Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
High-quality olive oil isn’t something you’d expect to find at Costco; in a warehouse built on bulk goods and $4.99 rotisserie chicken, it’s easy to assume that quality takes a backseat to quantity. After all, shouldn’t great olive oil be handcrafted, small-batched, and shipped directly from the coasts of the Mediterranean in small, dark glass-bottled jars? You’d be surprised: The Kirkland brand of extra virgin olive oil is Bureau Veritas certified and confirmed as legitimate extra virgin olive oil in a study by the UC Davis Olive Center.
If you’re someone who goes through seemingly endless amounts of olive oil, you may want to invest in Costco’s several-liter jugs. Meant to be transferred to countertop-friendly oil cruets, the large jugs are deceiving of their quality, far more so than even some common name brands. Considering each could last several months, though, it’s hard to invest without knowing what each tastes like. To help guide you in the right direction, I bought, tasted, reviewed, and ranked each of Kirkland’s olive oils, listing them from worst to best. With each, I considered the flavor foremost, then its use, value, and aroma. You’d be surprised — those large jugs of oil hold a lot more quality than you’d think, and one of them might just be what you opt for next time you need to restock.
5. Kirkland Signature Olive Oil
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
Just by looking at the bottle, the Kirkland Signature Olive Oil is noticeably different from the rest. It’s stored in a clear plastic container, while the others are stored in dark, green-brown tinted jugs and bottles. The best way to store olive oil is in dark and even opaque containers to avoid oxidation by light, which can cause the oil to go rancid. This is especially true of extra virgin olive oils, which contain chlorophyll. Why Costco decided on a transparent container for the olive oil may be as simple as distinction; it’s already hard enough to differentiate the many bottles, and setting one apart may help hurried shoppers.
Even when pouring, though, the olive oil has a noticeably different viscosity than the extra virgin oils. It’s lighter, both in color and weight, and pours more similarly to a canola oil. The aroma is pleasant enough, though mild, and the flavor equally so, almost to the point of being flavorless. It’s worth noting that this is, to some degree, to be expected of an olive oil that lacks the extra virgin distinction. But with 15% of the oil claiming to be extra virgin, I expected a little more flavor. I likely wouldn’t buy this, even for the value, knowing I could get more flavor and a more robust product in the other four.
4. Kirkland Signature 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
All of the Kirkland extra virgin olive oils are impressive, and to many, the flavor differences may be too slight to matter. If you’re serious about olive oil, though, there’s a perceivable difference between the 100% Italian Extra Virgin and the other three. The flavor is more intense, with a distinctly peppery finish that lingers at the back of the palate. It’s an interesting flavor that fans of bold olive oils may enjoy over the milder variants, but one I found a little too peppery to be as versatile as the others. In fact, it was so peppery that a quick sip made me cough, which tends to mean it’s better used in heat applications, where the flavor would mellow.
Olive oil is revered in the kitchen not only because of its deep, earthy flavor, but also because of its versatility. While it can be used to sear and sauté, it is also the best oil to use for pesto, vinaigrettes, marinades, and garnishes, even often enjoyed on its own with torn pieces of bread. The Kirkland 100% Italian olive oil is an oil that should only be used for these heatless applications if you need a particularly peppery, almost spicy flavor in the dish. Otherwise, the oil will quickly overpower other more delicate ingredients. With this in mind, I ranked the 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil closer to last, noting its lack of versatility and strong peppery flavor.
3. Kirkland Signature Siurana Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
The Kirkland Signature Siurana Extra Virgin Olive Oil stands out among the rest because of its green-brown glass container. Unlike plastic, which can break down and degrade the oil’s quality, glass bottles preserve the olive oil without any risk. Because of that, the Siurana olive oil earns high marks, also doubling as a countertop-worthy container. At $14.99 a bottle, though, is the storage method enough to push it to the top of the list?
Though seemingly the cheapest product on the list, the Siurana olive oil is actually one of the most expensive. The 1-liter bottle equates to about 44 cents per ounce, which exceeds the value per ounce of the other oils by up to 25 cents. In particular, it’s 19 cents per ounce more expensive than the Kirkland Organic, which has a very similar flavor. The Siurana, which is made predominantly with small Arbequina olives, has a mild flavor that has a fruity, crisp finish. It also has a low viscosity compared to the other extra virgins, pouring thinly, making it likely to be good in sweet applications like cake or cookies. It’s slightly fruitier than I prefer my oils to be, and with the more expensive price tag, I’d opt for the mild, less fruity organic olive oil instead.
2. Kirkland Signature 100% Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
Olive oil is now made in many places all over the world, but most notably in the Mediterranean, where the climate supports the growing of perfectly flavorful olives. Though we often associate the condiment with Greece and Italy, Spain is actually the leading producer of olive oil, providing about 45% of the world’s olive oil every year. It’s no surprise, then, that Costco would have a Spanish oil, and it’s even likely that many of its oils may already be sourced from Spanish olives (besides, of course, the 100% Italian). What makes the 100% Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil special, though, is that the oil is cold-pressed and presumably made completely in one country, making it of higher quality with less dilution of ingredients. The labels admittedly lack distinction, relying only on small certification seals to prove their quality.
The 100% Spanish olive oil is similarly as mild and versatile as the Kirkland organic blend, but it’s sold in a 3-liter plastic container that offers a few cents per ounce difference in value. While the two are similar, with a mellow, gradually building flavor, the flavor of the Spanish olive oil is slightly different. It moves across the palate smoothly but sours towards the middle, finishing with a funky, fruity, bitter taste. With a much slighter peppery finish and a better value than the Italian, I prefer this olive oil, just not more than the organic one, which has the best balance of flavor.
1. Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
All things considered, the Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the best values on the list, being that it is just a few cents higher per ounce than its Spanish extra-virgin counterpart. Assuming you are buying the massive bottles for daily use, it is important that the olive oil be versatile enough for a variety of recipes, if not every single one. Save for a special finishing drizzle or a bread-and-oil appetizer, the olive oil you invest months into should be one you can use for most things — and to that end, the Kirkland organic oil delivers.
Though mild enough to be versatile, the Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is far from boring or bland. It has a delicate, mild flavor that sits fruity on the palate, with an aroma of green apples and nuts. This olive oil lacked a peppery taste, which, for me, was a plus, still tasting robust, full, and well-rounded without it. The flavor lingers, tasting pleasant long after the oil leaves the tongue. If investing in a large amount of oil (as is the choice at Costco), I’d choose the Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin, which has a flavor that is versatile enough to be used for any application. In fact, it’s a good oil for any cook, as its low price and high quality are unbeatable by any other brand.
Methodology
Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound
To rank the five Kirkland brand products, I turned to professional methods used by oleologists to taste-test olive oil. I first poured the oils into small, white bowls to examine the viscosity and color. Though color isn’t necessarily an indicator of quality, examining the verdancy as well as the thickness of the pour helped to differentiate between the true extra virgins and the regular olive oil. Next, I smelled and took note of the aroma, then sipped the olive oil to test the body and mouthfeel. Lastly, I tested the flavor, taking note of how each oil tasted and whether it was bitter, sour, sweet, herbal, nutty, floral, or a harmony of them all. The oils that were the most versatile, the best value, and had the most straightforward flavor were ranked above the rest as my choice for the best Kirkland olive oil you can buy.
Dining and Cooking