Comments on: The Smoke Point of Extra Virgin Olive: The Whole Story http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147 Informed and accurate information about extra virgin olive oil Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:36:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Little Bit of Knowledge Can be Dangerous | Crush and Press http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-3307 Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Little Bit of Knowledge Can be Dangerous | Crush and Press Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:36:30 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-3307 [...] olive oil expert Richard Gawel points out in his splendid “Smoke Point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Whole Story” that the higher the acidity level of olive oil the lower the smoke point. Gawel states that [...] [...] olive oil expert Richard Gawel points out in his splendid “Smoke Point of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Whole Story” that the higher the acidity level of olive oil the lower the smoke point. Gawel states that [...]

]]> By: Dawn Andonellis http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-227 Dawn Andonellis Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:57:45 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-227 Dear Richard, I followed my friends here, Bill and Liz to your blog and I agree with them that you are another olive oil expert like us! It's so refreshing to read the truth about EVOO on the web. So please write more! We producers of EVOO, (I have Organic Olive groves) need your intelligent support. Dear Richard,

I followed my friends here, Bill and Liz to your blog and I agree with them that you are another olive oil expert like us!
It’s so refreshing to read the truth about EVOO on the web. So please write more!
We producers of EVOO, (I have Organic Olive groves) need your intelligent support.

]]> By: admin http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-22 admin Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:52:21 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-22 Thanks. I also think that chefs blend in refined oils into EVOO's to reduce the intensity of flavour which can be useful particularly when they are cooking stuff in it which has a delicate flavour. There is certainly a spot for soft sweet EVOO's in the marketplace. Very few people seem to make them. I think that too many producers try to emulate the Tuscan model of making distinctly bitter and pungent oils. I guess this suits the regional cuisine, but it doesn't suit everyone. The blending of cheap seed oil reduces their overheads as well, which is important in what is a very cut-throat business. A lot of producers just put "Acidity less than 0.2%" or the like on the label. Good producers generally come in around the same acidity each year so its a pretty safe bet that they won't get caught out with useless labels. Finally, I must say that 0.01-0.02% seems remarkably low, and getting down to the limit of detection of the test (i.e. the area where the test result becomes a bit rubbery due to natural variations in the testing protocol). Might be worth revisiting it. Australian labs (where I'm from) do FFA's for between $25 and $35 Aussie dollars. Why not learn to do it yourself. $150 will buy you all the stuff you need and it takes 2 or 3 minutes to do. Perhaps I'll post a video here showing the nuts and bolts of how to do it. Cheers Richard Gawel Thanks. I also think that chefs blend in refined oils into EVOO’s to reduce the intensity of flavour which can be useful particularly when they are cooking stuff in it which has a delicate flavour. There is certainly a spot for soft sweet EVOO’s in the marketplace. Very few people seem to make them. I think that too many producers try to emulate the Tuscan model of making distinctly bitter and pungent oils. I guess this suits the regional cuisine, but it doesn’t suit everyone. The blending of cheap seed oil reduces their overheads as well, which is important in what is a very cut-throat business.

A lot of producers just put “Acidity less than 0.2%” or the like on the label. Good producers generally come in around the same acidity each year so its a pretty safe bet that they won’t get caught out with useless labels.

Finally, I must say that 0.01-0.02% seems remarkably low, and getting down to the limit of detection of the test (i.e. the area where the test result becomes a bit rubbery due to natural variations in the testing protocol). Might be worth revisiting it. Australian labs (where I’m from) do FFA’s for between $25 and $35 Aussie dollars. Why not learn to do it yourself. $150 will buy you all the stuff you need and it takes 2 or 3 minutes to do. Perhaps I’ll post a video here showing the nuts and bolts of how to do it.

