Costco Samples Gone Wild! Plus: Food Crimes & Olive Oil Myths
George Duran and Karla Walsh kick off a deliciously wild ride on the Always Hangry podcast, diving into the zany world of Costco food samples, dietary quirks, and the hilarious lengths people go to when it comes to food.
They explore the cult-like following of Costco, where samples can skyrocket sales by a whopping 2000%! George shares some eyebrow-raising anecdotes about the most bizarre things sampled at Costco, from lemon crème to even wet dog food, leaving listeners in stitches.
They also tackle the serious side of dietary restrictions and the myths surrounding olive oil, ensuring that no topic is left unturned. So grab your favorite snack and join them for a fun-filled chat that’s bound to tickle your taste buds and your funny bone!
Finally, George sits down with Alexandra Devarenne of the Extra Virgin Alliance (EVA) to bust some of the biggest myths surrounding olive oil. From how to choose a quality bottle at the supermarket to whether you should really cook with extra virgin olive oil. Alexandra shares practical tips that will change the way you shop, store, and use one of the world's healthiest ingredients.
Takeaways:
- In today's episode, they delve into the quirky world of Costco food samples, revealing just how much those tiny bites can boost sales by a whopping 2000%.
- They share hilarious stories about bizarre food sampling experiences at Costco, including some truly outrageous items, like wet dog food and even toilet paper!
- They discuss the challenges of accommodating various dietary restrictions, sharing amusing anecdotes about friends who seem to have more food rules than a game of Monopoly.
- The conversation touches on the ethics of food sampling and the fine line between tasting and stealing, prompting some lighthearted debates about supermarket morals.
- They also explore the science behind why free samples can trigger a sense of reciprocity, compelling shoppers to buy what they taste, even if it’s just a tiny chip of something.
- Finally, they wrap up with a fun game about drizzling olive oil on unexpected foods, proving that culinary experimentation knows no bounds, even if it involves ice cream!
Guests
- Karla Walsh — lifestyle & food writer
- Alexandra Devarenne — Extra Virgin Alliance ·
Next week: George sits down with feel-good foodie Yumna Jawad.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Costco
- Yahoo Finance
- Better Homes and Gardens
- Travel and Leisure
- Allrecipes
- Eating Well
- Bon Appetit
- Whole Foods
- Extra Virgin Alliance
Transcript
I do have to admit another thing. I've stolen chicken wings also one time.
Karla Walsh:How do you do that?
George Duran:Welcome to the Always Hangry podcast, where we break down the way we eat. The good, the bad, and the completely ridiculous. I'm George Duran.
On today's show, we're diving into the world of Costco food samples, surviving the minefield of dietary restrictions, and exposing the tricks behind over hype restaurant reviews. And later on, we'll separate fact from fiction and bust some of the biggest myths about olive oil. Joining me today is Carla Walsh.
She's a lifestyle writer who spent nearly 20 years eating, traveling, and telling us where to go and what's actually worth it.
Karla Walsh:Such a pleasure to be here, George.
George Duran:You know, I know you've written for a lot of magazines, obviously, right? Travel and Leisure, Better Homes and Gardens, all recipes, Eating well Shaped, Bon Appetit. So on and on.
You must have read and written about a lot of weird stories out there, right?
Karla Walsh:I have, yes. I feel like I can dive deep into topics from, like, poop to, like, luxury hotels within the same day.
George Duran:Oh, wait, but in terms of food, though, there's no poop. Right.
Karla Walsh:Thankfully, that's a health story.
George Duran:Okay. So you have to receive some assignments that are kind of, like, bizarre, out of the norm.
And then when you do your research, you're just like, I cannot believe this is actually happening.
Karla Walsh:Yeah, yeah. And so many food trends and stuff like that. You're just like, wow, am I really researching this?
Or how did we miss the plot so much about this specific ingredient that people are now afraid of?
George Duran:Yeah. And what's the thing that gets the biggest clicks?
