About quality

Two of my favorite savory cooking ingredients, which I use often, are Extra Virgin Olive Oil and aged Balsamic Vinegar. I like “first cold pressed” EVOO from Italy. For a real treat I buy organic. High quality aged balsamic vinegar and high quality EVOO have a grand taste. I suppose I got hooked on these two gems when I went to Italy last year and ate a lot of salads in Tuscany drizzled with EVOO and Balsamic. Once I returned to California I began purchasing really good EVOO and aged balsamic and I've enjoyed it ever since. I pay a little more for this, but a little goes a long way, savoring them for dishes where I use them uncooked, especially salads and salad dressings. (Cooking with high quality EVOO is a waste of high quality EVOO. Instead use every-day, regular EVOO for cooking.) Sometimes I amaze myself. I just looked in my kitchen cabinet and found 4 different bottles of EVOO and 3 different bottles of balsamic vinegar! Somehow I seem to know exactly which one to use for whatever I'm preparing.
A selection of EVOO and Balsamic Vinegars from my cupboard