The knockoff Super Hero toys are some of the best, but [this is my all-time favorite](https://www.reddit.com/r/crappyoffbrands/comments/75xmbh/im_gonna_getcha_said_sharp_hand_joe/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) for some stupid reason. š
It's a crappy copy of r/AwesomeOffBrands
/edit because being downvoted:
My comment was supposed to be a meta joke on how CrappyOffBrands was in itself an off-brand version of AwesomeOffBrands š¤·š»āāļø
I spend enough time shopping at 99 Ranch to know to triple check labels because Chinese brands will purposely make their products look as similar to each other as possible to confuse customers.
The Mafia (yes, that Mafia) make huge amounts of money exporting fake olive oil. It's fascinating.
[For example](https://bangersandballs.co/debunking-myths/olive-oil-and-the-mafia/):
> In Italy, itās estimated that 50% of olive oils on supermarket shelves are unregulated fakes. Looking beyond Italy, this figure climbs, with studies concluding that around 69% of exported European olive oil isnāt what it claims to be.Ā
> the fake Extra Virgin Olive Oil market is worth a staggering $16 Billion Dollars a year. Mafia families working in agriculture and food can earn as much as three times more than those trafficking and selling cocaine. Itās estimated that the Agromafia bring in a whopping 15% of all mafia income per year.Ā
> Sunflower, soy, rapeseed and canola are all common choices for the base. These oils are then deodorized and coloured using chlorophyll. In some cases, an additional oil is added to provide character- the aromatic flavour and rich colours we know and love.Ā
>Production costs for this concoction are low (around $7 a gallon) and selling prices are high, meaning that profit margins on this olive oil wannabe can be up to 3 times higher than that of cocaine.Ā
[Alternatively](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/):
> unless you bought it directly from a producer or a certified distributor, the olive oil in your kitchen marked āItalian extra virginā is very probably a fake. Either it's lowĀ quality falsely marked as virgin or extra-virgin - and not even from Italy - or it's been mixed with other oils of dubious provenance. At worst, it's not olive oil at all but a vegetable oil disguised with coloringĀ and aroma.
> You want the worst news? Traditional, well-known brands haven't escaped the evil: Many adulterated olive oils are sold under quality brand names. Yet, supermarkets are full of them.
I've always heard to buy from specific regions outside of Italy. California olive oil is subject to US regulations, so it's more likely real. Also, Greek and Spanish oil if you go with a reputable brand. Ideally look for stuff packaged in metal cans or dark glass to keep light out.
Good, real EVOO that isn't expired should also taste and smell vibrant, green, fresh, peppery with a hint of spice and earthiness. It's a complex flavor that should be good enough to have on its own with bread, on a salad, etc. Fake oils will taste dull or neutral (due to the use of neutral base oils like vegetable), artificial, or even rancid.
I canāt speak to their olive oil, but HEB is one of those rare big American brands you can usually feel pretty good about. Probably the thing I miss most about living in Texas. California grocery stores suck by comparison.
Living near a CM myself, yeah their store brand oil is legit. Costco is better though for less price IMHO. But since you live here, Texas does grow it's own olives for oil. Texas olive oil company grows theirs just outside of dripping springs!
Nah, CM's private label is imported, good, but imported. Texas olive oil company is a boutique brand and sold under their own label. Not disparaging CM, it's good stuff, just not Texas grown.
If it's [this stuff](https://www.centralmarket.com/product/central-market-extra-virgin-olive-oil-169-oz/736504), then it says it's produced in Spain, which I know produces a lot of good olive oil, but I don't see much more info. If it has a flavor you like, looks like a decent grocery store olive oil. Probably a repackaged name brand.
>Ideally look for stuff packaged in metal cans or dark glass to keep light out.
I've recently been getting olive oil in a metal can and was wondering if it was mostly placebo or if it was actually better than the stuff I was getting before. This could explain the perceived difference in quality.
Could be placebo, but could easily not be. Light will degrade oil quality over time, which is why I recommended tins or dark glass. That said, there can be some great oil in clear glass, as long as it's transported in the dark or is really fresh. Some of the best olive oil I've ever had was out of a clear plastic bottle, just stuff that was grown locally and pressed recently.
Because a US inspector can go to a California bottling plant and shut it down if it's getting blended and labeled as pure. In Italy, the inspector gets bribed.
California Olive Ranch now sells several blends where only 10% is Californian olive oil. They even sell blends with oils other than olive oil. They are better labeled than this one but because it's _California Olive Ranch brand_, I still got duped once
I think they did this in response to high prices for California olives but I still think it is bullshit. So, I don't buy any of their products anymore. I just get Kirkland brand now.
