The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 960

oil, like Columela or Colavita; and a pungent and spicy one from California, like McEvoy Ranch, DaVero, or Séka Hills (you can order all of these online) One thing to note is that there have been reports that many olive oils claiming to be Italian are actually only bottled in Italy, the oils being sourced from other Mediterranean countries I don’t let these reports bother me: if I like the flavor of what’s in the bottle, that’s good enough for me If I were marooned in a strange city with only a supermarket in front of me and no chance of tasting before I buy, the brand I’d tend to gravitate toward is Colavita, which has a fine buttery, spicy nose and very little bitterness How to Taste Olive Oil In Deborah Krasner’s fine book The Flavors of Olive Oil, she classifies olive oil into four distinct groups Thinking of these flavors is an exercise that I find useful when shopping around Her groups are: delicate and mild, fruity and fragrant, olivey and peppery, and leafy green and grassy To these great descriptors, I’d also add buttery and rich When you taste olive oil, start by smelling it, noting its aroma, then place a bit on your tongue Swirl it around your tongue to coat each part and try to pinpoint what it’s doing to each section Is that a hint of sweetness you detect? Are there bitter notes? How spicy is it? Finally, inhale a bit of oxygen through your mouth and draw it across your tongue to pull the aromas back to your soft palate and up into your nose You should get an entirely new wave of flavors, which again multiply when you finally swallow the oil Tasting good olive oil is not unlike tasting good wine How to Store Olive Oil You wouldn’t believe the number of home kitchens I’ve walked into where the olive oil was stored next to or directly above the stove In every single case, when I opened the bottle and smelled it, the olive oil was rancid As with all fats, the enemies of olive oil are heat, light, and air When exposed to oxygen, long-chained fatty acids can break down into shorter pieces, lending the oil an off aroma Heat and light both hasten the process For the longest shelf life, olive oil should be stored in a dark container (preferably a metal can) in a cool, dark cabinet, as far away from the radiator or oven as possible If you like to buy your olive oil in bulk, get it in gallon (or larger) cans and transfer some of it to a smaller container for daily use I use carefully washed-and-dried darkgreen wine bottles with small metal pizza-parlorstyle olive oil pourers, so I can choose between different flavors depending on my mood If you plan on using a very special extra-virgin olive oil only on rare occasions, it’s best to store it in ... finally swallow the oil Tasting good olive oil is not unlike tasting good wine How to Store Olive Oil You wouldn’t believe the number of home kitchens I’ve walked into where the olive oil was stored next... I’ve walked into where the olive oil was stored next to or directly above the stove In every single case, when I opened the bottle and smelled it, the olive oil was rancid As with all fats, the enemies of olive oil are heat, light, and air... into shorter pieces, lending the oil an off aroma Heat and light both hasten the process For the longest shelf life, olive oil should be stored in a dark container (preferably a metal can) in a cool, dark cabinet, as far away from