Tag Archive for: Olive Oil Wood

Olive wood bowls - Olive Oil Pour Spouts How To Care for Olive Wood Bowls

How To Care for Olive Wood Bowls

The olive tree is very nearly the gift that doesn’t stop giving.

Olive tree outdoors - Olive Oil Pour Spouts How To Care for Olive Wood BowlsWe chomp down on her fruit on their own or in delightfully chilled martinis, or we pour its delectable oils onto salads through purpose-made olive oil spouts and fancy olive oil pourers. When the inevitable happens, as must befall all mortal creatures, even trees, we chop her up and carve up her carcass to create works of art from her beautiful wood.
Although indisputably gorgeous, this wood lacks the natural resistance to rot and insects of other woods and is also highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. As a result, olive wood products require extra care and attention to help maintain their stunning looks.

Seasoning an all-new olive wood bowl

When you first buy an all-new olive wood bowl, you have to season it to start preserving its beauty. Instinctively you might reach for its companion lubricant, olive oil, thinking that olive oil and olive wood would go together like two olives and a dry martini, but you’d be wrong.
The trouble with seasoning your olive wood bowl with any vegetable oil is that these oils quickly go rancid, leaving anything served out of the bowl befouled with a subtle but nasty aftertaste.
To season the bowl, you’ll need soft, clean cloth and food-grade mineral oil. Dab the fabric with the mineral oil and vigorously polish the bowl inside and out until it glistens and the oil has worked its way deep into the wood.
When you’ve finished applying the first coat, leave the bowl somewhere clean and dry but not in direct sunlight. Wait until the bowl dries, which might take a day or two. (You’ll know the bowl is dry because it will no longer be sticky to the touch.)
Apply a second coat of mineral oil as vigorously as you did before, and again, wait for the coat to dry. You’re done when your olive bowl has lost its stickiness.

The dos and don’ts of looking after an olive wood bowl

Knowing how to care for olive wood bowls is the secret to keeping them in tip-top condition for years. Here are the main points of applying that care.
Don’t soak an olive wood bowl in water. Olive wood doesn’t “like” water, and in turn, water returns the favor and “hates” olive wood. Water raises the grain in olive wood, swelling the entire wet piece. However, the wood shrinks again when dry, causing it to split and crack all over, ruining the bowl’s good looks.
Do rinse your bowl with warm water after each use. If you must, clean the bowl with a mild detergent, but absolutely do not scrub with a harsh brush, as this will damage your bowl.
Do periodically repair your bowl’s seasoning. A good way of telling when the bowl will need re-seasoning is to take the guesswork out and instead use an objective measure, the amount of wear and tear on the bowl. A well-seasoned olive wood bowl should have beads of water when filled and emptied.
If this is the case, the wood’s oil is still cohesive and working as it should. If not, and the water simply pools at the bottom of the bowl, it’s time to refresh the seasoning.
Don’t air-dry your bowl. Whenever you rinse out your bowl, dry it with a towel. Letting water stand in the bowl to dry off will (a) leave residue on its surface, marking the bowl and dulling its sheen, and (b) let water seep into the wood and begin to wreak havoc, as explained earlier.

Olive wood bowl up close - Olive Oil Pour Spouts How To Care for Olive Wood BowlsRefreshing an olive wood bowl’s seasoning

To repair and replenish your bowl’s seasoning, heat an oven to between 270°F and 280°F, then turn off the oven! Forgetting to turn off the stove is an excellent way to burn your bowl.
With the oven nicely hot and turned off, invert the bowl and place it in a pan lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Within a couple of hours, residue oil runs off the bowl and collects on the pan’s lining.
Remove the bowl, rinse it with warm water and dry it by wiping it thoroughly. Let it stand for another hour or two, then season it as if you were doing so for the first time.

How to care for olive wood bowls: a recap

The three most important pieces of advice are:

  1. Season bowls early, season them well, and keep them seasoned.
  2. Never soak olive wood bowls in water or leave water standing in them.
  3. Always dry your bowls with a towel.

Good luck, and enjoy your olive wood bowls.

Variety of snacks on charcuterie board - Olive Oil Pour Spouts Unique Entertainment Boards

The Perfect Charcuterie Board

Are you looking for the perfect charcuterie board to share with your family members and friends? If so, there are a lot of options available. You need to think about the quality of the ingredients, the olive oil you use, the board on which you serve it, and the drinks you pair with it! Fortunately, there is a recipe for the perfect charcuterie board! Take a look at the ingredients below, and get ready to wow your family members and friends!

Ingredients

The ingredients required for the perfect charcuterie board include:

  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced and crushed
  • 2 teaspoons of basil
  • 2 tsp of oregano
  • 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp of rosemary, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese, grated finely
  • Artisan bread cut into chunks and cubes for accompanying the cheese and dip
  • Slices of salami
  • Sliced hard cheddar cheese
  • Sliced pears
  • Sliced apples
  • Olives
  • Mozzarella balls
  • Cherry tomatoes

The steps to making this recipe include:

  1. Make the Dipping Oil: The first step is to make the dipping oil. Take out a medium bowl. Then, use a special olive oil spout or olive oil pourer to pour the extra virgin olive oil into the bowl. Go ahead and add the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, rosemary, basil, oregano, and garlic. If you use the right olive oil spout or olive oil pourer, you should have an easier time controlling the amount of olive oil you add to the bowl. After you have whisked together all the ingredients, don’t hesitate to try it to make sure it tastes good! You may want to add some salt and pepper to make it taste better.
  2. Store the Dipping Oil: Transfer the dipping oil to an airtight container and store it until you are ready to serve it. It should be put in the refrigerator.
  3. Prepare the Charcuterie Board: Next, you should prepare the charcuterie board. Make sure you leave room in the center for the dipping oil. Scatter the bread chunks around the oil. Spread out the salami, cheese, apples, and pears as well. Make sure youplace a few ingredients on every section of the board. That way, people do not have to reach over other ingredients to get what they’re looking for.
  4. Add the Rest of the Ingredients: You should still have tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and olives to scatter. Because these are round, they may roll away if you place them directly on the board. You should place them in small bowls. Then, place each bowl on a different section of the charcuterie board.
  5. Add the Olive Oil: Once you are ready to serve the charcuterie board, take the oil out of the refrigerator and transfer it back into a bowl. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the olive oil dip. Then, place the bowl in the center.

Serve the charcuterie board immediately so that people can enjoy it while fresh!

How To Choose the Right Olive Oil for the Charcuterie Board

If you want to make the best charcuterie board possible, you need to use the right ingredients. This starts with the olive oil, which is the most important part of the board! Some of the most important tips to choose the best olive oil include:

  • Buy Extra Virgin: The first thing you need to remember is that you should only use extra virgin olive oil. This does not necessarily guarantee that you have the best olive oil, but it will always be better than plain olive oil and light olive oil.
  • Pay Attention to the Bottle: You should only purchase olive oil that is stored in a dark bottle. No matter how nice the label is, olive oil in a clear glass bottle is going to spoil quickly. Light is not compatible with olive oil, so you should only buy olive oil in a dark bottle. Make sure you store your olive oil in a dark place. Then, use an olive oil spout or an olive oil pourer to make it easier to dispense!
  • Read the Label: A lot of olive oil labels will be in Spanish or French. Still, you should be able to figure out the use-by date. Pay attention to them, and make sure you do not use or purchase olive oil that has expired.

If you choose the right olive oil, you will have the perfect foundation for a strong charcuterie board!