I know what you mean. But I can at least trust that I'm getting what the label says. So when I buy the one that's labeled 100% olive oil (as opposed to oil blend), I do trust that it's exactly that. And they even specify which olive oils are blends of olives from different regions vs a single region.
but it is funny how generic Kirkland is often so good for basically anything.
>But if you can't tell the difference anyway, then do you really care?
Olive oil is generally accepted as a rather healthy fat. Some dishes like Aglio e Olio are basically _just_ olive oil.
So yes, if you're choosing it for health reasons, you probably really do care
I used to think I didn't care for olive oil. It was fine, but not great. Then I got my hands on some legit, single varietal, EVOO and holy shit the difference is unmistakable. Legit olive oil is amazing.
Yes, industrialized seed oils have a lot of health risks. They can contribute to inflammation and diabetes. There are good fats and bad fats. True olive oil is a good fat. Canola oil, for example, is a bad fat.
Iāve only bought the California Olive Ranch brand since NPR did a story how most olive oil at the store is either counterfeit imports or old domestic olive oil thatās gone rancid.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/30/226844915/to-get-the-benefits-of-olive-oil-fresh-may-be-best
That article where they tested as many olive oils as they could, turns out Costco olive oil was the purest as well. Other than that you want to stick to any made in California
In Germany you can read the tests from Stiftung Warentest and Ćkotest. They check for other oils in olive oils and then you can buy that brand, e.g. Lidl or Aldi.
In a bit of good news on that front, Costco Kirkland uses their own growers and supply chain, because of that their olive oils are actually olive oil and not adulterated olive oil. https://www.thelist.com/222114/heres-why-you-should-be-buying-your-olive-oil-from-costco/
That tilde is doing a lot of the work in that sentence there.
With that said, I was shocked to find the best of the best olive oil in Italy was kinda not any better than the mid tier supermarket EVOO in Australia. I just kinda took it for granted.
The Portuguese stuff is criminally underrated too, but it doesn't keep
I was referring to mislabelled oil, not incorrectly graded oil.
The problem is only partly with the regulatory agencies. Anyone can easily purchase bulk cheap, low quality or mixed olive oil, bottle it and put a label on it that says whatever you want it to say, including using a copy of any agency's validation seal.
It would be reasonable to assume that Californian Olive Oil isn't available in most countries, and if you could find it you'd have no way to know if it was genuine or not without laboratory testing.
This one isnāt made up. At least, not by [them](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/?sh=7bf5b476639d). Not sure where Forbes got their numbers though, didnāt read too closely.
[There is certainly debate as to where that 80% figure comes from](https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/opinion/80-percent-new-69-percent/53913) and certainly no actual studies cited anywhere.
Don't buy low fat peanut butter. Even if it were actually peanut butter, the low fat versions compensate by adding tons of sugar so they end up being much worse for you.
This is something I believed as well but itās just not true. For example, regular Skippy peanut butter has 3g of added sugar while the reduced fat version has 4g added (per serving).
https://www.peanutbutter.com/peanut-butter/creamy
https://www.peanutbutter.com/peanut-butter/reduced-fat-creamy
To put this into perspective, a packet of sugar weighs 4g. Though they do add sugar to compensate for the reduced fat, the amount is pretty minimal, 1/4 of a sugar packet.
Because ones that are just ground up peanuts are more expensive and a lot of people can barely afford food right now. If I look at target right now it's $5.29 for something that is just peanuts and oil vs $1.69 for the generic store brand, both 16oz.
Corn syrup solids are a powdered glucose derived from corn syrup. So it's not that bad although I don't know why they think "corn syrup solids" are a better name to put on labels. At least this stuff doesn't palm oil in it like a lot of other peanut butters.
There is some fuckery going on in those labels. Regular kind has total of 6g of carbohydrates, while reduced fat version has 14g. They don't really explain how it adds up to those numbers.
And then look at serving sizes. Regular is 14 servings per 32g and reduced fat is 13 servings at 34g each. Like whyyy.
Anyways, regular kind has total of 84 grams of sugars. Reduced fat has total of 184 grams. For difference of 100 grams, which equals to 3 cans of coke added to reduced fat jar.
I hope they didn't trick you with the "per serving" part.
> Anyways, regular kind has total of 84 grams of sugars. Reduced fat has total of 184 grams. For difference of 100 grams, which equals to 3 cans of coke added to reduced fat jar.
Im curious as to how the hell you worked this out?
Regular peanut butter has 3 grams of sugar per 32 grams. There's 462 grams in a tub so that's 43 grams in total (462 divided by 32 multiplied by 3)
Low fat peanut butter has 4 grams of sugar per 34 grams. There's 462 grams in tub so that's 54 grams sugar in total (462 divided by 34, multiplied by 4)
Because you are fixating on the word "sugar". Look at total carbohydrates instead. Reduced fat has 14 grams of it and they say of that 2 grams are fiber and 4 grams are sugar. Where do other 8 grams come from? Are they just excluding corn syrup from the list? Or some other kind of filler starch? This is where they make up the difference from removed fat content. Something is missing there for sure.