Karla Walsh:Ooh. There's just like an endless supply of topics that you can explore at Costco, from the food court to the samples to the aisles.
And I think that, like, once it's an if, you know, you know, community, like, once you have a membership, you're like, oh, I see what everybody's been talking about.
George Duran:I mean, it's a cult following. I am one of the cult followers myself. And the one thing that I've always loved from the very beginning are the samples at Costco.
ampling can increase sales by: Karla Walsh:Wow.
George Duran:So if you're literally giving out those samples, the problem with Costco, sometimes they're giving out tortilla chips. I don't think I'm that excited about tortilla chips.
Karla Walsh:Right. Last time I was there, it was like a creatine drink that was like, right by the checkout.
George Duran:Yeah, yeah, I'm not. I'm not tasting that. I'm good with that. Frozen pizza, by the way, is usually sees an increase of 600% when sampled.
Karla Walsh:Okay.
George Duran:Also, free samples trigger what's called reciprocity. It's when you feel obligated to buy something because you tasted it. And that happens to me in the cheesemonger.
Like, they give me all these samples to taste. Or in the ice cream.
Karla Walsh:Ice cream, yes. You're like, oh, I have to get a double scoop now because I put them out.
George Duran:Yeah. And you know what? As I've gotten older, I'm just like, eh, I don't want it. I've had enough samples. I've done that. Have you done that?
Karla Walsh:I've totally done that. I'm sorry.
George Duran:Well, the weird thing is that I started going deep into a rabbit hole and trying to figure out what are the weirdest things that Costco sampled. So here, here's a list of the weirdest things that Costco has sampled. Lemon creme, fish oil.
Karla Walsh:Oh, you're gonna try that? It wasn't like a supplement.
George Duran:It was literally like syrup, almost like a little shot.
Karla Walsh:No, I'm not trying that at Costco.
George Duran:Pepto Bismol.
Karla Walsh:Absolutely not. Yeah, I mean, if you need that when you're shopping at Costco, you should probably be closer to a bathroom.
George Duran:They've actually. Yeah, I feel like if you try the other samples and then you're running.
Karla Walsh:Around, maybe you need a little gut support.
George Duran:Maybe it works together.
Karla Walsh:Well, yeah, exactly.
George Duran:Wet dog food.
Karla Walsh:No, nobody's dog is. I don't think they allow dogs, do they? Unless they're service dogs.
George Duran:But I mean, what are you going to do with that wet dog food afterwards? Like, do you. Maybe it's for humans too. Like, you should taste it because some people taste their dog food to see if it's okay.
Karla Walsh:I guess I do have a friend that just feeds their pet rotisserie chicken and that's it.
George Duran:Okay. But we're talking the other way around here.
Karla Walsh:Yeah.
George Duran:This is a weird one. Toilet paper. There are instances all over online and photos that show toilet paper being sampled.
Karla Walsh:Okay, so like, do you just use it as like a tissue?
George Duran:I mean, that's not what toilet paper is for.
Karla Walsh:No, it's not.
George Duran:Yeah, they were giving out rolls in, like, Ziploc bags.
Karla Walsh:Oh, wow. It's like a take home project.
George Duran:I would take that in a heartbeat.
Karla Walsh:Yeah, I mean, you.
George Duran:But like, straight to the Costco bathroom. I think we'll take in Korea, They've been giving out wine for samples.
Karla Walsh:Yes.
George Duran:I would sample that, because, you know, purchases will just jump 2,000%. Mexico, they do champagne, 100% caviar here in the United States.
Karla Walsh:Yes.
George Duran:They have sampled caviar on potato chips.
Karla Walsh:Great. I think that's a perfect pairing.
George Duran:That's. I would not leave. I mean, is there a limit how much you can sample?
Karla Walsh:Right, Exactly. They would have to turn us away.
George Duran:Laundry detergent.
Karla Walsh:Ooh, interesting.
George Duran:There was an instance in Australia where they were giving out longitudinal in little cups, by the way.
Karla Walsh:Oh, that seems like it's gonna spill.
