can't even remember half of them now. Some were expensive as you know what, others were cheap. A few were ordered from over seas because they weren't available in this country. It was a very memorable event testing all those olive oils. I wouldn't just try one and then another the next day. I used the smallest bottle you can get in the grocery store and as I emptied it I would fill up with another brand and kept records. I did this for over a year so I know a little about the tastes from them. First off I was very surprised at how many different tastes can come out of a simple "OLIVE"!! Second, running a test like this with just one guy doing the tasting doesn't prove a whole lot except for the "1" person! Anyway, out of all this I came to the conclusion as follows, please excuse the spelling on some: There is a brand called "Bereio" that was to me so bad it was he only one that I just plain didn't want to finish the small bottle. If you were frying like chicken it just left an aftertaste, as oil for a salad just plain sucked! A couple of the foreign brands that friends picked up overseas were pretty good for frying and great on salads, but prices ran from high to just plain forget it!! Out of everything I found that Bertolli EV was the best for salads/frying/ everything, especially light things like seafood fish/scallops/shrimp it is also great for frying things like chicken or pan frying a steak/stir fry/anything. Since you usually use a fair amount for chicken, etc, I stepped down to regular Bertolli and found it fried the heavier stuff like chicken/steak/chops better than the EV, for some reason, but "not" for the light stuff like seafood, I have absolutely no idea why. The best prices (Bertolli) I've been able to get have been at SAM's. Don't buy more than you can use in a year and keep it in a "DARK" cool place, not in a fancy holder or on a counter where the sun will hit it, you'll be sorry!

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.

Sure! I use Porous Plus 511 - my fabricator applied it once before fabrication, once at installation, and I applied it again a week later. I'm sure there are various ways to go about it, but my fabricator told me to spray it on in small sections, allowing each sprayed area to slightly overlap (kind of like mowing a lawn) - methodically go over your whole counter area and then when you're done, go back to the place you started and wipe it off with a paper towel until you get to where you finished. Essentially, it will have *sat* on the slab for the few minutes it takes you to spray your counters which is long enough. Honestly, I've got a fairly big area to spray (island and perimeter) and yet the whole process takes me 10+ minutes. I was told to reapply it to the whole kitchen once a year and also to any etch marks (which to date I am the only one who can see them) when they occur. Hope that helps!