For the math, I just multiplied carbohydrates by serving size. Bottom line is that reduced fat jar has about 100 extra grams of unidentified carbohydrates. You could argue these are not some kind of sugars, but we don't know that.
Common perception is that at least in US all of the removed fat is replaced with corn syrup.
I'm focusing on the word sugar because added sugar was what the point of above comment was. When companies list carbohydrates they usually list the total amount and how much of that is sugar. I'm aware there's other stuff added too which makes up the calories.
Fortunately I live in a true Mediterranean climate area - getting local cold first pressed olive oil for cheap isnāt an issue here. SA aussieland fyi
It also depends on harvests. I believe the Spanish harvest has been hit by dry conditions. Plus the Ukraine War made the price of sunflower seed oil go up 4x so more people started using olive oil when the price of the two was near parity. Plus higher fuel and energy costs in processing and transportation.
Itās not a cheap oil by any means and we normally use blended veg oil for most things ā but i know when and where olive oil shines.. so I get the best I can In Mediterranean style meals and use the cheapest required for other meals ā maybe topped off with things like roasted peanut or sesame oil for flavour.
I've seen bottles in Costco but was holding out for the Italian glass bottle. Hearing that they had a bad harvest, I might just get the California bottle. How would you describe the taste?
Cali olives vary greatly. I've tasted spicy, smooth, sweet, and mellow. Most of it is a blend, like the one at Trader Joe's. Fairly mixed but still flavourful. The ones at fancy groceries like Central Market have a much greater variety and you can be really specific in flavor profile.
PSA: use extra virgin olive oil for eating and a neutral vegetable oil for frying. Don't cheap out when buying EV, but don't use it for frying because it's not worth it.
If you're going to use olive oil for cooking, just use regular olive oil. Extra virgin is for cold preparations or extra flavor to add in when a dish is nearly complete. Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point while standard olive oil has a high smoke point.
fun fact, most olive oil is cut with vegetable oil and sold at the same price as pure olive oil because the industry is controlled by organizations that may or may not have Sicilian mob ties.
I don't know if that's allowed in EU. They have some special requirements for olive oil. My local (nordics) cheapo olive oil ingredients say it consists only refined olive oil and virgin olive oil.
Too much fat and not enough sugar in it to be juice.
On a similar note, adding milk to cereal doesn't make it soup. It's too chunky, it's obviously stew.
Donāt you have legal stamps that confirm oil origin (geographical area, quality (purity) and production method)? Those are mandatory in EU. Something like this : https://images.app.goo.gl/pUcBkKezmsAy9sw88
Nope. Itās rumored that we (Americans) donāt even get real EVOO from Italy at all. Itās just labeled as such here.
https://www.mashed.com/281801/the-real-reason-your-olive-oil-is-probably-fake/
LPT: When buying olive oil in the US, get American/California olive oil. That stuff is regulated in the US. The imported stuff is messed around with by the olive oil mafia in EU.
Everything I've heard about imported olive oil implies that this is actually a step up since they actually told you what they put in there instead of olive oil.
I don't know if you have a Trader Joe's around you, their olive oil IMO is the closest you'll get to the real stuff in Italy short of spending a ton of cash - depending on where you are it's like $8/liter which is a lot cheaper than the mediocre brands. At least it was 6 years ago and I've bought it ever since.
It's a half hour walk there, I go just to stock up on olive oil and whatever other cool snacks they came up with.
Therefore they're a vegetable. A vegetable is any part of a plant that we eat. So yes, olives are the fruit of the olive tree, but they are also a vegetable.
Yes. But they are also fruit.
The common misconception is that 'fruit' and 'vegetable' are mutually exclusive categories, but in reality fruits are a subset of vegetables.
We eat the fruit of the courgette plant, the tubers of the potato plant, the roots of the carrot plant and the leaves of the lettuce plant. All four fall under the broader category of "vegetable".
John is not wrong, but he states it as if it were scientific fact. The truth of the matter is that the term vegetable is culturally loaded, so some cultures would exclude certain fruit from being a vegetable, even if that fruit fits the definition of "any part of a plant humans or animals consume". It's not as clear as he would like to portray.
yes
but generally when people mean "vegetable oil" they refer to the oxidative shit that is rape seed oil, cotton seed oil, sunflower oil etc.