George Duran:Well, I mean, I don't know if you're taking it home or you're taking.
Karla Walsh:A shot, but I hope not.
George Duran:That's a weird one. And finally, the one that really caught my eye. Water.
Karla Walsh:Okay.
George Duran:Just water. That's it.
They were literally sampling water, and I can't imagine being next to the water fountain and then having someone give it to me in a little plastic cup to taste. So I don't get that one.
Karla Walsh:I feel like I'd almost try it to just be like, there has to be something special about this water that we're sampling it.
George Duran:No, it was literally bottled water. Just pouring it in there. Is there anything that you don't eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions?
Karla Walsh:No, I eat pretty much everything. I'm not a huge fan of raw oysters. It's a texture thing for me. I admire what they do for the oceans, but not my favorite.
George Duran:But here's what I think about oysters. I tell people who have never tried it and want to try it for the first time. You want to taste the ocean.
Karla Walsh:Yeah.
George Duran:It's like that mist when you walk to the beach and you smell that saltiness. That is what oysters should taste like. And it's so wonderful when you experience that outside of the ocean area, when you slurp an oyster.
And for me, it's mignonette sauce, which is like shallots and red wine. It's just that acidity gives it. And then when you open an oyster, do you know there's a way to check if it's fresh? Right. Once it's open, fill me in.
You take your finger or a little stick, and you just poke at it, and it retracts.
Karla Walsh:Whoa. That's a good pro tip.
George Duran:I talk about dietary restrictions because I'm finding out that a lot of my friends suddenly have dietary restrictions that I've never heard about. Or.
I mean, the biggest dietary restrictions out there are lactose intolerance, Gluten intolerance, which is like celiac disease and then vegetarianism. That's kind of a dietary restriction. Even though with a celiac 1% of the population, the world population, has celiac disease. Did you know that?
Karla Walsh:I knew it was quite limited. And then a lot of people just have like a gluten sensitivity.
George Duran:So what's going on with that?
Karla Walsh:Yeah, I think they just feel better when they avoid it. So I'm like, to each their own, Whatever makes you happy.
George Duran:Except when they come to my home,.
Karla Walsh:It makes it a little more challenging.
George Duran:Look, I'm the first person to adjust the menu for someone's dietary restriction. But I had one time someone, a friend of ours, come in and she was always gluten free, strictly. And everything I made was gluten free for her.
Went out of the way for her. And no joke, one time we all went to a restaurant and she ordered mussels and there was this beautiful basket of bread.
And I have never seen anyone eat an entire basket of bread.
Karla Walsh:Well, it's probably because she didn't have it for so long. She's just like, finally.
George Duran:I was seething. I was seething. I'm like, I do everything to work around those dietary restrictions. And there she is eating an entire basket of bread.
I'm not inviting her again.
Karla Walsh:That's fair. I mean, it also is reciprocal. Unless they're hosting you, I don't feel like you always need to be hosting them.
George Duran:Yeah, Thanksgiving is an absolute nightmare for me as well. That's challenging.
Karla Walsh:Do you have a family that has a lot of.
George Duran:No poultry. They're allergic to poultry. No fish. Wait, you can have a poultry allergy, man. My brother in law has a poultry allergy.
Karla Walsh:Wow. Okay.
George Duran:No seafood. Again. That's another allergy from him. No peanuts. My son is allergic to peanuts. So again, I understand when someone's allergic.
No pork and gluten free.
Karla Walsh:Okay. Wow.
George Duran:This is Thanksgiving.
Alexandra Devarenne:Yeah.
George Duran:I make literally four different kinds of stuffing for Thanksgiving.
Karla Walsh:Wow.
George Duran:Have you ever lied to someone about what you've cooked? And if they're like, vegetarian, you're like, eh, I'm throw a little chicken stock in here.
Karla Walsh:No, I haven't. That seems like just like asking for it. I wouldn't like it if people did it to me. So.
George Duran:Well, it's not fair if they come to your home and they suddenly tell you, oh, by the way. Oh, by the way. I can't.
