Top 10 Olive Oils - 50 Shades of Grade

I can't tell you how frustrating I am when the olive oil I've been buying to improve my family's health is not even olive oil. Are you kidding me? If I wanted canola oil to flare up my joints and clog up my arteries I would have been buying the cheap stuff all along. Lying to consumers like me, a busy working mom that shouldn't have to read science reports to buy olive oil; that really ticks me off!

The tests started hitting mainstream in 2010 when UC Davis put out a report indicating they tested imported extra virgin olive oils and 69% failed to meet the IOC/USDA sensory standards. The sensory standards reflected if oils were oxidized, of poor quality, or adulterated with cheaper oils.

Acronyms for people like me who can't remember them all:

IOC = International Olive CouncilUSDA = United States Department of Agriculture (AKA.. the US duh)

I don't know about you, but 69% is way too high of a probability that I'm going to buy junky oil. Is it too much for me to ask that if the bottle says extra virgin olive oil, that's exactly what it should be?

There were more tests done by the same group in 2011 that found on average 73% of extra virgin olive oils sold in CA failed to meet the standards by 2 different IOC panels.

Now, I can sit and bore you all day with this research I like to read, but the bottom line is you just want to know which EVOO is worth your pretty penny and which is junk?

So just for you, I've put together a list based on the tests of the top 10 best and worst extra virgin olive oils.

Olive oil is tricky business and the quality is what I like to call 50 shades of grade. If you want to read further on the process, may I recommend the book: Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller.

But if you don't have time to read up on the art of olive oil, these are the top 10 olive oils with links to the ones that I will be feeding to my own children.

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Best 10 EVOOs

  1. Bariani
  2. California Olive Ranch
  3. Olea Estates
  4. McEvoy Ranch
  5. BioNature
  6. Cobram Estate
  7. Lucero Ascolano
  8. Lucini
  9. Kirkland Organic
  10. 100 % Greek Kalamata Trader Joes

As for the bottom 10 that use cheap canola oil or rancid vegetable oil to save $$ and cheat us out of good health. Well, you can use up those bottles to make play dough and oil your door jams. Just don't cook with them or put them in your mouth.

Canola oils and rancid vegetable oils are one the top 5 inflammatory foods out there! You really should be using a real extra virgin olive oil.

10 Worst EVOO's

  1. Bertolli
  2. Carapelli
  3. Colavita
  4. Filippo Berio
  5. Mazzola
  6. Mezzetta
  7. Newman's Own
  8. Safeway's
  9. Star
  10. Whole Foods

**Olive oil can replace any vegetable oil in your baking recipes. Just make sure to get a mild flavor and enjoy the added health benefits in your tasty treats! I love to use it unheated in simple salads too.

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Have a favorite olive oil recipe? Please share in the comments below!