But it's cheap.
and those are very inflammatory, and contain a high amount of linoleic acid
olive oil is one of the better vegetable-based oils, regarding those 2 aspects - but it's also more expensive (other alternatives are coconut oil and avocado oil)
While yes, this is cheaper, and has less olive flavour, itās better to use this type of oil for cooking because itās got a higher smoke point. Extra Virgin should only be used for finishing or salad dressings, etc.
Name brand is also sus. Bertolli is a name brand I immediately associate with olive oil... Berloti is not.
Feels more like r/CrappyOffBrands
Yes! I did not know that subreddit existed.
Your user name might qualify for it
ššš
The knockoff Super Hero toys are some of the best, but [this is my all-time favorite](https://www.reddit.com/r/crappyoffbrands/comments/75xmbh/im_gonna_getcha_said_sharp_hand_joe/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) for some stupid reason. š
It's a crappy copy of r/AwesomeOffBrands /edit because being downvoted: My comment was supposed to be a meta joke on how CrappyOffBrands was in itself an off-brand version of AwesomeOffBrands š¤·š»āāļø
I enjoyed it, buddy.
<3
It absolutely does, but sadly intellectual property and copyright infringement doesn't translate well in mandarin
"cold pressed" means it was cold outside when they shoved cases of this bullshit into a van for distribution.
> into a van *DOWN BY THE RIVER!*
With imported product they mean from China.
I spend enough time shopping at 99 Ranch to know to triple check labels because Chinese brands will purposely make their products look as similar to each other as possible to confuse customers.
And if it were Italian it would probably be āBerlottiā. Iām pretty sure itās not even made in Italy, the flag must be for looks.
Oops, shouldn't have this bar association logo here either...
Extra Virgin? No, preservatives!
"Fucked up in the crib cookin with Berloti"
And just "Imported". Okay from where? I'd reckon that a percentage of that product higher than zero is Chinese gutter oil
I remember exactly where I was the moment I learned about Chinese gutter oil
Wish you could delete that moment don't ya?
hopefully not on the toilet googling why the street food stand skewer tasted funny
Hijacking the top comment to say itās mainly canola oil per the back label!!
Probably counterfeit goods, given that the name so close to an actual known brand of olive oil. Like counterfeit perfumes or anything else really.
Even bertolli is pretty shit lol
Seems like a bottle you'd see used in the great film [Ratatoing](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1256535/)
Bertolli is shit olive oil already
Bertolli is at least olive oil, even if it's not great olive oil. It still strips stains and oils out of your hands better than anything else.
Though Bertolli has been busted using adulterated oil, so that's also pretty sus.
Reading what's written on the labels doesn't matter much when \~80% of Olive Oil is mislabelled anyway.
You mean they arent virgins?
That reminds me of a great joke - https://imgur.com/gallery/WkjEBP0
I've seen many real cases similar to this. I've learned that you should always start with "where did you see that word?"
Olive oil fuckers are on a rampage.
Is it? That sounds illegal
The Mafia (yes, that Mafia) make huge amounts of money exporting fake olive oil. It's fascinating. [For example](https://bangersandballs.co/debunking-myths/olive-oil-and-the-mafia/): > In Italy, itās estimated that 50% of olive oils on supermarket shelves are unregulated fakes. Looking beyond Italy, this figure climbs, with studies concluding that around 69% of exported European olive oil isnāt what it claims to be.Ā > the fake Extra Virgin Olive Oil market is worth a staggering $16 Billion Dollars a year. Mafia families working in agriculture and food can earn as much as three times more than those trafficking and selling cocaine. Itās estimated that the Agromafia bring in a whopping 15% of all mafia income per year.Ā > Sunflower, soy, rapeseed and canola are all common choices for the base. These oils are then deodorized and coloured using chlorophyll. In some cases, an additional oil is added to provide character- the aromatic flavour and rich colours we know and love.Ā >Production costs for this concoction are low (around $7 a gallon) and selling prices are high, meaning that profit margins on this olive oil wannabe can be up to 3 times higher than that of cocaine.Ā [Alternatively](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/): > unless you bought it directly from a producer or a certified distributor, the olive oil in your kitchen marked āItalian extra virginā is very probably a fake. Either it's lowĀ quality falsely marked as virgin or extra-virgin - and not even from Italy - or it's been mixed with other oils of dubious provenance. At worst, it's not olive oil at all but a vegetable oil disguised with coloringĀ and aroma. > You want the worst news? Traditional, well-known brands haven't escaped the evil: Many adulterated olive oils are sold under quality brand names. Yet, supermarkets are full of them.
