The Difference Between Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
The health benefits of eating extra-virgin olive oil are well documented, but what's the difference between regular and virgin varieties?
Regular means that this type has been processed at low heat without being pressed to preserve its potency.
It also won't have been refined or deodorized so you can taste more bitterness than sweetness when compared to other types on your grocery store shelves.
Meanwhile, the Extra Virgin variant was extracted from raw olives using specific methods which may include heating them up before extraction (as opposed to doing nothing), filtering out chlorophyll content–which makes greens turn greenish-black color, and degumming process where harmful substances are eliminated.
There are three main grades for extra virgin olive oils: “Extra Virgin,” “Virgin,” and “Pure.”
Pure means that there's been an addition of flavorings like herbs, garlic, salt, or pepper which have been added after the milling process but before bottling. Pure has no designation about the state or region of production.
Also, the term pure is not regulated at all, so unless you are dealing with a quality brand that clearly states how their product was created on the label, you should be wary!
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality available, and must only contain 1% acidity.
The taste and texture of extra virgin olive oil is thicker than regular types of olive oil. It also has a stronger flavor and aroma than normal oils, making it ideal for dipping bread or drizzling on salads and vegetables.
Virgin olive oil is not the same as extra-virgin or “fine” grade. Virgin olive oil may contain some extra virgin oil, but it has had more processing.
Virgin olive oil is made from pure, cold-pressed olives, whereas extra-virgin olive oil is the highest-quality olive oil.
It has a fruity aroma and a strong, pungent flavor. It's also the most expensive and is best used for cooking, salad dressings, and dips.
Virgin olive oil is also used for cooking, but it has a milder flavor and doesn't have the fruity aroma that extra-virgin olive oil has.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits For Your *Skin*
Extra virgin olive oil is made from pure, cold-pressed olives
The olives are crushed and then the oil is extracted. The oil is filtered to remove any impurities. Then the oil is heated and filtered again to remove any solids. Finally, it is bottled while still warm.
Regular olive oil is made from a blend of oils and can be refined or unrefined
Regular olive oil is made from a blend of oils. The oil can be refined or unrefined. The refining process removes the chemicals and pesticides from the oil. The unrefined process does not remove the chemicals and pesticides from the oil.
Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point than regular olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point than regular olive oil. This means that it starts to break down at a lower temperature. Extra virgin olive oil is best used in cold dishes like salads or dips, while regular olive oil is better for high-temperature cooking like deep frying.
Extra virgin olive oil tastes better because it's not as processed as other types of oils
The reason for this is that cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil has a higher content of healthy fats and antioxidants than most other oils on the market today.
The more you heat an oil – whether by frying or in processing – the less healthy it becomes. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in oleocanthal, which fights inflammation in the body and improves blood flow to all parts of your body, including your brain.
This means that when you cook with extra virgin olive oil, you will feel sharper and more alert after eating!
Extra virgin olive oil is more expensive because it's more labor-intensive to produce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the most desired type of olive oil in the world, but its production is also among the most time-intensive and costly processes of any food crop.
The cost comes from how many laborers are involved in harvesting olives, pressing them into oil, and bottling it for consumers.
For instance, according to one study by UC Davis researchers published in 2003, producing a liter of extra virgin olive oil requires an average of 3 hours worth of human labor – with 46% devoted to harvesting olives by hand or machine-picking them at their peak ripeness levels; 33% spent on manual crushing or grinding; 12% on filtering out
The taste and quality of extra virgin olive oils vary depending on the type of olives used in the production
Extra virgin olive oils are a type of vegetable oil obtained from olives. They generally have a superior taste and quality compared to other types of cooking oils, such as corn or canola oil.
The taste and quality vary depending on the type of olives used in production.
Extra-virgin olive oil is made from pure fruit with no heat treatment applied, it’s not blended with any other substances or ingredients, and it has almost zero acidity level.
Extra virgin olive oil is better than regular olive oil for health benefits
The reason for this is that cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil has a higher content of healthy fats and antioxidants than most other oils on the market today.
Extra virgin olive oil also tastes better because it's not as processed as other types of oils. Extra-virgin olive oil is made from pure fruit with no heat treatment applied, it’s not blended with any other substances or ingredients, and it has almost zero acidity level.
Regular olives are often treated with chemicals before they're pressed into cooking oils which can cause them to have an unnatural taste when used in high temperatures like deep frying where their flavors break down even more due to the amount of time they are exposed to high heat.