Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you cook with olive oil?
Absolutely. Different olive oils complement different foods and uses. Olive oil can be used for sautéing, browning, stir-frying, baking, roasting; as an ingredient in marinades and sauces such as mayonnaise, pesto, or chimichurri; as a condiment, or drizzled over various dishes. Think about olive oil as you would wine. Use different olive oils for different purposes. Strong and robust extra virgin olive oils can be used for cooking fish, meat, to make marinades, or to drizzle on strongly flavored ingredients like peppers or garlic. A medium intensity, well-rounded extra virgin olive oil is great on mozzarella or for bread dipping. We love it mixed with one of our balsamic to make a vinaigrette or drizzled on vegetables for roasting. A mellow late harvest oil could be used in baking a cake or to make mayonnaise. Keep in mind that abuse under heat will begin to deteriorate the phenols in olive oil, but the higher the quotient of phenols you start off with, the more you will typically be left with at the end of the application. Better chemistry correlates to being able to get the oil hotter before it begins to reach its smoke point, which is not desirable when heating any type of cooking oil. Oleic acid is not affected by heat and remains stable
Q: What is Balsamic Vinegar and How is it Produced?
True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of syrup from sweet wine grapes, called mosto cotto in Italian. The syrup ages for a minimum of 12 years in a series of seven barrels of successively smaller sizes. These barrels, similar to wine barrels, are made from different woods including chestnut, acacia, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash and juniper. As opposed to wine, balsamic vinegars are aged in attics in Modena, Italy, where they benefit from the extreme heat of summer and extreme cold of winter. Balsamic vinegar is rich and glossy with sweet and sour natural flavors.
Q: What makes your oils and vinegars ‘all natural’?
Nothing is added but the named natural ingredients and that’s it.
In the case of our blended oils they all begin life as Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil from our partner’s own organic olive grove in Tunisia on the Southern Mediterranean. The named (garlic, basil etc.) essential oil is then added to our infused oils, or in the case of the fused oils (like blood orange) the fruit & olives are crushed together to produce the oil.
Same is true of our Balsamic Vinegars, only the named natural extract (strawberry, apricot etc.) is added and NOTHING else!
Q: What is the best way to store oil?
Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. Enemies of olive oil’s longevity are light, heat, oxygen and time. Reducing any of these factors will increase the useful life of your oil and retain its peak flavor longer. The best place to store the oil is in a cool, dark place. Not the fridge, but a pantry, cellar or cool cupboard.
Q: What is the shelf life of olive oil?
Olive oil is a fresh fruit oil and just like any other fruit juice, over time, the quality and taste deteriorate. We recommend that you use your oil within 3 to 6 months and no longer than a year from the time it is bottled, so that you can reap the benefits of what a fresh oil provides.
Do not SAVE your fresh olive oil SAVOUR it at every turn!
Q: Are our oils filtered?
They are not filtered, they are naturally settled or (racked) meaning that the oil is decanted when settled, leaving any sediment at the bottom to be discarded. Filtering extra virgin olive oil denatures it.
Q: I drink Apple Cider Vinegar because it is unpasteurized and loaded with probiotics, why should I use your Balsamic Vinegar?
Ditto here! All our Balsamic Vinegars are unpasteurized and loaded with probiotics and antioxidants and goes through the same fermentation process. They are completely natural, no added sulphites, thickeners or caramel colorings. The ONLY added ingredients are the named natural ingredients!
Q: How can your ‘All Natural’ Butter Olive Oil be vegan and dairy free?
Yes, this is our one product that can confuse people. It is all natural, made ONLY with botanicals. Not a single drop of butter was harmed (or used) in it’s production.
ALL of our Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars are 100% vegan, dairy & gluten free!
Q: What is the difference between white and dark Balsamic?
To start, they are BOTH made from the same white Trebbiano grape family which grows in the region of Modena, Italy. The white balsamic condimento is less complex, aged up to 12 years, and is cooked at a lower temperature over an open wood fire in copper kettles, thus inhibiting the caramelizing that takes place in the hotter cooking of the dark condimento. The dark is aged in fired, old wood barrels that previously held older batches of balsamic. The white is aged in new wood barrels which have not been fired on the inside. The dark condimento has a rich dried fruit characteristic reminiscent of figs and raisins, whereas the white is a bit more acidic, and “cleaner” lacking the complexity of the fired wood, and caramelizing that occurs over open wood fires in the copper kettles.