I'm just sayin'.

I don't use a lot of oil to begin with--mainly to saute vegetables or the occasional home-made salad dressing. My home made bread specifies safflower oil and wok cooking requires a higher heating oil like peanut.

So for us less frequent olive oil users, will someone provide a primer?

I guess we should have this in the cooking forum, actually.....

http://www.traderjoes.com/how-to/olive-oil.asp#1

Is there a cooking forum?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1157

Trader Joes pisses me off because they will not locate to Colorado. I can't tell you how many times I've signed requests for them to do so, and business-wise it makes NO sense to not at least come to Denver. Apparently, according to them, I'm supposed to fire up the Lear Jet and cruise on down to Santa Fe, NM--per their nearest store locator. Oh, well....

Apparently, they are the only states to pass and probably in response to those with severe nut allergies concerned about contamination. I usually just buy Bertollii, because that is an Italian brand I'd at least heard of. It appears it may be ok--at least now since being supposedly swindled in 1992 as indicated in that NYT article.

http://allergicgirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/connecticut-enacts-olive-oil-standards.html

... and expensive.

I buy it as a flavoring. I'll also buy good Greek or Italian olive oils, and it doesn't bother me so much that it may come from other places, just so long as it's actually olive oil.

Anyone who buys "light" or other highly refined olive oils from anywhere might be better off using canola oil.

I cook that way, with olive oil and canola oil. Say what you will, I'll sometimes mix a good olive oil and canola oil in the same dish, and I'd rather do that than use a weakly flavored, less expensive, and less trustworthy "100%" olive oil.