Olive oil

[MyNextDoorNeighbourVotesReform]

I usually buy mine from Tesco. Not Tesco own brand but.....I'm wondering if I should try a really lovely olive oil for cooking etc

Any suggestions?

Is it worth splurging on olive oil for cooking or only for dressings?

Hi OP.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not great for cooking as it’s got a low smoke point so you loose the goodness (and flavour) when heated. I keep it for dressings etc.

I use a good quality cold pressed rape seed oil for cooking. It’s low is saturated fat and high in Vit E and Omega acids.

No point splurging to cook it. Nice olive oil should be used as a dressing or topper to soups etc so you can taste it. Cooking ruins it.

Cold pressed rapeseed is good for cooking.

Depends what you're cooking and what you use it for. I use EVOO in cooking sometimes depending what Im doing

I use bog standard olive oil at other times.

I much prefer Greek or Spanish olive oil rather than Italian. Lidl is good for this.

Olive oil is a really good oil for cooking with, if the taste goes with what you’re cooking and you can stomach the cost. Despite the low smoke point it’s very thermally stable and some of the polyphenols move to the food itself rather than just being destroyed in the heat. I wouldn’t use a very high end olive oil to cook with because it gets a bit lost but it’s still one of the healthiest choices.

I’m using Glug olive oil at the moment and really enjoying it. They have one for cooking and one for drizzling and it’s a mono varietal olive oil at a really great price point.

Olive oil is used the world over for cooking. Only here do we have this strange rule about cooking with it

I’ve always cooked with it. Vegetable oils have come under heavy scrutiny in recent years and I haven’t seen the same health concerns raised over olive oil. Happy to be challenged though.

Thanks all. If I am going to cook with olive oil, I'm assuming it's better to not use extra virgin?

I'm not fussy about which olive oil I cook with, but having a nicer one for dressings is definitely worth it.

This. They don't seem to have any issues using olive oil for all cooking purposes in Greece!

It depends what you're cooking, what flavours you want. EVOO is expensive compared to olive oil and has much stronger flavour

The best tortilla I ever had was done by the potatoes being cooked off (as they are) in EVOO first, thats not a requirement, just personal taste

I cook Ottelenghi's chickpeas with EVOO, then I use the oil once drained off from that for other things, roasted veg.

You wont always want the flavour so strong though in other dishes.

@MyNextDoorNeighbourVotesReform I buy a really nice Spanish one from Waitrose. It's usually about £12 for a litre but quite often on offer for £8 ish. It comes with a pop up spout which means I use less and it lasts longer. I use it both for cooking and in dressings. I tried rapeseed oil but really don't like the smell when it's used in cooking.

We were recently given a few bottles of fancy olive oil - I googled, they were expensive and named on lists of best olive oils, but I prefer sainsburys own label. It has a lovely fruity scent and tastes great.

I'm going to look for this one! It's a good place to start!

She asked about extra virgin olive oil. Not just olive oil. The specificity matters and the rule is to do with smoke point and is not only in the UK

You'll note of course that at the time I posted the post you quote, OP had not asked about EVOO at all. She had only mentioned at that time 'olive oil'

I go on to talk about EVOO later in the thread. Which is used by plenty of people to cook with. Its perfectly fine to fry with.

La Española Olive Oil | Waitrose & Partners https://share.google/7uFQBRzfZExRRspvM

@longtompot is this the one? 🥰

I use EVOO for everything - the only other one I have in the house is sesame for some dressings. I must just be used to the taste because we cook a lot of Asian food and it's absolutely fine.

I buy whatever's in bulk and on sale at the supermarket for my everyday/cooking oil and keep a 'nice' bottle (fresh as possible and usually direct from the producer) for finishing touches.

@MyNextDoorNeighbourVotesReform no, it's this one, but rereading your op you might prefer the one you've posted as it's not evoo like this one is

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/la-espanola-extra-virgin-olive-oil/729281-496534-496535

Thanks @longtompot

You use that oil for cooking ?

…and Italy, and Spain.

Here's a comparison

He concludes the best 5 are

#1 Finca LA Torre

#2 Liquid Gold

#3 Belazu Early Harvest

#4 Waitrose Valley Trapanni

#5 Terra De Lyssa

but frankly the only affordable one IMHO is #5 Terra De Lyssa.

I compared it with the supermarket one I had (Asda I think - I transfer from a plastic bottle into a glass bottle so can't really remember what it was) and IMHO there is a difference in taste (more of a black peppery taste I thought) and I will be buying the 500ml bottles of Terra De Lyssa from now on - it made my cheap supermarket one taste bad (fatty, greasy) by comparison.

There is a QR code on the bottle which I used to look up when and where the olives were harvested - it was 5 or 6 growers adjacent to each other in Tunisia and was harvested in Oct 2025.

HTH

Thank you! This thread is excellent ❤️🥰

I just bought a new olive oil, it came in a set with really lovely bottles. It is divine! It’s a long while since I’ve had such a nice tasting one, it’s new so not sure how available it is in the shops yet?
https://foliclub.com/

I wouldn't use it for cooking as it's a waste but this one is what I use for any raw usages. It's turned me, didnt know what the fuss was all about re OO before. You can taste how rich it is, buttery etc. Sold in Sainsbury's and Tesco's at least.

www.ocado.com/products/il-casolare-unfiltered-extra-virgin-olive-oil/322164011?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21073525152&utm_content=non-brand&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21073526097&gbraid=0AAAAADi6iHnTbg6CQOJcvB6Y5QnX80jhT&gclid=Cj0KCQjwve7NBhC-ARIsALZy9HW88nkrkuZ_OiPsmS5S5oJJtDMqLiSHOdp93MXdx3TtTKEwiVf6usQaAj1UEALw_wcB

I use a light (coloured) olive oil for cooking, and EVO for salads. For the former, I don't splurge, as I don't see it as being worth it. I use a lot (I bake with olive oil instead of butter due to high cholesterol, and a single cake uses loads) so I keep the budget low. My last lot was Aldi.

I don't have a favourite EVO either. The sheer number of options at places like Waitrose is mind-boggling, and I don't have that fine a palate .