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I stand in the grocery store, gazing at a line of glistening glass bottles full of slick liquids ranging in color from cloudy green to crystal clear gold. Olive oil. The bottles leer at me mockingly. Extra Virgin, Virgin, Pure, Extra Light-which olive oil is the olive oil I need? What on earth is the difference?

Let us take a journey from the world of extra virgin olive oil to that of "extra light." All olive oil comes from pressing green olive fruits. Extra virgin olive oil is a classification that means that it was produced from the first cold pressing and contains less than one percent acidity. Did that sound like gibberish? Let's slow down. It's really embarrassingly simple when you break it down, because it all means exactly what it sounds like. "Cold pressing" means to use pressure to squeeze the oil out of the fruit while maintaining a temperature under 120 degrees Fahrenheit (refined olive oils are put through temperatures over twice that). The fruit may be pressed more than once to get the maximum yield, but extra virgin oils are the product of that first pressing only. The acidity level is a reflection not on the process, but the quality of the original fruit. So extra virgin olive oil comes from the best fruit and the least damaging processing method. No wonder it's the favorite of chefs and celebrity chefs (yes, I mean Rachael Ray-but she's not the only one).

Virgin olive oil is basically; well-how do I put this politely? It's extra virgin olive oil that lost its little something "extra." Virgin olive oil is produced the same way as extra virgin, but it's made from slightly riper (perhaps overripe) fruit and has a slightly higher acidity level. As a result it is banned from using the coveted "extra virgin" label. It so wants to be extra virgin. But it's not, quite.

Pure olive oil, also just known as "olive oil," (you know, the regular stuff) is produced either from a second cold pressing or from a chemical process designed to extract as much oil as possible from the mashed bits left over from the first pressing. It has less of a fruity flavor than extra virgin or virgin olive oil. In fact, it doesn't have much flavor at all but is quite bland and unassuming, which is why some people prefer it for sauteing and other such activities. Not Rachael Ray, but some people.

Now we come to the so-called "light" and "extra light" olive oils. They sound like lower calorie or lower fat options. Low fat oil? These days, anything can happen, so there's no shame in being duped. But my weight-watching friends beware! These oils are not lower in calories or fat. The "light" or "extra light" on the label refers to the flavor, or lack thereof. Simply put, they don't taste like olive oil. There's a good reason for that-they are produced by taking low quality olive oil dregs that are not fit for human consumption as they are, and refining them into oblivion until no one can taste their nasty origins. Yes, I think you should avoid them (and although I can't speak for her, I bet Rachael Ray thinks so, too).

Now, leaving "light" and "extra light" by the wayside, and armed with new-found knowledge, we can choose our olive oil with confidence. It makes the light reflecting off those glass bottles look a little more cheerful, doesn't it?

Learn more about this author, Annemarie Garrett.
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