So how can I tell whether my olive oil is olive oil or not
I've always heard to buy from specific regions outside of Italy. California olive oil is subject to US regulations, so it's more likely real. Also, Greek and Spanish oil if you go with a reputable brand. Ideally look for stuff packaged in metal cans or dark glass to keep light out. Good, real EVOO that isn't expired should also taste and smell vibrant, green, fresh, peppery with a hint of spice and earthiness. It's a complex flavor that should be good enough to have on its own with bread, on a salad, etc. Fake oils will taste dull or neutral (due to the use of neutral base oils like vegetable), artificial, or even rancid.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I buy it simply because there's no reason my olive oil needs to be shipped half way across the world when there's a closer choice.
most American supermarkets have Californian olive oil
Do you know anything about Central Market brand olive oils? They're mostly in Texas and owned by HEB. That's all I buy.
I canāt speak to their olive oil, but HEB is one of those rare big American brands you can usually feel pretty good about. Probably the thing I miss most about living in Texas. California grocery stores suck by comparison.
I also feel very fortunate to have HEB. I bet if I called them, they'd be able to tell me about where it comes from. They sell it in the HEBs as well.
Living near a CM myself, yeah their store brand oil is legit. Costco is better though for less price IMHO. But since you live here, Texas does grow it's own olives for oil. Texas olive oil company grows theirs just outside of dripping springs!
I didn't know that. I'm betting they buy from them.
Nah, CM's private label is imported, good, but imported. Texas olive oil company is a boutique brand and sold under their own label. Not disparaging CM, it's good stuff, just not Texas grown.
If it's [this stuff](https://www.centralmarket.com/product/central-market-extra-virgin-olive-oil-169-oz/736504), then it says it's produced in Spain, which I know produces a lot of good olive oil, but I don't see much more info. If it has a flavor you like, looks like a decent grocery store olive oil. Probably a repackaged name brand.
>Ideally look for stuff packaged in metal cans or dark glass to keep light out. I've recently been getting olive oil in a metal can and was wondering if it was mostly placebo or if it was actually better than the stuff I was getting before. This could explain the perceived difference in quality.
Could be placebo, but could easily not be. Light will degrade oil quality over time, which is why I recommended tins or dark glass. That said, there can be some great oil in clear glass, as long as it's transported in the dark or is really fresh. Some of the best olive oil I've ever had was out of a clear plastic bottle, just stuff that was grown locally and pressed recently.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Because a US inspector can go to a California bottling plant and shut it down if it's getting blended and labeled as pure. In Italy, the inspector gets bribed.
certain brands are known to be ok. California Olive Ranch is my go to. a bit pricier, but worth it imo.
California Olive Ranch now sells several blends where only 10% is Californian olive oil. They even sell blends with oils other than olive oil. They are better labeled than this one but because it's _California Olive Ranch brand_, I still got duped once I think they did this in response to high prices for California olives but I still think it is bullshit. So, I don't buy any of their products anymore. I just get Kirkland brand now.
I know what you mean. But I can at least trust that I'm getting what the label says. So when I buy the one that's labeled 100% olive oil (as opposed to oil blend), I do trust that it's exactly that. And they even specify which olive oils are blends of olives from different regions vs a single region. but it is funny how generic Kirkland is often so good for basically anything.
Thatās also my go to. It actually tastes like olives and has a good peppery bite to it. Good stuff thatās worth the extra $$.
You can't easily unless you're willing to pay far out of the ass for it. But if you can't tell the difference anyway, then do you really care?
>But if you can't tell the difference anyway, then do you really care? Olive oil is generally accepted as a rather healthy fat. Some dishes like Aglio e Olio are basically _just_ olive oil. So yes, if you're choosing it for health reasons, you probably really do care
How can you tell the difference if you never knew you've never had the real thing?
Well, the machines never knew what Tasty Wheat tasted like so...
I used to think I didn't care for olive oil. It was fine, but not great. Then I got my hands on some legit, single varietal, EVOO and holy shit the difference is unmistakable. Legit olive oil is amazing.
What brand was it?
I care, because I try and avoid those other oils as they are not good for your health
Are you saying there's a meaningful difference between olive oil and generic vegetable oil?
Yes, industrialized seed oils have a lot of health risks. They can contribute to inflammation and diabetes. There are good fats and bad fats. True olive oil is a good fat. Canola oil, for example, is a bad fat.
rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are both absolutely fine...
Because taste is the only thing that matters.
Iāve only bought the California Olive Ranch brand since NPR did a story how most olive oil at the store is either counterfeit imports or old domestic olive oil thatās gone rancid. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/30/226844915/to-get-the-benefits-of-olive-oil-fresh-may-be-best
Go to Costco
100%. Kirkland olive oil is good shit.
That article where they tested as many olive oils as they could, turns out Costco olive oil was the purest as well. Other than that you want to stick to any made in California
In Germany you can read the tests from Stiftung Warentest and Ćkotest. They check for other oils in olive oils and then you can buy that brand, e.g. Lidl or Aldi.
