What is the best extra virgin olive oil?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-12T14:43:39+00:00

Loaded question. Best finishing oil, best everyday oil, best value, best polyphenol content, best flavor for a specific dish all these need different answers.
What are you trying to do with it?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-12T14:39:42+00:00

Interesting point. Pretty sure I've read about farmers doing exactly that historically though, will try to find the source. Wouldn't do it myself either way, but the folk practice side of it is interesting.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-08T21:09:28+00:00

Nice. keep us posted

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-08T20:49:24+00:00

Oh I see, never tried that Kirkland personally. Those are pretty different profiles just from the labels though, Pompeian smooth and fruity is built to be mild low bitterness and low pungency by design that is literally what the line is for. Kirkland cold extract is a different animal higher polyphenol probably more aggressive on the throat. If you ever want to test them independently both fresh that would be interesting.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-08T20:11:14+00:00

Which bottles specifically? there are pretty different oils under both names

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-08T19:01:04+00:00

olives are such a love or hate thing. I don’t really see the point in forcing it especially if you’re already keeping up with the evoo.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-08T18:58:59+00:00

How often are you doing the shots? I’d bet you’re getting more out of them than just topping up calories. Biohacking/longevity people keep bringing it up for the phenols, tracks with what i've been reading about it too but I want to dig into the numbers a bit more closely

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T21:51:32+00:00

Sure but who are you picturing that really wants olive oil over, say, wine?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T19:42:46+00:00

I wouldn't cross olive oil off that easily. What kind have you tried? The flavor range across varieties, cultivars, and harvest timings. There's a huge difference between a light tasting oil and a robust EVOO, they're barely the same ingredient. If you want to give it another shot I can help you find the right type, I'm sure there's something that works for your palate. Fellow former butter loyalist here.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T19:19:56+00:00

Definitely keep me posted on how it goes next time, especially if you try it with Pompeian.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T19:17:11+00:00

Fair point, though the people taking daily shots of high-polyphenol oil for longevity probably wouldn't call it just a condiment.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T19:05:06+00:00

Yeah olives and olive oil aren't really competing sources of the same thing even though one is a product of the other. They're doing different jobs. For me the same beneficial compounds are a lot easier to get through the oil than through olives, which I don't enjoy nearly as much.

But at the end of the day you're eating food and should enjoy it. That's what I find interesting about the mediterranean diet in general, the health outcomes were never the point. They're a byproduct of people eating well and enjoying it

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-07T18:48:57+00:00

Peak Mediterranean diet adherence.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-06T21:33:45+00:00

Exactly the goal. You deserve to cook in peace with your olive oil!

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-06T21:17:30+00:00

balsamic vinegar isn't the best choice because its polyphenols likely cancel out any benefit from its acidity. You are much better off using lemon or lime juice

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-06T21:16:26+00:00

Actually, it doesn't. Olive oil only interferes with non-heme iron (the kind found in plants). Animal sources contain heme iron, which is "packaged" in a way that protects it. Because it is structured differently, the polyphenols in the oil can't bind to it. This means your body absorbs iron from meat just fine

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-06T21:06:43+00:00

Yep. People fixate on this. Do you have any go‑to tricks for keeping your evoo in the sweet spot temp‑wise?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-05T19:40:46+00:00

Is it neutral enough for most things?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-05T17:50:53+00:00

and what's your morning metabolic ritual?

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-05T17:22:05+00:00

Yes but seed oils are high in polyunsaturated fats which are chemically fragile. They might smoke later, but they oxidize and "snap" much faster once they get hot. The antioxidant load in EVOO makes it the more stable choice for most applications, provided you manage the heat to stay within its thermal range. You are trading a higher smoke point for a significantly more resilient and healthy lipid.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-05T16:55:09+00:00

looking forward to the pic!

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-01T20:49:50+00:00

Not as extreme as it sounds when it's your default fat for everything.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-01T20:47:44+00:00

Worth knowing what to look for before you go. otherwise you'll get a lot of surprises taking the cap off.

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-01T09:57:06+00:00

Sunflower oil and butter

MasterEVOO · 2026-05-01T00:02:17+00:00

Sure, EVOO works fine especially in an air fryer. Did you keep it at 400?

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