What is the difference between Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and the others?
Extra Virgin and Virgin Olive Oil is the first cold pressed oil extracted from the olive fruit. All the other categories, Pure, Light, Pomace, or even just Olive Oil have been reprocessed. They are refined oils. This means that any goodness has been completely stripped out. The difference between Virgin & Extra Virgin is the free fatty acid ratio of the oil. By world standards, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is under 0.8 of 1% free fatty acids; Virgin Oil is between 0.8 of 1% and 2%. Once the fatty acid ratio is over 2%, the olive oil has basically "lost its virginity". The lower the fatty acid ratio, the better the oil is for you.
My Doctor told me Olive Oil goes toxic if you heat it?
The facts are that FOOD deteriorates when you heat it. We all know that the nutritional value of fresh fruit and vegetables is higher than that of even those that are lightly steamed. All vegetable oils oxidise as they age or are exposed to light and air, or are heated. As EVOO is a mono-unsaturated fat (high oleic acid content), it oxidises less easily than those containing poly unsaturated fats (corn and sunflower oil). The poly phenol content of the EVOO also helps to protect the oil and food. EVOO has a smoking point (not just a wisp of smoke but continuously smoking in the pan) of around 200 degrees. ALL oil that has passed its smoking point give off toxic smoke, so if you cook below that temperature there should not be a problem.
Can I re-use the oil?
Personally we do not deep fry in EVOO. The extra high temperatures required to seal deep fried food quickly would compromise the flavour of the EVOO. Refined oils are more suitable for deep frying, however pan frying a schnitzel in EVOO will still give a crunchy golden delicious dish. I only use enough oil for each cook, so there is no oil to re-use.
Which is the best oil?
All our oils are Extra Virgin Olive Oil which means that they are the best quality you can buy. Making your choice really depends on what you wish to use it for. If you are using it for salads or an all rounder, then choose the oil you like the taste of. If you only use EVOO for cooking, try one of the more robust oils to enhance the flavours of your food. For baking or making mayonnaise, use one of the milder oils as the will not over power the flavour of what it is you are making.
Besides pan cooking and salads, what else can I use olive oil for?
All the cakes that we bake for the cafe are baked with olive oil, rather than butter. The ratio is basically 3/4 of the amount of EVOO you would usually use of butter. E.g. if a recipe calls for 200gm of butter, substitute 150gm of EVOO. We also use EVOO in our Ice-cream, pastry, mayonnaise, aioli, pesto etc.
Where can I buy your products in our town?
We do not have outlets in other locations. We only sell from our shop or on the internet. This helps us to keep the cost of the product down. Postage is calculated depending on weight.
Can we make our own flavoured oils?
You most certainly can. We use dried product to flavour our infused oil as the water content in fresh chilli and garlic can grow botulism. If you make flavoured oil with fresh herbs etc, then it needs to be consumed within 3 days.
Can we bring our own wine to your cafe?
We are fully licensed and have a wide range of local wines and a variety of beers, all at very reasonable prices.
My friend is celebrating her birthday, can I bring a cake?
Donna is able to bake a cake for you which we charge out per slice (reasonably priced). If you would still like to bring your own, it needs to be purchased from a professional bakery, Cheesecake Shop etc, and entered into our log on arrival. Cakage is charged at $2.00 per person.