Karla Walsh:I feel like it's one of those you need to disclose it at the invitation phase. Of the process. And then people can plan around it or just bring your own dish. Like, I always think it's appropriate if people have food intolerances.
To ask the host, like, would it be okay if I contributed to the potluck? Would I be throwing a wrench in the system? Of course, if it's like a plated sit down thing, then that wouldn't make as much sense.
George Duran:So here's a good tip that I always do. In my phone book, on my phone, I write down people's allergies.
Karla Walsh:Oh, that's such a good idea.
George Duran:That's what I do. Because I forget there's so much to keep track of.
Karla Walsh:That's so smart. You can do like their birthdays, like.
George Duran:Yeah.
Karla Walsh:Fun facts. And then food allergies.
George Duran:That's what I do.
Karla Walsh:Yeah.
George Duran:In mine, I don't, I don't even care about their birthdays.
Karla Walsh:That's.
George Duran:I care about their allergies. They come over for dinner. That's all I care.
Karla Walsh:Yes.
George Duran:Yeah. Maybe Apple or even Android should come up with like a little checklist of like, allergies, you know, Exactly.
Karla Walsh:Like on a menu where it's just gf.
George Duran:Yes, that's it. That's it. Or like, you know, ibs, you know, things like that. Get that free Costco toilet paper ready. And you're traveling here from Des Moines, Iowa?
Karla Walsh:Yes.
George Duran:So obviously New York City has a plethora of restaurants to choose from.
Karla Walsh:Yeah.
George Duran:How do you find out which restaurant to eat?
Karla Walsh:It's so hard.
I have, just for New York City, I have like a spreadsheet that's like, just when I see things that people recommend that I trust, or a friend dined here and raves about it, I just kind of add it to my little New York spreadsheet. But in general, when I'm looking at places in advance, like when I'm traveling for work, I do kind of trust, like the larger sources.
And then I'm not above looking at like a Google collective star rating. It to me feels like an Amazon rating for like a printer or something.
,: George Duran:I'm going to tell you something about those online reviews, even articles. First, they create too much of a buzz in some restaurants and you can't get in for six months, and it's.
Karla Walsh:So hard if the restaurant doesn't know it's coming. Like, I totally empathize with that. Like, some people don't want to be reviewed, which is totally fair.
George Duran:So my secret to going to restaurants. This is a really good one. I look at the photos on either Yelp or Google, but the ones that the restaurants didn't post. Yeah, that's it right there.
If you can take a beautiful shot of a food with your horrible photo skills and it looks good, that is the restaurant I'm going to. And I can instantly tell what it is. I don't look at the stars. I don't look at what they wrote. I don't care about the disgruntled people.
I look at the bad pictures of the food, and if that looks good enough, I'm going to that restaurant.
Karla Walsh:Ooh, that's so good.
George Duran:And obviously, word of mouth is fantastic. Again, you have both different experiences of food.
But I was going through Reddit, of course, and doing some research, and somebody wrote something that was very funny in terms of the reviews that some of these people have online, and he said, I never do TikTok or Instagram. I have found that the majority of the influencers on there clearly have crap food court pizza as their baseline.
Karla Walsh:Ooh, burn.
George Duran:I agree with that. That is so true. Like, who are you to rate this place? And I don't know you.
And you're right, you maybe like cafeteria food, and you're like, it's amazing.
Karla Walsh:Well, then you get paid.
George Duran:So, like, maybe you get paid, maybe you don't. But, I mean, who are you?
Karla Walsh:Okay, this is fascinating. How do you feel about line culture?
I feel like New York City has, like, a lot of places that, like, have people lining up for them, whether it's like a mochi donut or a frozen yogurt shop. There's like, they're famous on TikTok. And so people lie. Are you ever, as New Yorkers say online, in that situation, I will never wait for food.
George Duran:I will never wait for food in public anywhere in a restaurant, because there are a lot of other options right around the corner that are just as good. Now, if there's a place that really, truly has great food and there's a line, I took a put a reminder six months later in my calendar.