Cheers

Richard Gawel

]]> By: Coldani Olive Ranch http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-21 Coldani Olive Ranch Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:43:52 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-21 Great post and simply/clearly said. I often try to educate chefs and restaurants on this fact when selling/soliciting our oil but most of them are set in their ways. Many restaurants create a 80% / 20% blend of EVOO and seed or vegetale oil to help raise their smoke point as well as keep the taste and health benefits of the E.V. olive oil. Side note - Our acidity was .01 on one test and .02 on another for 2010 but we don't include it on the bottle because it will change each year with each harvest and we don't want to screen print bottles differently each year. Consumers should ask for this chemical analysis from their favorite Olive Oil brands. Also, I would like to know where we can get analysis for $20 because our testing costs around $150 per sample. Great post and simply/clearly said. I often try to educate chefs and restaurants on this fact when selling/soliciting our oil but most of them are set in their ways. Many restaurants create a 80% / 20% blend of EVOO and seed or vegetale oil to help raise their smoke point as well as keep the taste and health benefits of the E.V. olive oil.

Side note – Our acidity was .01 on one test and .02 on another for 2010 but we don’t include it on the bottle because it will change each year with each harvest and we don’t want to screen print bottles differently each year. Consumers should ask for this chemical analysis from their favorite Olive Oil brands.
Also, I would like to know where we can get analysis for $20 because our testing costs around $150 per sample.

]]> By: Liz Tagami http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-14 Liz Tagami Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:51:57 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-14 Very glad to see you've started this blog, RG. Thanks for adding the RSS feed this afternoon! Very glad to see you’ve started this blog, RG. Thanks for adding the RSS feed this afternoon!

]]> By: Bill Sanders http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-13 Bill Sanders Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:38:07 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-13 Richard, Thanks for the response and the confirmation on refined olive oil. Richard, Thanks for the response and the confirmation on refined olive oil.

]]> By: admin http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-12 admin Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:47:36 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-12 Hi Regan - Hopefully you will find some oils with the acidity levels on the back label. It's a shame that not all producers give it. The analysis costs about $20 and the acidity doesn't change that much during the life of the oil, so it's a really useful piece of information. Hi Regan – Hopefully you will find some oils with the acidity levels on the back label. It’s a shame that not all producers give it. The analysis costs about $20 and the acidity doesn’t change that much during the life of the oil, so it’s a really useful piece of information.

]]> By: admin http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-11 admin Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:42:37 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-11 Hi Bill Yes that certainly is true. By European law, refined olive oils must have a (very low) acidity of no more than 0.03% (as anything more than that suggests that the refining process was incomplete). Anyway low acidity = higher smoke point. Also refined oils have preservatives added to them such as BHT and BHA. These help raise the smoke point of the oil by between 8 and 22C. Obviously extra virgin olive oils are preservative free so they don't get this artificial leg-up smoke point wise. Hi Bill
Yes that certainly is true. By European law, refined olive oils must have a (very low) acidity of no more than 0.03% (as anything more than that suggests that the refining process was incomplete). Anyway low acidity = higher smoke point. Also refined oils have preservatives added to them such as BHT and BHA. These help raise the smoke point of the oil by between 8 and 22C. Obviously extra virgin olive oils are preservative free so they don’t get this artificial leg-up smoke point wise.

]]> By: Bill Sanders http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-9 Bill Sanders Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:39:14 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-9 Chefs often state that refined olive oil has a higher smoke point higher than Extra Virgin. What are the actual facts? By the way this a great posting. I am reposting on my blog and FB Fan page. Chefs often state that refined olive oil has a higher smoke point higher than Extra Virgin. What are the actual facts?

By the way this a great posting. I am reposting on my blog and FB Fan page.

]]> By: Regan http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147&cpage=1#comment-8 Regan Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:37:42 +0000 http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=147#comment-8 Top post! I'm a big fan of olive oil for cooking, I'll keep a lookout when I'm at drakes for the FFA! I've always put olive oil in my deep fryer, and it has a max at 190deg. it never smokes unless I'm destroying my deep fried Camembert! Top post! I’m a big fan of olive oil for cooking, I’ll keep a lookout when I’m at drakes for the FFA! I’ve always put olive oil in my deep fryer, and it has a max at 190deg. it never smokes unless I’m destroying my deep fried Camembert!

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