Which of your oils have a better health benefit or are they all the same?
Olive oil has a lot of calories, should I be concerned?
What if the olive oil freezes?
Do I need to refrigerate my olive oil?
What is the shelf life of your olive oil?
Why aren't Sciabica's olive oils in dark glass?
Will you tell me about flavored oils?
What's the deal with Sciabica's, Marsala's and Sadeg?
How would I know if I chose the right varietal for a particular cooking method?
Q: I love your product; It beats the Italian brands hands down. My question is about the health benefits of olive oil. Which of your oils have a better health benefit or are they all the same? - submitted by: Phil Chevela |
A: Olive oil should be used every day because it reduces harmful LDL cholesterol while maintaining beneficial HDL. LDL cholesterol sticks in our arteries and causes blockages. Conversely, Jonathan Sciabica calls HDL cholesterol the "Roto-Rooter" for our system. HDL's job is to flow through and remove the bad LDL, leading to lower risk of heart attack and heart disease. Extra Virgin olive oil retains all of the natural health benefits of the oil. Refined olive oils, such as "100% pure" may not have the effect on your health that EVOO offers. Since all of our oils are extra virgin, you can't go wrong, though there is some evidence that shows stronger (fall harvest) olive oils have better antioxidant properties which have been correlated with reduced rates of cancer. |
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Q: Olive oil has a lot of calories; should I be concerned? |
A: In a word, no. There are three terms that often have negative connotations that are not necessarily negative: Calories, Fat and Cholesterol. There are good sides to each of them.
Calories: Calories are essential becausethey give us energy; however, not all calories are created equal. 100 calories from fruit will burn off extremely fast, but 100 calories from saturated fat will take much more work. Olives are a fruit, and the oil from the olive is not nearly as "fattening" as the saturated and trans fats in fast food! The type of calorie is more important than the quantity. For instance, you can remove 500 calories of saturated fat and add 750 calories of fruits and vegetables and still lose weight! We believe that it is not possible to use too much olive oil :)
Fat and Cholesterol: There are two types of Cholesterol, LDL and HDL. LDL is considered "bad" cholesterol and HDL is "good". Having high cholesterol is not necessarily bad if it is high in "good" HDL. Saturated and Trans Fats have the "double whammy" effect of lowering good cholesterol and raising bad cholesterol. This is obviously bad, and should be avoided. Unsaturated fats do not have the negative effect of raising bad cholesterol, but not all are able to maintain good cholesterol. The Monounsaturated fats in olive oil have the opposite effect of Saturated and Trans Fats; they lower bad cholesterol and maintain good cholesterol. This significantly lowers the risk of blockage and heart disease.
There is also evidence to support the fact that Trans fats may raise the risk of Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, Liver Dysfunction and Infertility. |
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Q:When I order my EVOO in the winter months it comes frozen in the bottle. Per instructions from the main man at Sciabica's I let the bottle set at room temperature and all seems to return to normal. I don't notice any flavor issues and the hazy oil clears. Just was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences and did the frozen oil present any particular issues? - submitted by: zuppa |
A: You're right, the freezing process does not harm the oil. Yet, depending on how cold it gets, it may take a week to thaw! |
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| Q: Do I need to refrigerate my olive oil? |
A: No, olive oil keeps just fine in your cupboard at room temperature. |
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| Q: What is the shelf life of your olive oil? |
A: The three main concerns regarding olive oil are UV light, heat and oxygen. If you do not open your bottle and keep it out of the light in your cupboard, the olive oil will be fine a year from now. After you open a bottle of Sciabica's olive oil, we like to see you use it within three months. |
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| Q: You say that UV light is bad; why aren't Sciabica's olive oils in dark glass? |
A: For two reasons. We like our customers to be able to base part of their decision on the color of the oil. Generally, the darker the oil, the stronger the flavor. Additionally, dark glass does not stop UV light; it simply stops the customer from being able to tell if the olive oil has changed color. We like to know if our olive oil has changed color and be sure not to sell a single bottle that has been sitting in the light too long. |
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| Q: Will you tell me about using flavored oils? - submitted by: petenme |
A: We call our flavored olive oils "Fresh Flavored". That's because we do not infuse the flavor through heat like most olive oils. Instead we send fresh fruits or herbs with the olives through the presses. For example, fresh, whole lemons will get crushed with the olives in the mill to produce Lemon Olive Oil, and big, beautiful jalapeños will go through the same process for our Jalapeño Olive Oil. The process is cold, all natural and amazingly fresh tasting. In fact, if you find a flavored olive oil that you think matches one of ours, we'll give you your money back!
There are many uses for the flavored olive oils. I'll name our favorites:
Lemon: Chicken, Fish, Sautee Asparagus
Orange: Orange Brownies, Orange Balsamic salad dressing
Jalapeño: Sautée asparagus, Popcorn!
Basil: Instant Pasta Pesto
Garlic: Instant Garlic Bread, Sandwich Spread
Rosemary: Fish, Chicken
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| Q: There are different olive oils that are named besides Sciabica's, like Marsala and Sadeg. Does Sciabica make these and use a different name, or are these made from another company and sold by Sciabica? -submitted by: Guy |
A: Marsala is the original label used by the Sciabica Family going all the way back to 1936. In fact, up until the late 80's, it was the only way that you could get Sciabica's olive oil. It was essentially a blend of all the olives we crushed during that year. At some point we decided that we could offer much more to our customers if we kept all varieties separate when we pressed them, also by season of year. This is why we developed the Sciabica's label. Today the Marsala is a blend of Sciabica's Mission and Manzanillo, and is a good all-purpose olive oil.
Sadeg is a different story. It was an organic olive oil company that we purchased (Adam Sadeg was selling, not a hostile takeover ;D) due to our small market for organic olive oil. At one time is was not our oil in the bottle. However, now we sell much of the organic olive oil that we produce under the Sadeg Organic label. Worry not, the same olive oil is available under our Sciabica's Mission Organic label. |
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Q: When using olive oil, how would I know if I chose the right varietal for a particular cooking method? (baking vs. frying, etc.) - submitted by: thansen17 |
A: Generally lighter olive oils are used for cooking and baking, and stronger more robust olive oils for salads and bread dipping. There are 3 times that olives can be picked and pressed, beginning in September and going through April, divided into Fall, Winter and Spring Pressings. Fall pressing are much stronger in flavor than Winter pressings, while Spring are the lightest and sweetest which makes the Spring Pressings perfect for baking. |
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