It says, hey, go back to this place. Because after six months, it dies down.
Karla Walsh:Totally.
George Duran:Yeah. These are tips on how to not choose a restaurant. Let me know if you agree with this.
Never go into a restaurant that has food displayed in front of it.
Karla Walsh:Okay. Like a slice shop.
George Duran:No.
Karla Walsh:Does that count?
George Duran:No. You see those, like, fake food plates in front?
Karla Walsh:Yeah, that. That makes sense.
George Duran:That's a red flag.
Karla Walsh:If there's ducks in the window and they're just, like, rotisserie, them. Great plastic food.
George Duran:Or even, like, they. They make a whole dish and actually put it in front.
Karla Walsh:Yeah. That's fair.
George Duran:Do not go into those restaurants. Yeah. Never go to a restaurant that has photos of the food on the menu unless it's Asian.
Karla Walsh:I agree with that. Yeah. I was gonna say, until that asterisk came, I was a little bit like,.
George Duran:I just don't know all the Asian foods. Right.
Karla Walsh:Sometimes if it's not an English, it's just kind of helpful.
George Duran:Right. Never going to a restaurant whose menu size is too big.
Karla Walsh:I generally agree with that. It's giving a little Cheesecake Factory. Yeah. And it feels like there's just so much potential for food waste.
Like, it's hard to make it through all of those ingredients. If you're serving sushi and tacos and pizza and sandwiches and pasta, like kebabs or something, it's just like, what are you. What is your brand?
George Duran:Make up your mind. What do you want to do? Yeah. This is a big one. You walk into an Asian restaurant, and there are no Asians in there. Ooh.
Karla Walsh:I don't know if I would immediately walk out, but it is always a good sign when it is. Their culture supports it.
George Duran:Yeah. And that goes for other cultures, too.
Karla Walsh:Totally.
George Duran:It's just easier, you know, to figure out that you're an Asian restaurant and there's, like, Korean restaurant. There's Koreans everywhere. And I'm like, this is the place to come.
And if I don't see any, I have a. I have kind of like, there's something wrong here possibly.
Karla Walsh:Yeah. That's interesting.
George Duran:And then what to order. Okay. So you walk into a restaurant, and you. You've never been there before. You have no idea what to order. The menu is written. There's no photos.
There's no way to know any. Any way. Any way. You kind of go in there. Do you ask the waiter, like, what's good?
Karla Walsh:I feel like asking them what's good is, like, setting them up to fail.
George Duran:Yeah. The one thing that the waiter can reply to me when I ask, what's good on the menu? And they say, everything's good.
Karla Walsh:Yeah, exactly.
George Duran:That means everything's bad.
Karla Walsh:Oh, no.
George Duran:But there's another step that I go, okay, you ready for this?
Karla Walsh:Yes.
George Duran:When I sit down wherever it's with. I get up to, quote, unquote, go to the bathroom to wash my hands. Yeah. I spy on everybody's dishes.
Karla Walsh:That's so smart.
George Duran:You check it out. And I walk slowly, and it's kind of weird. People think I'm just stalking them. I'm just checking out their food. I'm like, what is that?
And then when the waiter comes, like, what did they order?
Karla Walsh:Yeah, that's smart.
George Duran:So every time I go into the restaurant and my kids make fun of me, they're like, why do you always have to go to the.
Karla Walsh:You're just washing your hands.
George Duran:Leave me alone.
Karla Walsh:Hygiene.
George Duran:Hygiene. Yeah, I'm really spying on everybody's food. All right, we're gonna take a quick break.
When we come back, we'll find out if stealing food from your local supermarket is ever justified. And later on, I'll sit down with one of the world's foremost olive oil experts to separate fact from fiction. Welcome back.
You know, this is something that has been in the news a lot. The New York Times wrote an article recently about microluting. It's one of the hottest trends amongst young crowds.
It's the argument if a company is big enough and they're rich enough and annoying enough, that swiping a few things here and there isn't stealing. It's kind of a statement.