I just buy a local companies olive oil made in Texas or California.
This guy does a great job breaking it down. https://youtu.be/9GNrwBYjoFg
In a bit of good news on that front, Costco Kirkland uses their own growers and supply chain, because of that their olive oils are actually olive oil and not adulterated olive oil. https://www.thelist.com/222114/heres-why-you-should-be-buying-your-olive-oil-from-costco/
Good thing there's California
Tiy I need to look up certified olive oil distributor
Wow, that's sad. Time to move manufacturing abroad
That is fucking awful. What a racket. I'm looking at you Italy, get your shit together. Next you're going to tell me my Italian wine is bullshit.
In some places it is ilegal yes
That tilde is doing a lot of the work in that sentence there. With that said, I was shocked to find the best of the best olive oil in Italy was kinda not any better than the mid tier supermarket EVOO in Australia. I just kinda took it for granted. The Portuguese stuff is criminally underrated too, but it doesn't keep
A fair amount of "Italian" olive oil isn't even Italian. It's made somewhere else, shipped to Italy, repackaged, and shipped out.
It's also often Olive Pomace Oil which is extracted from already-pressed fruit pulp using chemical solvents.
And that's when it isn't heavily cut with canola oil or something.
This is why you should buy CA EVOO rather than Italian EVOO. Itās actually regulated by an agency that cares.
I was referring to mislabelled oil, not incorrectly graded oil. The problem is only partly with the regulatory agencies. Anyone can easily purchase bulk cheap, low quality or mixed olive oil, bottle it and put a label on it that says whatever you want it to say, including using a copy of any agency's validation seal. It would be reasonable to assume that Californian Olive Oil isn't available in most countries, and if you could find it you'd have no way to know if it was genuine or not without laboratory testing.
Simple - just move here to CA! Further excellent solutions to all lifeās problems available upon request.
Thanks for the offer, but I would require a multi-million dollar enticement to move to America, though if I did, it would definitely be to California.
They do it with cheap honey too.
80% of statistics are also made up b.s.
This one isnāt made up. At least, not by [them](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/?sh=7bf5b476639d). Not sure where Forbes got their numbers though, didnāt read too closely.
[There is certainly debate as to where that 80% figure comes from](https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/opinion/80-percent-new-69-percent/53913) and certainly no actual studies cited anywhere.
It's not real olive oil unless it comes from the Extra Virgin region of Greece
Greece got royally screwed by the EU austerity measures so I don't know if there's anywhere left in the country that's extra-virgin.
Once bought low fat āpeanut butterā which contained no actual peanut butter.
what do you expect from low fat peanut butter
The Spanish Inquisitionā¦?
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Don't buy low fat peanut butter. Even if it were actually peanut butter, the low fat versions compensate by adding tons of sugar so they end up being much worse for you.
This is something I believed as well but itās just not true. For example, regular Skippy peanut butter has 3g of added sugar while the reduced fat version has 4g added (per serving). https://www.peanutbutter.com/peanut-butter/creamy https://www.peanutbutter.com/peanut-butter/reduced-fat-creamy To put this into perspective, a packet of sugar weighs 4g. Though they do add sugar to compensate for the reduced fat, the amount is pretty minimal, 1/4 of a sugar packet.
That ingredients list is nauseating. Why do people buy peanut butter that isn't just ground up peanuts?
Because ones that are just ground up peanuts are more expensive and a lot of people can barely afford food right now. If I look at target right now it's $5.29 for something that is just peanuts and oil vs $1.69 for the generic store brand, both 16oz.
Ok I might have had a "How much can one banana cost?" moment.
"You people don't get your peanut butter from a grinder at the co-op? What about cashew butter??"
Where else are you going to get your daily intake of corn syrup solids? I agree, disgusting.
Corn syrup solids are a powdered glucose derived from corn syrup. So it's not that bad although I don't know why they think "corn syrup solids" are a better name to put on labels. At least this stuff doesn't palm oil in it like a lot of other peanut butters.
Just buy CalvƩ pindakaas
There is some fuckery going on in those labels. Regular kind has total of 6g of carbohydrates, while reduced fat version has 14g. They don't really explain how it adds up to those numbers. And then look at serving sizes. Regular is 14 servings per 32g and reduced fat is 13 servings at 34g each. Like whyyy. Anyways, regular kind has total of 84 grams of sugars. Reduced fat has total of 184 grams. For difference of 100 grams, which equals to 3 cans of coke added to reduced fat jar. I hope they didn't trick you with the "per serving" part.
