[lokie]

Lots of healthy eaters on this thread so I am expecting some great recommendations!

Most interested in small batch or restaurant/purveyor products...

I think we all have been around the block with the Grocery Store consumer food.

[woodsyi]

Mix your own as you go.  We use this and it works fine.  Of course, you have to get good oil and vinegar to get good dressing.

[mcgsxr]

As a guy interested in eating well, how does a noob identify good oil? 

Can I find any at my local grocer, or do I need to hit the specialty stores?

[woodsyi]

You can go crazy with oils and vinegar.  The oil prices vary with degree of virginity.  Somehow with olive oil, one can be more virgin than another.  Extra virgins do taste better to me.   I have settled on Zoe from amazon or Costco extra virgin.  Occasionally, I get some privately pressed stuff but they vary in quality.   

Vinegar price generally vary with age.  Don't go too crazy with 100 year old stuff.  I get like 10 year old ones from Whole Food or Dean and DeLuca.  Herbs make a bigger difference anyway.

[Syrah]

I've really been enjoying Sherry vinegar lately in salads.  I haven't bought a "store bought" salad dressing in years.  1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 oil, salt, spices, maybe garlic.  Yum.

Every time I hear extra virgin oil, I'm reminded of when I was 17 working at a pet food store.  I told my 30 yr female store manager how I really liked extra virgin olive oil, she responded, "aw, I like it after it's been f__'ed a few times."

[rajacat]

Just this raspberry balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil make a tasty, easy to prepare salad dressing.



http://www.napavalleynaturals.com/Raspberry-Balsamic-Vinegar/p/NVN-RASPBERRY&c=NapaValleyNaturals@BalsamicVinegars

[Syrah]

Hey MCGSRX, we met about 10 yrs ago I think.  I hope you're well.

I've frequented many an extra virgin olive oil shop in Toronto.  It's a good thing to get into.

I think there are really two different styles - a fruity round mouthfilling style and a peppery spicy style that makes you cough if you really lace into it.

In my experience, the warmer southern European climates tend to make the fruitier style while those with more temperate climates have the more peppery style.  France and Italy - peppery.  Portugal - ultra fruity.  Spain - somewhere in between.

I'm not one of these "it has to be Italian" guys.  I think it depends on your taste and what you are doing with it.  People tend to knock the Spanish olive oils because Spain is a big producer and so called Italian olive oil is often an Italian brand with cheap Spanish olives.  So you will see Italian olive oils labels brag that it is with Italian olive (ie. as opposed to others).  But good Spanish olive oil is up there with the best IMO.

In terms of finding brands, it can be frustrating or fun, depending upon how you approach it.  The big supermarket brands go for consistency (yet even they are often inconsistent) but with consistency can come mediocrity.  I suspect they achieve that by blending different vintages and regions to achieve uniform non-offensive styles.

The most important thing to look out for is expiry date.  If it doesn't have one, proceed with caution.  Oils like these turn quickly.  First they lose their aromatics and character and then they taste rancid.

I used to go to a Portuguese store on St. Clair west (something Tavola? Seafood Products...) where eveything and everyone was Portuguese.  They always had about 5 different brands of extra virgin olive oil - some of which were fantastic, and they were all really cheap by supermarket standards.  That's a good start into the very fruity style, and a kind that a lot of people really like.

Lately though, I've been enjoying the more peppery style, particularly the French ones that rarely leave France.

Sometimes I'll just buy 6-10 different olive oils and do a blind tasting with my kids.  Fresh baguette sliced, and start dipping.

So few things I enjoy that are good for my heart!  Thank god for salmon and olive oil.

[lokie]

Rajacat- Your Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar is on it's way to my house.

Syrah- Great Intel! How about a specific recommendation that can procured via internet?

[mcgsxr]

Syrah - did you give me a cd of Mushroom Jazz?  I still love it if so!

Thanks for the ideas in Toronto.  I get downtown for work a couple of times a month, I will start looking. 

Thanks!

[funkmonkey]

Pietro - Shoyu
hands down the best I have ever tasted, and I love sarada (Japanese pronunciation)
My wife introduced me to this while traveling in Japan, we ate at their restaurant in Fukuoka.  (Very nice itialian food)
anyway, the salad blew my mind!!!

We've been buying the dressing stateside at the local japanese market for about $6 a bottle (totally worth it) ever since it became available.
Looks like Amazon has some too...  expensive though http://www.amazon.com/Angelo-Pietro-Soy-Sauce-Dressing/dp/B0000TBK64

Another favorite if you are anywhere near Troy Michigan is Alibi Greek Salad Deressing...  great stuff but you can only get it if you buy a salad from them...  they will sell you an extra bottle if you beg ask for it!

[bladesmith]

As a guy interested in eating well, how does a noob identify good oil? 

Can I find any at my local grocer, or do I need to hit the specialty stores?

I would recommend just grabbing a couple of different bottles of extra virgin Olive oil and trying them out. There are differences from brand to brand.  And you'll eventually fall in love with the one that your palet prefers. It's kind of like picking out wines. Everyone has there favorite.

I use Star brand. It's not super high quality.  But I like it for everyday use.
V..

[Syrah]

I agree.  Again, check expiry dates.  Like any natural product subject to the vagaries of nature, even your favorite "brand" might not be next year.  These big brands just buy olives on the market, buyers change, sellers change, vintages change.  I find it fun picking up half a dozen different ones and doing blind taste tests with my kids (since they can't drink wine yet) the winners go into the salad pantry, the losers are usually still good and useful for non-star roles.  None of it goes bad in my house.

I really don't like store bought dressings.  First, I don't see the point.  Second, it's almost impossible to find ones without sugar (which I don't like in salad dressings, calories aside) or preservatives.

"If it doesn't go bad, it's probably not food." - My mother.

[Syrah]

And it all reminds me of a poster on the door of my next door neighbour in undergrad,

"Sex is like pizza.  When it's good, it's really good.  When it's bad, it's pretty good."

Same with olive oil, maybe not to the same extent.

[lokie]

Interesting company out of Oakland. They supply the trade industry and also have a "bar" concept they seem to be working on.

Veronica Foods

Not sure where to procure their goods w/out bulk purchasing or a trade account. Group buying Olive Oil doesn't seem like a good idea (but maybe). Any restaurateurs in the house? I'm in for a gallon or two.

[bladesmith]

And it all reminds me of a poster on the door of my next door neighbour in undergrad,

"Sex is like pizza.  When it's good, it's really good.  When it's bad, it's pretty good."

Same with olive oil, maybe not to the same extent.

Agreed, I think once you start using Olive oil daily, you start to get the idea of how well it works with almost anything.

A salad bowl of tomato chunks/slices, just tastes all together better, when covered with Olive oil.

V...