What is the difference between olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil?

Question

Which is better? Why use one vs. the other?

Answer 1

EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) is the first pressing of the olives. Nothing but pressure is used, and the oil has a fruity, spicy, delicate flavor that is not good for cooking, but on salads, in vinaigrettes, heck, just on bread, it is the BEST! It is also very expensive because you don't get a lot this way.

Second pressing, impeller-pressing, centrifuging (spinning REAL hard)) literally squeezes the last drop out of the olives. It's a bit harder on the oil, and the oil is of a lower quality. It is fine for light frying and general use and still has many excellent properties and flavor!

Best wishes..

Answer 2

Extra virgin is from the first cold pressing of the olives and has low acidity and is not bitter. After the first pressing the pressed olives are heated to drive out residual oils. These oils are acidic and bitter and don't taste very good. A lot of people who don't like olive oil get that dislike by using the secondary oils. Try some high quality Extra Virgin olive oil from Italy, Greece or Spain and you will see the difference.

Answer 3

Extra virgin comes from the first, cold pressing of the olives. Extra virgin is great for salad dressings or as a dip for bread. It has a nice flavor. Olive oil, pure olive oil it is usually called, is less flavorful, and does not break down in heat as easily as EV. This is the one you would use in cooking where the flavor is not needed.

Answer 4

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.

Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.

Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.

Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.

Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Answer 5

Olive oil

Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the olive (Olea europaea), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is used in cooking, cosmetics, soaps, and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.

Answer 6

What are the differences among extra virgin olive oil, ordinary olive oil, and "light" olive oils?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. "Extra" is the highest grade for olive oil--the best you can buy. The virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described above may be called "extra" if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, color and aroma. Thus, the "extra" in extra virgin olive oil means "premium," or simply, "the best."

Olive Oil. Ordinary "olive oil" is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting "refined olive oil" is largely colorless and tasteless. Before the resulting product is sold as "olive oil," the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide color and taste.

"Light" or "Mild" Olive Oil. Light olive oil is a variation on ordinary olive oil. Producers of this product use a highly refined olive oil, and add less quality virgin oil than that typically used to blend olive oil. The only thing "light" about light olive oil is the taste and color; it has the same caloric and fat content as other oils.

Answer 7

extra virgin is pressed from unripened olives, and has greater"olive" flavor. also, lower burning temperature

Answer 8

Honestly?? Probably the price.