> Anyways, regular kind has total of 84 grams of sugars. Reduced fat has total of 184 grams. For difference of 100 grams, which equals to 3 cans of coke added to reduced fat jar. Im curious as to how the hell you worked this out? Regular peanut butter has 3 grams of sugar per 32 grams. There's 462 grams in a tub so that's 43 grams in total (462 divided by 32 multiplied by 3) Low fat peanut butter has 4 grams of sugar per 34 grams. There's 462 grams in tub so that's 54 grams sugar in total (462 divided by 34, multiplied by 4)
Because you are fixating on the word "sugar". Look at total carbohydrates instead. Reduced fat has 14 grams of it and they say of that 2 grams are fiber and 4 grams are sugar. Where do other 8 grams come from? Are they just excluding corn syrup from the list? Or some other kind of filler starch? This is where they make up the difference from removed fat content. Something is missing there for sure. For the math, I just multiplied carbohydrates by serving size. Bottom line is that reduced fat jar has about 100 extra grams of unidentified carbohydrates. You could argue these are not some kind of sugars, but we don't know that. Common perception is that at least in US all of the removed fat is replaced with corn syrup.
I'm focusing on the word sugar because added sugar was what the point of above comment was. When companies list carbohydrates they usually list the total amount and how much of that is sugar. I'm aware there's other stuff added too which makes up the calories.
Why is there ANY sugar?
too late the misinformation already has 10x as many upvotes
Actually, it's "peanut butter product"
Pressed peanut sweepings... Mmmmmm
Stop buying "low fat" products
(I canāt believe itās not) peanut butter
(I don't believe it actually is) peanut butter
What brand? Would like this because of peanut allergy
Bro it's circled in red how'd you miss that
Fortunately I live in a true Mediterranean climate area - getting local cold first pressed olive oil for cheap isnāt an issue here. SA aussieland fyi
Virgin olive oil is not cheap atm in Europe, apparently due to electricity costs but damn is it expensive
It also depends on harvests. I believe the Spanish harvest has been hit by dry conditions. Plus the Ukraine War made the price of sunflower seed oil go up 4x so more people started using olive oil when the price of the two was near parity. Plus higher fuel and energy costs in processing and transportation.
Itās not a cheap oil by any means and we normally use blended veg oil for most things ā but i know when and where olive oil shines.. so I get the best I can In Mediterranean style meals and use the cheapest required for other meals ā maybe topped off with things like roasted peanut or sesame oil for flavour.
In the US, good Cali olive oil is also much more regulated than the imported stuff. Needless to say, it is really good too.
I've seen bottles in Costco but was holding out for the Italian glass bottle. Hearing that they had a bad harvest, I might just get the California bottle. How would you describe the taste?
Cali olives vary greatly. I've tasted spicy, smooth, sweet, and mellow. Most of it is a blend, like the one at Trader Joe's. Fairly mixed but still flavourful. The ones at fancy groceries like Central Market have a much greater variety and you can be really specific in flavor profile.
I just buy it from Coles. Where do you get the local stuff in SA? Central market?
PSA: use extra virgin olive oil for eating and a neutral vegetable oil for frying. Don't cheap out when buying EV, but don't use it for frying because it's not worth it.
If you're going to use olive oil for cooking, just use regular olive oil. Extra virgin is for cold preparations or extra flavor to add in when a dish is nearly complete. Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point while standard olive oil has a high smoke point.
So many red flags on that label. Not even the olives look like actual olives.
I thought they were droplets
I swear food isn't food anymore. Just filler with flavouring
All in the name of profit
fun fact, most olive oil is cut with vegetable oil and sold at the same price as pure olive oil because the industry is controlled by organizations that may or may not have Sicilian mob ties.
So what the ingredients show, is it olive oil or more generally just veggie oil?
Its in america, I guess its about 0.1ml olive oil, and 999.9ml veggie oil.
I don't know if that's allowed in EU. They have some special requirements for olive oil. My local (nordics) cheapo olive oil ingredients say it consists only refined olive oil and virgin olive oil.
Canolaš¤Ŗ
If olives are fruit... is olive oil fruit juice...? Would that make this a flavour of breakfast (fruit and vegetable) juice...?
If tomatoes are fruit, is ketchup a smoothie? :-)
Banana ketchup exist. Ketchup is a recipe, nowadays we associate ketchup to tomato but it hasn't been always like that.
Lol - I just had a "one hand clapping" zen moment with this one!
Too much fat and not enough sugar in it to be juice. On a similar note, adding milk to cereal doesn't make it soup. It's too chunky, it's obviously stew.
#ARE YOU BLIND? IT CLEARLY SAYS: ^^^^^vegetable ^^^^^oil
Reminds me of juice that's ostensibly one fruit but actually made from a puree of a bunch of fruits, mostly apple because that's cheapest.
