We love premium extra-virgin olive oil to dress salads and grains and to finish dishes—including pasta, steak and fish, vegetables, beans and hummus, soup, pizza, and even ice cream—with a drizzle of flavor-enhancing goodness. While supermarket extra-virgin olive oil can do all of those things, we think it’s worth getting your hands on a bottle of premium extra-virgin olive oil, because it offers exponentially fuller, fresher, more delightful flavor.
“People should think of olive oil the way they think of salt and pepper; it helps the food realize its full potential.”–
Brad Hedeman, Zingermans.com
We bought and tasted samples of nearly three dozen premium and supermarket extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO). While we liked supermarket oils, we loved premium versions. Our tasters repeatedly described the premium oils as significantly more aromatic and flavorful, enthusiastically ranking them higher with comments such as “vibrant,” “rounded and smooth, rich-bodied,” “sweet and buttery at first sip, then opens up to be grassy and fruity and pungent. Really delightful!” “It leaves such a nice aftertaste as I reach for
