Are you running around in last season's olive oil? It could mean that your food doesn't taste as good as it should. While we might not think of pantry staples like olive oil as seasonal, that's exactly what it is: Olives are usually harvested in early to mid-autumn, and bottled a few weeks after that. Which means that if you're a fan of spanking-fresh olive oil, early winter is exactly the right time to invest in a new bottle.
Check out more about why right now is the perfect time to change your oil, plus four spanking-new bottles (aka "olio nuovo") to score this season for your own kitchen. You might just want to pick up a few to share as holiday gifts for your favourite olive-oil-slinging home cooks, too.
Your oil won't just taste fresh—it'll taste amazing. The sooner you buy olive oil after it's been pressed, the fresher that oil will taste—not just delicious, but filled with all the distinctive flavours of those just-picked olives.
If you love peppery olive oil, you'll be happy. Many new-crop olive oils also have a grassy, peppery note that fades after a few months in the bottle, so if you're a fan of that zingy taste, you'll want to score some of that stuff.
Your bottle will live longer. Buying the freshest olive oil is like rooting through the stack of eggs in the supermarket to find the one with the latest expiration date. You'll be maximizing the shelf life of your bottle, since the sooner you buy it after pressing, the longer you'll be able to enjoy it.
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