Karla Walsh:Yeah. I have strong feelings about this because I actually got assigned a story about this, too, for Better Homes and Gardens.
And I reached out to every grocery store contact that I have. None of them wanted to go on the record to tell me what was okay and what wasn't okay.
And it's so interesting because, like, to me, it feels like a pretty even line of, like, if you're offering samples for people to sample, that is okay. You should not be taking or trying something that is not offered.
George Duran:Yeah, you know what? I'm taking the grape, and I'm tasting it. Yeah, I'm taking this raspberry, and I'm tasting it. I've gotten caught doing that, by the way, by shoppers.
They're like, you can't do that. But I'm sorry. If I'm gonna pay $6.99 for a little pint of raspberries, organic raspberries. I need to. I'm sorry. I need to taste it.
And trust me, if it's good, I'm buying it. I'm buying two of them. But if it's not good, I'm like, I'm not spending $7 on garbage raspberries.
Alexandra Devarenne:Yeah.
George Duran:I think we should all be able to taste anytime we want, but that's tasting. We're also talking about kind of just slipping in a few. Because at the end of the day, what people claim is that it's completely harmless. A lot of.
A lot of these companies already take and factor, you know, any food loss. Yeah, food loss. So they have that budget on the side. And also you're going against the big corporate entities.
Karla Walsh:You know, I feel like my response to that would be everything's going to get more expensive if we all start doing that. And so that would be.
My fear is, like, if we're already worried about groceries in this economy, that it will just start raising the bottom line a little bit.
George Duran:I've stolen something at Whole Foods one time.
Karla Walsh:Ooh, do tell.
George Duran:Yeah, I needed a Thai chili pepper. I just needed one Thai chili pepper. And when I went to the grocery to the scale, it wouldn't register it.
Karla Walsh:Oh, shoot.
George Duran:I just popped it in my bag.
Karla Walsh:I think sometimes the people who scan you will do the same thing.
George Duran:I do have to admit another thing. I've stolen chicken wings also one time.
Karla Walsh:Just how do you do that?
George Duran:So the packages in this supermarket, I won't say, but it's a big corporate supermarket. They have the barcode printed in the back. Except the condensation kind of messed up that barcode.
Karla Walsh:Oh, no.
George Duran:And if you need to scan it and the barcode doesn't work, you have to type in the entire number. The numbers. I was in a hurry to get these wings.
Karla Walsh:You were scanning your own?
George Duran:I was scanning. Of course I was scanning my own. And by the third package of organic chicken wings, I didn't have the time. I had to. And it wasn't. I had to.
Karla Walsh:Darn it.
George Duran:The other thing is that I don't want to get banned from the supermarket.
Karla Walsh:Right.
George Duran:Like, that is my biggest fear. They can throw me in jail overnight in the hole. I don't care. I mean, make me pay 10 times more. Just put me away.
Please work a shift, but please do not ban me from this market.
Karla Walsh:Yeah. How were the chicken wings? Was it worth it?
George Duran:Bitter. They just tasted awful.
Karla Walsh:Oh, my God.
George Duran:I just couldn't even swallow it.
Karla Walsh:Especially that third pack.
George Duran:Well, it was just intermingled with all the other wings. I just. It was.
Karla Walsh:The guilt was just a bad wing ruins the bunch.
George Duran:Yeah. Bad stolen wing. Here are the top three items that are stolen in supermarkets. Number three, snacks.
Karla Walsh:Okay.
George Duran:You know, people get their little chocolate bars and stuff and.
Karla Walsh:Oh, okay. I was thinking, like, maybe they open like the box of fruit snacks. Because, like, I've seen some of those.
It's just like somebody yanks one and you're just like, what are you doing?
George Duran:That's a lot of big Costco thing. You sometimes just see it open. And by the way, that just tells me that I can sample, too.
Karla Walsh:By the way, somebody started it.
George Duran:That's what it. Yes, exactly. They open the floodgates and it's like, you know what? Like, they're not going to be able.