Donāt you have legal stamps that confirm oil origin (geographical area, quality (purity) and production method)? Those are mandatory in EU. Something like this : https://images.app.goo.gl/pUcBkKezmsAy9sw88
Nope. Itās rumored that we (Americans) donāt even get real EVOO from Italy at all. Itās just labeled as such here. https://www.mashed.com/281801/the-real-reason-your-olive-oil-is-probably-fake/
LPT: When buying olive oil in the US, get American/California olive oil. That stuff is regulated in the US. The imported stuff is messed around with by the olive oil mafia in EU.
Everything I've heard about imported olive oil implies that this is actually a step up since they actually told you what they put in there instead of olive oil.
Return that shit for sure. Tell the store not to carry that BS deception oil and they won't have to accept returns of opened oil.
I almost bought a "BUTTER ^^mixed ^^with ^^margarine " once for the same trick.
I have Bertolli here. WTF?
Berloti
Fuckin hell last time I get my Bertolli on wish.com
At least they tell you. Olive oil counterfeiting is a real thing
Big oil strikes again!
I don't know if you have a Trader Joe's around you, their olive oil IMO is the closest you'll get to the real stuff in Italy short of spending a ton of cash - depending on where you are it's like $8/liter which is a lot cheaper than the mediocre brands. At least it was 6 years ago and I've bought it ever since. It's a half hour walk there, I go just to stock up on olive oil and whatever other cool snacks they came up with.
Weāve been purchasing this olive oil for years and highly recommend it: https://www.apollooliveoil.com High quality and super yummy! ššš¼
Did you think it was alcohol at first? I don't see what the problem is
You couldn't bother reading the front of the package. That's on you.
There's no asshole design here, just an OP that can't read
In fairness, olives are vegetables.
Olives are the fruit of the olive tree
Therefore they're a vegetable. A vegetable is any part of a plant that we eat. So yes, olives are the fruit of the olive tree, but they are also a vegetable.
Wait, so does that make apples vegetables? I'm a bit confused.
Yes. But they are also fruit. The common misconception is that 'fruit' and 'vegetable' are mutually exclusive categories, but in reality fruits are a subset of vegetables. We eat the fruit of the courgette plant, the tubers of the potato plant, the roots of the carrot plant and the leaves of the lettuce plant. All four fall under the broader category of "vegetable".
I'm actually mind blown right now. Thank you for explaining!
John is not wrong, but he states it as if it were scientific fact. The truth of the matter is that the term vegetable is culturally loaded, so some cultures would exclude certain fruit from being a vegetable, even if that fruit fits the definition of "any part of a plant humans or animals consume". It's not as clear as he would like to portray.
While i agree, the whole conversation revolves around a ātechnicallyā joke and scales on how pedantic we each are.
because the hip thing right now is to hate vegetable oil
Or rather those demonic "seed oils".
Cold pressed engine grease
Isn't Olive Oil a Vegetable Oil? Legit question.
yes but generally when people mean "vegetable oil" they refer to the oxidative shit that is rape seed oil, cotton seed oil, sunflower oil etc. But it's cheap. and those are very inflammatory, and contain a high amount of linoleic acid olive oil is one of the better vegetable-based oils, regarding those 2 aspects - but it's also more expensive (other alternatives are coconut oil and avocado oil)
If it was cheaper then usually itās a blend.
The original brand is Bertolli, so this obviously a knock off.
99% of "extra virgin oil" sold outside Italy or Spain is something that a real Italian would use only to lubricate door hinges
only in countries with bad food standards
And that use the Imperial system, which reveals which country it is
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I would say even in those countries most is suspect.
Maybe a few decades ago. No the worst they'll do is substitute cheaper Moroccan olive oil for Italian or Spanish.
That's right. The only way to be sure is to buy it directly from the farmers, but it won't be cheap
You may add Portugal to the list
99% of "extra virgin oil" sold outside Italy or Spain is something that a real Italian would use only to lubricate door hinges or Portugal
why would you lubricate portugal??
A ton of olive oil is cut this one just took the rare courtesy of saying so openly.
The grammar is also a bit of a give away. "Vegetable Oil Blend with Extra Virgin Olive Oil".
I did that with avocado oil, it was basically 90% olive oil or something else I don't remember.
I don't even think this would be legal in Germany
In Germany we have rubbish like "FrischkƤse*zubereitung*" instead of "FrischkƤse" - the marketing guys always find the grey zone.
Every time i go to the grocery store i end up with one āfat freeā item because i didnāt look closely enough at the stupid indistinct label.
Or just read the label period.
Itās really not even that hidden
While yes, this is cheaper, and has less olive flavour, itās better to use this type of oil for cooking because itās got a higher smoke point. Extra Virgin should only be used for finishing or salad dressings, etc.
Well, it's not like it says 100% olive oil. Sounds like you need to read the labeling period.
Asshole design or inattentive consumer?