Storage, cooking & serving ideas

Question 1

What do you use Extra Slutty Olive Oil for?

Accepted Answer

Finishing pasta, dressing salad, dipping bread, drizzling over burrata, roasted vegetables, eggs, and pizza. Arbequina is mild enough that it does not fight the food. Use it for salad, pasta, bread, or ice cream. What you do with the rest of the bottle is between you and your kitchen. We do not judge.

Question 2

How should I store olive oil, and how long does it last?

Accepted Answer

Store it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove and keep the cap on. Heat, light, and air are what turn olive oil rancid, not time alone. Use an opened bottle within about three months for best flavor. The black glass bottle is doing real work here, not just looking good.

Question 3

Should olive oil be refrigerated?

Accepted Answer

No. Refrigeration makes olive oil cloudy and solid and does not meaningfully extend its life. A cool dark cupboard away from the stove is correct. The three things that ruin olive oil are heat, light, and air, which is why this one comes in black glass with a proper cap instead of a clear bottle on a windowsill.

Question 4

Can you cook or fry with extra virgin olive oil?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point around 375 to 405 F, which covers sauteing, roasting, and shallow frying, and it is more stable under heat than its reputation suggests. The argument against it is economic rather than chemical: heat destroys the polyphenols and aroma you paid a premium for. Cook with the cheap stuff. Finish with this.

Question 5

How do I know if my olive oil has gone bad?

Accepted Answer

Smell it. Rancid olive oil smells like crayons, putty, or old nuts and tastes flat and greasy rather than green and peppery. Fresh extra virgin should smell like grass, artichoke, or fruit and give a slight catch at the back of the throat. Rancid oil is not dangerous, just depressing, and it will make everything you put it on taste worse.

Question 6

How long does an unopened bottle of olive oil last?

Accepted Answer

Unopened and stored cool and dark, extra virgin olive oil is typically good for around 18 to 24 months from pressing, though it is at its best in the first year. Once opened, aim to finish it within about three months. Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. It only gets further from the day it was pressed.

Question 7

What is an olive oil martini and how do you make one?

Accepted Answer

An olive oil martini is a standard gin or vodka martini finished with a few drops of good extra virgin olive oil floated on the surface, or made with spirit that has been fat washed with olive oil and then frozen and strained. It adds body and a soft savory note in place of the olive. Use a mild varietal like Arbequina, because a bitter Tuscan style oil will bulldoze the drink.

Question 8

What should I make first with a new bottle of good olive oil?

Accepted Answer

Something that does not cook it. Bread and flaky salt, burrata or fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, a simple lemon dressing, or a fried egg finished off the heat. The point of a first pour is to actually taste the oil, which you cannot do once it has been through a hot pan. Then work your way up to the ice cream.

Question 9

Can you really put olive oil on ice cream?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is one of the best arguments for owning a good bottle. Vanilla ice cream, a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil, and flaky sea salt is a standard dessert in Italian restaurants for a reason: the fat and salt make the vanilla taste more like vanilla. Use a mild oil like Arbequina. Use it for salad, pasta, bread, or ice cream. We do not judge.

Question 10

What do you add to olive oil for bread dipping, and what cheese goes with it?

Accepted Answer

For dipping, keep it short: good oil, flaky salt, cracked pepper, and optionally a little grated garlic or chili. Balsamic is a restaurant habit, not a requirement, and it mostly hides the oil. For cheese, a mild Arbequina works best with fresh and creamy types, burrata, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and young goat cheese, plus shaved parmesan on the harder end.

Question 11

Can you put olive oil in coffee?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Olive oil in coffee, popularised as the oleato, is a real drink and it tastes better than it sounds: rounder body, a little sweetness, less acidity. It needs a mild oil or the coffee turns bitter, which makes Arbequina the right varietal for it. Half a teaspoon in an espresso is plenty. Start there before you start pouring.

Question 12

Is Extra Slutty Olive Oil good for focaccia?

Accepted Answer

It is close to the ideal focaccia oil. Focaccia needs a mild, buttery oil in real volume, in the dough, in the pan, and pooled in the dimples, and an aggressive bitter oil makes the whole loaf taste harsh. California Arbequina is mild by nature. Dip the bread, dimple the dough, dress the crust.

Question 13

Is this a good olive oil for salad dressing?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the ratio is three parts oil to one part acid, plus salt and something sharp like mustard or shallot. Arbequina is mild enough that it does not fight the vinegar, which is the usual failure mode when people use a bitter Tuscan oil in a vinaigrette. A homemade dressing with good oil beats almost anything sold in a bottle.

Question 14

Does this olive oil need to be refrigerated once I open it?

Accepted Answer

No refrigeration needed. Store it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove with the cap on, and use it within about three months of opening for the best flavor, since heat, light, and air are what cause olive oil to go rancid.

Question 15

Can I bake with Extra Slutty Olive Oil, or is it only for drizzling?

Accepted Answer

You can bake or cook with it, extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point around 375-405°F, but it's best used as a finishing oil since heat breaks down the polyphenols and aromatics you're paying for. Save the cheaper stuff for high-heat cooking and finish dishes with this one.