A Word About Olive Oil

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Olive Lady

Olive Oil, like fine wines, offer a wide range of flavors depending on the soil where the olives are grown, Olive trees thrive mainly in the Mediterranean Basin, where the winters are warm and the autumns wet.

International regulations provide the public with guarantees and pointers to enable them to make a well informed choice. There are categories of oil depending on the extraction method, flavor and acidity. These are:

Extra Virgin Oil – Perfect flavor, less than 1% acidity.
Virgin Oil – Good flavor, up to 4% acidity.
Pure Oil – Blend of refined oil and virgin oil.

When buying olive oil you want to obtain a high quality, EXTRA VIRGIN oil. The oil that comes from the first pressing of the olive, is extracted with out using heat (cold pressed) or chemicals and has no “off” flavors is awarded the “extra virgin” status. It is also less than 1% acidic which leaves you with that wonderful, smooth flavor and no bite at the back of the throat.
The less the oil is handled, the closer to its natural state and the better the oil.

What is pure and lite oil?
“Pure” olive oil is made by adding a very little extra virgin olive oil to a refined olive oil. It is a lesser grade oil that is also labeled as just olive oil in the United States.
“Lite” olive oil is a marketing concept and not a classification of olive oil grades. It is completely unregulated by any certification organization and therefore has no real precedent to what its content should be. Sometimes the olive oil is cut with other vegetable oils.

Carothers’ Olive Oil is an Extra Virgin Oil from the first pressing and is cold pressed. Carothers’ oil is consistently excellent, leaving no “burn” at the back of your throat. This “burn” is a clue to a higher acidic oil and oil that is not fresh. We test every barrels acidity level to be assured that it is less than 1% acidic, extra virgin oil.
Also want to let you know that I package Carothers’ in a steel can. It keeps the oil cooler, fresher longer and it keeps all light out of the oil, light destroys the rich chlorophyll content in olive oil.
The price of olive oil is higher than that of other edible oils. The oil from the first pressing, the extra virgin oil brings a premium price in stores and is of the finest quality and a beautiful, brilliant greenish-gold color. The trees grow very slowly and produce a fruit crop which is delicate to environmental conditions. The olives are hand picked, the tree not shaken as this would damage the delicate olive tree.

Olive oil has many health promoting properties. It is high in unsaturated fatty acids and is easily digested.

For your health and enjoyment, use Carothers’ Olive Oil every day

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Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Olive Lady

Healthy Heart Benefits

Artherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries, occurs when particles of LDL cholesterol stick to the walls of the arteries. Eventually these particles build up and form plaque. This plaque narrows the blood vessels and increases the work load of the heart in an effort to get oxygenated blood to the entire body. The result can be a heart attack or stroke.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants like chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin E. Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholestrol from oxidizing. It is the oxidized cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and forms plaque. Replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Cancer Inhibitor

A study published in the January 2005 issue of Annals of Oncology has identified oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, as having the ability to reduce the affect of an oncoene (a gene that will turn a host cell into a cancer cell).
This particular oncogene is associated with the rapid growth of breast cancer tumors. The conclusion of the researchers was that oleic acid, (found in olive oil) when combined with drug therapy encouraged the delf-destruction of aggresseve, treatment-resistant cancer cells thus destroying the cancer. Olive oil has been previously indicated in studies on prostrate and endometrial cancers as well.

Blood Sugar Controller

Diabetics or those at risk for diabetes are advised to combine a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet with olive oil. Studies show this combination is superior at controlling blood sugar levels compared to a diet that consists entirely of low-fat meals. Adding olive oil is also linked to lower triglyceride levels which put them at risk for heart disease.

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Cooking With Olive Oil

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Olive Lady

Cooking with olive oil is like cooking with wine. Never cook with a wine or olive oil that does not taste good to you. An inferior one will leave an unpleasant aftertaste. If you do the taste test and compare the “pure” to the “extra virgin” olive oil you’ll understand the difference.

Personally, I very much like to use Carothers’ Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a light saute. I agree with Marcella Hazan, who wrote the cookbook called Marcella Cucina, and wrote the following:

“The taste of a dish for which you need olive oil will be as good or as ordinary as the olive oil you use. A sublime one can lift even the modest ingredients to eminent heights of flavor, a dreary oil will pull the best ingredients down to its own level. Partial clues to the quality of the olive oil you are buying are supplied by the label and the price, but ultimately, the best and only way to determine which one is right for you is to taste and compare.”

Drizzling extra virgin olive oil over bread or toased sandwiches is a tasty and good way to get the healthy benefits of olive oil into your diet. Used in salads, dressings and vinaigrettes and also to use it on a baked potato or mashed potatoes instead of butter. Extra virgin olive oil tastes great on cooked vegetables or brushed onto grilled or broiled fish and meat before serving.

For deep frying however, the olive oil grade, “olive oil”, is excellent because it has a higher smoke point (410* F) than extra virgin olive oil and will not burn.

A conversion chart for quantity of butter called for in a recipe to the required quantity of olive oil:
Butter ~ Olive Oil ~
1 teaspoon 3/4 teaspoon
2 teaspoons 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon 2 1/2 tablespoon
2 tablespoons 1 ½ tablespoons
1/4 cup 3 tablespoons
1/3 cup 1/4 cup
½ cup 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons
1 cup 3/4 cup

One of my favorite salads is to simply use some fresh spring greens and to your liking add cherry tomatoes, red onion, red pepper and feta cheese. Then I simply drizzle Carothers’ Olive Oil over the salad, salt and freshly ground black pepper…Oh My Goodness! YUM!!

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