Olive oil and its bitter truth

I think many of us have experienced that olive oil has unusual behavior. Why does it sometimes turn bitter when mixed? Well, there are many answers about quality being secondary or because heat, caused by the high-speed rotating blades of the food processor or blender, causes the oil to turn bitter. These are all myths and speculations, not facts.

The only explanation that is a scientific explanation and makes sense is the one that came from Cook’s Illustrated. I have read a lot of great information about them and in my opinion their kitchen works like a laboratory. That makes them very credible.

Cooks Illustrated states that extra virgin olive oil is the only oil that can easily turn bitter. It is because their content of polyphenols (these are the compounds that fight cancer) is very high and they are coated in fatty acids. Under normal conditions, these fatty acids prevent polyphenols from coming into contact with a humid environment. We know that water and oil do not mix.

Polyphenols when broken into droplets in an emulsion, fall into solution and then taste bitter. But when the emulsion is slightly mixed, the bitterness is not noticeable. Because blenders and food processors break the droplets into smaller pieces, the polyphenols spread out and generally ruin a good recipe with bitterness.

The best way to avoid this problem is to avoid the use of extra virgin. You can use a pure olive oil or a vegetable oil.

For me, not using extra virgin olive oil is out of the question. I would not replace it with anything else. My personal answer to this problem is that you can use a whisk and manually whip your emulsion, rather than using a blender or food processor. There is always a way to choose to do things, so that they turn out in the best possible way.

Well this way you can beat olive oil at its own game.

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