EVOO?

Some part of my head always felt like "EVOO" was kind of a funky way to get around having to say the word "virgin" which might make people think of teh sex.
I always kinda wished that the fridge on 30 minute meals or whatever that show was called looked like mine... filled with random condiments and stacked to the gills with leftovers.

Well said. I know you addressed that to Pierino but here's my take for what it's worth: It's all good. We all got to vent a little frustration, whether it be with EVOO and giggly cooks or with people who get frustrated by EVOO and giggly cooks. In the process, the thread touched on some more serious issues, like if EVOO is really the best choice for every application, not to mention giving you the opportunity to point out the benefits of RR's approach to cooking. Judging from the answer voted as best, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think the beauty of this site (aside from the incredible depth of knowledge and willingness to help others) is that all aspects of food are up for discussion.

Pierino - I have waited to write, and have long puzzled over the hating on RR on this site. Yes, her giggle and the EVOO can be annoying, but she provides a service for many people who find cooking intimidating. She never claims to be a trained chef, but from my limited knowledge of her background, she has paid her dues in other ways than on the line in a fine restaurant. Many of us here are experienced home cooks and some are trained chefs (not me) but out in the regular world, there are many, like many of my family members, who look at cooking only as a daily challenge to feed their families in a limited amount of time and with a limited amount of money. While I might get really excited about ramp pesto, most people I know have never heard of ramps. They find anything beyond basics intimidating and time consuming. I think they are the norm in this country of fast food eaters. Most people have no knife skills and have not had the opportunity to cook in Italy, France, etc. So why be divisive when what she does is bring basic skills to regular people who really need them. My feeling is that if using "stock in a box", another RR too-cutism, makes someone cook dinner at home one more night a week, then isn't that a good thing? Sometimes baby steps can be the pathway for people to find they do like cooking and that they are better at it than they think. She makes cooking seem unintimidating - maybe in part because she is cutesy - i.e. "if she can do this so can I" kind of thinking. And if she's too cute with her EVOO, at least she's promoting use of a healthy oil in her recipes. Quite honestly, I am startled and feel almost personally on the line every time this type of thread comes up because I see myself as a home cook, not much different than she, albeit without her platform, fortune and annoying giggle. It is her platform I envy, though, because she is able to make a difference in the lives of people who really need the information she is able to disperse so widely. I try all the time just to get my friends and families to see that cooking at home is a huge step towards eating more healthfully.

To address susan g and sstiavetti's questions about sautéing in olive oil:

Smoke = Bad The products of partially burned fat are carcinogenic. Smoke is also an indication the oil is breaking down, leaving behind free radicals (not to mention a wretched polymerized mess everywhere).

Unrefined oils smoke at relatively low temperatures. The smoke point of less expensive extra virgin olive oils can be lower than 320F, well below optimum frying temperature. The best can get you above 400F but since rapid oxidation of nutrients found in extra virgin olive oil occurs above the 300°F mark, you lose the benefits of the expensive oil.

Personally, I fry in peanut and flavor with olive oil (where appropriate).

Clever title. Apparently the book is a continuation of this article:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller

Not worried too much about orange handles, but, for an eye-opening discussion of the topic, try Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller.

When doing a live TV show that has contractually agreed with advertisers to give them a specific number of minutes & seconds, and which must demonstrate 3 recipes in about 21 minutes to non-professional cooks, using an acronym like "EVOO" instead of pronouncing every word saves very precious seconds. While it may be annoying, this easy acronym also serves the purpose of reminding non-experienced or new cooks that there are indeed varieties of olive oil and the one you use may make a difference. Anyway, as Mrslarkin mentions, someone's watching an awful lot of Rachel Ray and "EVOO" ain't bothering them! ;-)

As a business woman, I love what Rachel Ray inspires others to do...do what you love and get paid to do it. Do I watch her show or buy her magazine or her books or her knives or use the EVOO acronym? No.

That "celebrity food nitwit", as you've tagged her, is making a shit ton of money. More power to the businesswomen in the world.

I agree it's ridiculous to verbalize it - does saying the letters really save time or effort from saying the words? It is useful when written, as it's an obvious shortcut on a grocery list or in a recipe.

I don't have cable, so I didn't know where that odd term originated until pierino told me. Then I watched a Rachael Ray YouTube and was surprised to learn that she not only used it orally, but pronounced it using the letters, E.V.O.O. I'd guessed it would rhyme with emu. But I'd vote hands up--I hate unnecessary acronyms.

Do you use "EVOO" in conversation or just in writing?

I agree RR's cooking expertise can be questionable and her lingo annoying (though I stop short of seeing her as a scourge of humanity.) But I also find irritating TV personalities easy to avoid - I simply don't watch their shows.

Regardless, I hate to see a discussion here devolve into a litany of targets for ridicule or contempt. Fish in a barrel. Tedious, unnecessary, and most of all, counter to the spirit of this place.

(Not to mention that since many here use 'EVOO' in their comments/recipes, the ridicule extends - hopefully unintentionally - to our own ranks, which is more offensive than any dopey acronym.) JMHO on EVOO.

My hand is down. RR is not evil and destrustive to food lovers at all levels. Bigger fish to fry. There are sites that RR haters, so have fun there!

You're right, it's not the abbreviation itself; there's something about the way Rachael says it, like the stuff's magic or something.

Hey, pierino, is it just RR or does "Bam!" drive you nuts too?

I view EVOO the same way I view BYOB, the BMV, TTYL, or any other well-recognized acronym. And, while RR may be chatty and some may consider her a cliche, she is what I would consider a gate-way mentor. I'm sure many people start with her stuff, realize the limitations, and move on to bigger and better mentors. And at least she gets folks cooking, if only for 30-minute meals or cooking on the weekends for the rest of the week. I guess I say all that to say that EVOO doesn't bother me at all.

From what I've learned over the years, it's more of a waste to use the more expensive extra-virgin variety since you're heating it up to the point that you lose the subtlety of its flavor. Like, why use a $400 cabernet as your cooking wine? Would love to hear other thoughts on this.

Only seen her show once, maybe. I don't volunteer for fingernails on the blackboard.
But you remind me of a question that keeps coming up for me --
I see a good number of recipes calling for extra virgin olive oil for sautes. I thought it was best used uncooked, dipping, garnishing, dressing. Input??

Hand raised

I'm beginning to suspect pierino has a little crush on Rachel Ray, that's what I think.

The term grates at me too, a distant contender, however, to "foodie". Gag me.

The use of the term "EVOO" bothers me because it seems like such a flippant way to refer to a beautiful ingredient. As a lover of both the culinary and literary arts, it makes me feel a little wistful to hear it. Much like when my young nieces says LOL out loud.

Who cares? Life is too short, and there are many more food-related topics to enjoy/discuss/contemplate/worry about/help people with. I thought the beauty of this site was that it focused on food, not on castigating people, especially over such inconsequential issues.

pierino - I admire you, your recipes, your point of view and and questions.

Not clear on this question. Don't know the television personality you are referring to. Do know friends bring me olive oil from Italy and gift me with that and it gives me a sense of the joy of olive oil.

Totally lost on the orange handles.

Please share what you see and are looking at. Need the education before the vote.

Another hand raised.

Hand is raised.