Why Costco's Kirkland Signature Olive Oil Isn't Fit For Drizzling - Tasting Table

"In our taste test of Kirkland olive oils, we found the regular Kirkland Signature olive oil has a very tame character that wouldn't do much as a finishing drizzle on your dishes. Our taste tester thought Kirkland Signature olive oil completely lacked these traits with a runny consistency, lack of fragrance, and mild taste that landed it in second-to-last place."

"The best finishing olive oils vary in their tasting notes, but all boast a fresh and fragrant aroma; rich but not greasy texture; and complex flavors ranging from fruity to peppery and grassy. With a pale color instead of a rich, golden hue, this product won't even look that appealing when drizzled onto salads, pastas, or meats."

"While it is a huge olive oil myth that cooking with EVOO is dangerous, heating up a high-quality product can destroy its finer tasting notes, not to mention it's a waste of money to use it in dishes where the flavor won't stand out."

Costco's Kirkland Signature regular olive oil, priced at approximately $6.50 per liter, is significantly cheaper than the popular extra virgin version but lacks the qualities needed for finishing dishes. Taste tests revealed it has a runny consistency, minimal fragrance, and mild flavor that placed it near the bottom of olive oil rankings. The pale color and tame character make it visually unappealing when drizzled on salads, pastas, or meats. As a refined rather than unrefined olive oil, it fundamentally differs from extra virgin types. However, this product has legitimate uses in cooking applications where high-quality flavor profiles are unnecessary and where using expensive extra virgin oil would be wasteful.

Read at Tasting Table