J Phillipps

There are hundreds of ways people use to determine the quality of olive oil. Solidification is one of the methods people like to use. However, is that even a good method to determine the olive oil quality? In today’s article, I’ll talk about why some olive oils solidify, and others don’t. That way, you’ll fully understand the topic, and whether it’s a good or bad technique to determine the olive oil quality.

Olive oils solidify when they reach the cloud point. It’s usually around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). At low temperatures, waxes and some fatty acids will congeal, and thus make the olive oil solidified. Depending on their properties and nutrients, some olive oils naturally solidify quicker than others.

Solidification may occur due to various reasons, which I’ll explain below, so make sure to read the whole article. Once you do, you’ll be able to understand why do olive oils solidify, and whether it’s good or not.

To solidify means to go from a liquid to a solid state. When you cool most olive oils, they’ll solidify due to low temperatures. But, what’s the reason for that?

The longer-chain fats and waxes in the olive oil congeal at lower temperatures, causing the cloud effect. Some olive oils naturally have larger amounts of longer chain fats and waxes, making them solidify quicker.

So, the oil that has more long-chain fatty acids will cloud earlier than the one that has fewer fatty acids. It can be due to seed cultivar, ripeness of the fruit, environmental factors, etc.

There’s a myth that only high-quality olive oils will solidify. Even I believed in that just a few years back. However, that’s only a myth, and the solidifying method can’t be used to determine the olive oil quality.

Even though you can’t determine the olive oil quality by its solidification properties, it could be a good indication that some further processing has been done. However, the real olive oil properties and quality can only be checked in the lab.

Many companies will winterize the olive oil, so they don’t reach the cloud point so quickly. Mostly, that’s because many customers were unhappy with olive oil solidification (they thought that the olive oil have gone rancid because of it).

Most extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) will solidify quicker. That’s because it’s the least processed olive oil that usually has plenty of long-chain fats. Again, that’s not always the case. Depending on the olive fruit properties, it may or may not contain plenty of these long-chain fats and waxes.

Some low-quality olive oils may not solidify because of the extreme processing they’ve been through in the making process. Some low-reputable companies will even add other types of oils inside (sunflower oil, canola oil, etc.) which are more resistant to solidification and low temperatures.

You can prevent the solidification of olive oil, but not completely. At some point (extremely low temperatures), the olive oil will always become cloudy and solidified. However, there are methods people use to prevent solidification.

The first method is to winterize the olive oil. Winterizing olive oil means removing the waxes and long-chain fatty acids in order to prevent the oil from solidification. Mostly, olive oils used for dressings are winterized. Check the guide on winterizing olive oil.

Another method is to add a bit of canola oil to the olive oil bottle. Canola oil can hold up to lower temperatures without solidifying, and if you mix some of it with olive oil, the overall solidification resistance will be higher. I don’t recommend you do this method since it’s ruining the overall olive oil quality.

Even though it’s not recommended to keep the olive oil in the fridge, some people still do it, and they have solidified oil all the time. If you’re worried about the olive oil that’s solidified, you don’t have to be. Solidify state is only temporary, and the olive oil can easily be returned to a liquid state again.

Naturally, when you put the bottle of olive oil back to room temperature again, it’ll return to a liquid state in a few hours. However, don’t expect it to happen in 10 minutes. If you plan on using solidified olive oil, make sure to take it out of the fridge earlier.

If you need to unsolidify olive oil quickly, you can even pour the olive oil bottle into the warm (not hot) water for a few minutes. That way, it’ll return to a liquid state quicker. Just take a pot, pour some warm water in it, and put the olive oil bottle inside.

Lastly, I just want to speak about keeping the olive oil in the fridge. Keeping the olive oil in the fridge is not recommended, and you shouldn’t do that. There are a few reasons for that:

I know that the fridge is usually the easiest place to keep the olive oil, but that’s not the way you should do it. I have written a thorough guide on storing the olive oil, so make sure to check it out and learn the right ways of storing olive oil, especially once it’s opened.

I hope that now you know why some olive oils solidify, and others don’t. The answer isn’t so simple and straightforward, but it’s easy to understand. The most important thing is that now you know that determining the olive oil quality due to solidification properties is a myth.

If you’re looking for the best ways to recognize high-quality olive oil, I have a perfect guide for you, so make sure to check it out. How To Recognize High-Quality Olive Oil (The Guide)

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There are several military slang words and phrases, and you may have heard and wondered the Bravo Zulu meaning.

Bravo Zulu goes way back to the 1940s, and it shows up in casual conversation, as a way to communicate between two ships, and even over the radio waves.

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Simply put, Bravo Zulu means ‘Good Job” or “Well Done.”

The Navy communicates with flags a lot of the time and over airwaves.

When using nautical flags on ships, two flags with different meanings are raised to indicate Bravo Zulu meaning. One flag indicates Bravo, while the other represents Zulu.

While initially meant to communicate with flags and over the radio between Navy’s, the term Bravo Zulu has made its way into everyday vernacular.

The saying is often used in the written word, emails, and even verbally to compliment the performance of another.

While it is easy enough to just say ‘Well Done,” the Navy is known to hold onto traditions, so the motivation to say Bravo Zulu instead is strong.

The origins of Bravo Zulu go back to the Allied Naval Signal Book, which was an international naval code that came into being after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) came together in 1949.

Prior to this Signal Book, every Navy had its own way to communicate, and we learned during World War II that allies had a hard time talking to one another when everyone used a different ‘language.’

Therefore, NATO worked with one another to come up with a system of communication to make life easier.

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The NATO signals lend themselves to other variations of Bravo Zulu, as well.

Since the system is made up of numbers and letters that all have flags to display that meaning, different combinations of flags have various meanings.

For instance, if just the Bravo flag is out, that means the cargo on the vessel is dangerous and sailors need to be careful.

If the Bravo flag is up along with the Alpha flag, that means that an action is in the process of being carried out.

If you see the Bravo Lima flag, that means ‘When Ready.’

Sometimes, flags go up to spell out words. If you see the Yankee, Echo, and Sierra flag out, that says ‘Yes.’

Furthermore, there are single flags that are almost always in use.

As mentioned, the Bravo flag means there are materials on board that represent everyone needs to be cautious.

If the Oscar flag is up, someone went overboard. I am confident that is not a flag sailors are happy to see.

Lastly, when emergency flags go up, and there are a few, a signal whistle sounds.

This whistle is to alert sailors to pay attention to the emergency flag.

Bravo Zulu is a common Naval phrase.

The term Bravo Zulu goes back to the late 1940s after World War II ended and the world’s Navies realized they needed a common language to communicate better.

NATO came up with a system of flags and meanings so ally ships could communicate with one another both visually and via radio.

The term Bravo Zulu means ‘Well Done.’

Also, the saying Bravo Zulu shows up in bother verbal and written correspondence to convey the same meaning.

References:

www.globalsecurity.org