Spanish olive oil producers say big supermarkets are making huge profits at the expense of consumers by making a 59% margin over the initial price. #EuropeNews
  • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.worldEnglish
    81·
    3 months ago

    refined olive oil

    What does that even mean?

    There’s two types of olive oil: pressed from olives, and definitely not olive oil.

    The amount of snake oil in the US food industry is unbelievable.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      from what I understand, there are essentially three levels of olive oil:

      • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: the good stuff, used primarily as a taste additive, dressings, etc.
      • Refined Olive Oil: the cheap stuff, typically mashed olives that make it out of EEVO. You’ll use this for frying
      • Blended Olive Oil: medium priced, usually a blend of EEVO and refined

      That isn’t to say that olive oil doesn’t need better controls and oversight.

      There is no reason to buy EEVO when refined will do. I use the cheap stuff for making mayonnaise because it blends better. In fact, if you try to use EEVO for mayonnaise, it will turn rancid.

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        from what I understand, there are essentially three levels of olive oil:

        Extra Virgin Olive Oil: the good stuff, used primarily as a taste additive, dressings, etc.
Refined Olive Oil: the cheap stuff, typically mashed olives that make it out of EEVO. You’ll use this for frying
Blended Olive Oil: medium priced, usually a blend of EEVO and refined

        From what I understand, it went like this:

        • “Hey, what’s all this goop on the floor?”
        • “It’s all the crap from the olives we pressed this morning… Hey, Mario, come and wipe this off!”
        • “Wait wait, can’t we sell this?”
        • “Are you crazy? Who would want to buy olive goop?”
        • “Let me think about it… Mario, put it in barrels.”

        And that’s how most of the US food shittification went. People got used to it and it’s normal to them.

        Meanwhile in Europe, there’s no “refined olive oil” to be found. Like many of the creative aberrations of the US market, they’re completely absent in the rest of the developed world.

    • penquin@lemm.ee
      2·
      3 months ago

      Refined means the oil gets processed to neutralize defects in taste, aroma, or acidity.It’s still olive oil, but it’s treated so your food doesn’t taste like olive oil when you cook it with. That’s all. It’s not snake oil. Lol

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
        21·
        3 months ago

        It is refined for higher smoke point so it can be used for high heat cooking. they do this by removing solids etc

        this is done via chemical treatments. it is fine but oilive oil is not best all purpose and high heat cooking oil.

        neutralize defects in taste, aroma, or acidity

        that’s an odd phrasing… you don’t buy high heat cooking for any of that. more accurate way to put it is that they strip oil of taste and aroma that comes from solids in the cold pressed table grade oil.