Graza
Olive oil is an undeniable kitchen staple that has had many uses throughout history thanks to its versatility, flavor, and health benefits. But there’s a huge variety of brands and types of olive oil on the market. Unfortunately, olive oil tends to be a true “you get what you pay for” type of product, and good-quality oil has historically cost a pretty penny. That is, until the Graza brand disrupted the market. Graza olive oil was founded in 2020 with a mission to produce excellent olive oil at an affordable price. The young brand has arguably already succeeded in this mission, with the company expecting to bring in $48.4 million in revenue in 2024, according to founder Andrew Brenin.
Graza is an innovative company for many reasons, including the unique and playful squeeze bottle design as well as the brand’s distinction between Sizzle and Drizzle oils. Graza knows that olive oil is not a one-size-fits-all ingredient. The Sizzle extra-virgin olive oil is produced and marketed for cooking and using with heat, while the Drizzle is a finishing oil meant for — you guessed it — drizzling over salads, cheese, martinis, or even ice cream. The best finishing olive oils have a bold, rich flavor that enhances a dish without overpowering, while a good cooking olive oil has a softer flavor and can hold up to heat better. Graza makes both with noticeable quality.
Why Drizzle and Sizzle serve such different purposes
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When cooking with any oil, it’s important to be mindful of its smoke point, or the temperature at which the oil will burn and turn dark and acrid. Extra-virgin olive oil’s smoke point is between 350 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the North American Olive Oil Association. Graza’s Sizzle extra-virgin olive oil is designed to be durable in most cooking methods. The Drizzle oil on the other hand is much more sensitive to heat and best used for its rich flavor when fresh.
Graza uses the same Picual olives for both the Sizzle and Drizzle oils, all of which are sourced from the city of Jaen in Spain, the country where most of the world’s olive oil comes from. For the Drizzle oil, Picual olives are harvested earlier in the season when they are green and extra flavorful. Heating this oil would destroy those delicate flavors and even disrupt the health benefits, so it’s best used where it can be fully appreciated. The Sizzle oil is conversely harvested later in the season and made from more mature olives. This gives the resulting oil a milder flavor and higher resistance to heat that makes it perfect for sauteing, baking, roasting, and more. The Graza brand sells the two as a set called “The Duo” on its website, so you can try both and see for yourself the difference made when oil is single-source, undiluted, and produced with appreciation for purity.