Salad is a go-to lunch for me. When the weather gets warm, I’m obsessed with crisp veggies and greens topped with flavorful vinaigrettes. Yum! but I hadn’t had much luck finding the right ratio of extra virgin olive oil—until I found out about Graza Olive Oil.
It turns out it’s all about the delivery. Oil spray bottles don’t offer enough EVOO (that’s extra virgin olive oil for short) goodness for my liking, and pouring straight from the bottle gives a heavy glug of oil that’s hard to distribute. Simple-looking Graza olive oil squeeze bottles revolutionized the way I eat lunch, and then quickly transformed the way I grill and serve meat.
What is Graza?
Graza EVOO is made from Spain’s best Picual olives that, according to the brand, have a fairly straightforward and simple process for turning into olive oil. It’s the simplicity that makes these oils so vibrant, tasty and miles beyond some of the best olive oil brands on supermarket shelves. The brand’s process is described as harvesting, and then a quick “crush, press and filter producing a mouthwateringly fresh olive oil that is never blended.”
The Graza duo comes as a set of two oils—one for drizzling and one for sizzling. They’re both extra virgin olive oils, with the former offering a richer green hue and an earthy, grassy flavor that tastes like a trip to the Mediterranean. It comes in a fun-to-use 500 milliliter squeeze bottle that offers enough flavor for dozens and dozens of meals.
The sizzling squeeze bottle comes in a larger format at 750 milliliters. It’s ideal for baking into flavorful olive oil cakes, cooking sauces and sauteeing fresh veggies and meat. Sizzle offers a slightly lighter flavor and pale yellow tone and boasts a higher smoke point than its greener, bolder counterpart. That means it’s an ideal choice for seared, grilled and roasted dishes.
How We Tested It
I truly wanted to try the Graza Drizzle & Sizzle Combo Pack on so many things, but I put Drizzle on my daily lunch salad once and then just couldn’t stop. I had plans to add it to pizza, eggs and even charred eggplant salad—but I never got that far. It was SO tasty that I ended up going through nearly the entire bottle with just three weeks of lunch salads of all sorts and more crusty loaves of Italian bread than I care to count. But olive oil is healthy, right?
Aside from how delicious Drizzle is, the squeeze bottle design features a narrow cap that allows just the right amount of olive oil to quite literally drizzle out of without drowning lettuce and other delicate leafy greens. I’ve always made my own salad dressings, and the wilted, gloppy lettuce struggle was real until now.
I did manage to use the larger bottle of Sizzle on multiple home-cooked dishes, though—and I was pleased every time. It was perfect for a quick pan squirt before adding diced onions and peppers fof an omelet, and a dream-come-true for getting the perfect sear marks on grilled fish recipes. The last time I enjoyed olive oil this much was on a trip to Spain—a time I was swimming in a sea of bright green oils, salty cheeses and soul-affirming loaves of bread. I definitely welcomed the trip down taste bud memory lane.
Graza Product Features
The Graza Drizzle & Sizzle Combo Pack has adorable names, but even cuter squeeze bottle packaging that reminds me of Sriracha bottles and the sort of ketchup dispensers you’d find next to the hot dog stand at a ballpark. The contents are decidedly more upscale, though.
Drizzle comes in a 500 milliliter size that’s ideal for dipping, consuming raw and what the brand calls, “finishing touches.” It has a bright, grassy color and earthy scent that turns any veggie into a world-class dining experience.
Sizzle comes in a larger 750 milliliter squeeze bottle that offers the same appealing squeeze delivery, but is instead ideal for cooking, baking, pan-frying and other heat-related olive oil adventures. It has a lighter texture and flavor that melts into the background against bolder flavors, although it does stand out against simple dishes. My favorite part of these neat Graza bottles is how casual and easy to control they are, but with all the mouthfeel, flavor and hardly-processed goodness of fancier (and far more expensive) oils.
Pros
What we liked about Graza:
- Easy to use squeeze bottles dispense just the right amount
- No more gloppy, overdressed salads
- Drizzle is so delicious that it stands up to my former favorite EVOO, a $50 bottle
- Counter-friendly packaging
- Made from low-processed Picual olives
Cons
What to consider about Graza:
- Mid-level price point means there are cheaper oils available
- Sizzle has high smoke point, but the flavor seems to remain true to it’s original form at temperatures of 400 degrees F or below
FAQ
How should Graza olive oil be stored?
Ideally, keeping it in its original packaging in a cool spot is best. Don’t leave the bottles next to your stove, oven or other hot areas. Heat, light and air can all degrade extra virgin olive oil’s taste and texture over time.
Is Graza expensive?
No, it comes at a mid-level price point even though it offers premium-level olive oils. The Drizzle & Sizzle Combo is just $35, whereas the line’s standout product, the Drizzle, is only $20 for a single bottle.
Final Verdict
I can’t say it enough, Drizzle is my new favorite olive oil. I’m obsessed, and I quite literally licked the small plate I poured it on after running out of crusty dipping bread. I am a grown woman with a bunch of kids and a career and I apparently have no self-control with this green goddess of an oil. It’s that tasty. Better yet, the squeeze bottle format offers the best dispensing for salads I’ve seen. Spray bottles don’t offer enough product and pour-on oils leave salads too saturated. The narrow squeeze top is the PERFECT middle ground.
Sizzle is also a worthy contender with a light, slightly-grassy texture that definitely improved a handful of my favorite dishes. As soon as I tasted it, I ordered another set as a hostess gift for a dear friend’s upcoming dinner party.
Where to Buy Graza
For now, Graza olive oils are only available through the brand’s website. At $35 for the combo set it makes a worthwhile addition to any kitchen and a practical gift. Or, if you’re just looking for a tiny splurge for your own salads and fresh dishes, the 500 milliliter Drizzle bottle is a fair $20 and offers enough drizzling for dozens of mouth-watering meals. Salad season, here I come.
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The post I Tried Graza Olive Oil Squeeze Bottles and My Salads Are SO Much Better appeared first on Taste of Home.
source https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/graza/
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