• Last updated 2/16/10 by Nicko

This is not a type of olive, but rather a way of curing them. Typically very ripe olives are macerated in oil and have a noticeably soft flesh. read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by hbrody

Leave it to the Canadians to transform "industrial rapeseed oil" into one of the world's most prized cooking oils. How could oil one uses to make machinery hum possibly be made consumable? Well, after fifty years of plant breeding and research, what should appear but a highly regarded cooking oil under the more appealing name of canola oil. Under its new name, rapeseed oil has become the third most important plant-extracted cooking oil ranking only after palm and soybean, and surpassing old-timers like peanut, cottonseed, and sunflower oils in worldwide production.   ... read more

• Last updated 1/28/12 by Nicko

As cuisine progresses through the post nouvelle era, a trend in alternative sauces has been established. Juices, salsas, relishes, syrups and broths have, in many instances, taken the place of traditional sauces. One of the most effective sauce alternatives is infused oils. The smooth richness of an infused oil contributes a luscious mouth feel to foods with which it is combined. More importantly, because the flavor essences of many of our favorite ingredients are fat soluble, oils are an ideal flavor carrier. Fat is the best vehicle for the flavor notes of many herbs... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by calexander

How many times have you walked into a gourmet food market and marveled at the many different olive oils on the shelves? If you are like most folks, you have one bottle at home that you use for pretty much every dish. Perhaps you have two, the second being in a beautiful bottle that decorates your kitchen counter or shelves and which you never got around to using. Olive oil is an important ingredient of any dish that calls for it and there are reasons for using a particular one over another. In choosing the right olive oil for a dish that you are preparing, I believe... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by hbrody

To quote this generation's purveyor of wisdom, the Internet, consider what Artpurveyors.com has to say about walnut oil: "Artists have been using walnut oil since the 5th century and found it to be superior to linseed oil because it yellows and cracks less while being easier to manipulate." Well, artists, forget cracking, yellowing, and manipulation, the cook's canvas is taste. The toasted nut flavor of walnut oil offers a new palate of flavor offerings that will ennoble many late summer treasures. Walnut oil, from the English walnut, is from the pressing of the fruits... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by litalia

Why are some olive oils green and others yellowish? What does color indicate? The different colors of the oils depend on the variety, climate, irradiation of the tree, and principally on the date that they are harvested. The color indicates how ripe the olive is, but only the experts can decipher this to decide when to begin the harvest. Why is some olive oil peppery and other mild, and what does it mean? The peppery quality depends on how ripe the fruit is; olives which are not overripe have intense aromas and as a consequence are spicy. On the contrary, olives that... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by litalia

All extra-virgin olive oils are basically the same. Just because the bottle reads "extra virgin" does not mean that the oil is made from quality olives, or that the olives used weren't bruised, oxidized, olive fly-infested, or overripe. In fact, it is possible for an olive oil to be made from low quality olives but still achieve the "extra virgin" requirements through chemical processing. However, these oils will always be found out by their oily, fatty, bruised apple-like taste and their processed aroma. Every single one of Lucini's olives is hand-picked and pressed... read more

• Last updated 2/18/10 by Cristina7

Author: litalia A DEFINITION: "Extra Virgin" is any olive oil that is less than 1% acidity, produced by the first pressing of the olive fruit. Most olive oils today are extra virgin in name only, meeting only the minimum requirement. Extra virgin is a chemical requirement that does not indicate either quality or taste. QUALITY: With an impressively low acidity level of 0.225%, Lucini has a level of quality that can only be achieved one way -- through hand harvesting and pressing within 24 hours. The premium flavor reflects the expert touch of our master cultivator:... read more