Karla Walsh:To sell this anyways.
George Duran:Let's. Let's get going. So I do get it in my hand in there, too. I'm like, let's go. I've never opened a package.
I have just put my hand in there and gotten that little thing of crackers to taste it.
Karla Walsh:Okay, snacks. What else is on the list?
George Duran:Number two is cheese.
Karla Walsh:How do you like a fully shrink wrapped cheese?
George Duran:I guess you know, cheese is very expensive, especially the high end cheeses.
Karla Walsh:Yeah, totally.
George Duran:It's one of the biggest things that's stolen. Like a big block of parmesan.
Karla Walsh:I was picturing someone wheeling out the parmesan wheel that's, like, up to their.
George Duran:Waist or possibly, you know, the softer cheeses and putting them down their pants and just like, things go wrong.
Karla Walsh:Yeah, some of those can smell pretty bad.
George Duran:The number one thing that is stolen always is meats.
Karla Walsh:Okay. I mean, meat is expensive right now, but that also would be difficult to steal.
George Duran:They're stealing it to resell it.
Karla Walsh:Oh, my God. There's like a second market for.
George Duran:There's a black market.
Karla Walsh:Would you trust meat sold to you from not a butcher or not a grocery store?
George Duran:Well, what cut of meat is it?
Karla Walsh:Tomahawk steak.
George Duran:Oh, man. Oh, my God. It could be in the back of an old sedan. Of course, it could be room temperature. Like, I'm all over it.
If it's a ribeye, if it's like prime ribeye, of course I'll steal. But if we're talking about, like, flank steak and such, I mean, I don't know where that flank steak's been. Thanks for being on the show.
Really appreciate it.
Karla Walsh:This was so much fun. I learned so much about you and the culinary worlds. I'll never look at Costco samples or oysters or toilet paper. The same.
George Duran:And you promise if I call you, you'll bail me out if anything happens?
Karla Walsh:100%. I'll be there in a heartbeat.
George Duran:Fantastic. Yeah. Carla Walsh, thanks so much for coming on the show.
Next up, we're talking to someone who knows more about Olive oil than most of us know about our own children. Think of her as the sommelier, but for olive oil. We'll be right back. Welcome back.
If you've ever wondered whether olive oil belongs in a frying pan, a salad or a trust fund, the Stacks interview is. Our guest today is Alexandra Devarenne of the Extra Virgin alliance and she's here to help us separate olive oil fact from olive oil fiction.
Welcome to the show, Alexandra.
Alexandra Devarenne:Thank you very much.
George Duran:If you were inside of a supermarket and you had 30 seconds to choose olive oil, where are you going to go? What are you going to choose? What are you looking for?
Alexandra Devarenne:The first thing I think I would look for is a best before date that is not tomorrow.
George Duran:Nobody does that. Nobody's looking at the like expiration date or best before date on olive oil. Nobody. I don't even do that.
Alexandra Devarenne:Yeah.
And that's why if I go into a, say, a fancy deli or market and there's bottles, but they have a, you know, a light film of dust on their shoulders, that's not a great sign because I want to make sure I'm getting an olive oil that is, you know, moving. It's got to be being restocked and being sold, not something that's been sitting on a shelf forever.
George Duran:So it's important to have a good turnover rate with these olive oils because the fresher the better.
Alexandra Devarenne:Within certain parameters. I actually like to compare olive oil to shoes.
So when you have say two pairs of shoes, one pair of shoes you got at, you know, I'm not going to name names, but the cheapo shoe store and the other pair is a pair of well made with leather shoes. So the plastic shoes and the leather shoes, when they're brand new, both are pretty good. They look kind of similar.
What really tells is as you wear those shoes, the cheap shoes, the plastic shoes, the poorly made shoes go to pieces, they start looking really shabby and old very quickly. Well made shoes, you know, those other shoes, they hold up better. They do better.
And olive oils are somewhat the same that you have a well made olive oil especially. And it must be well taken care of. And this is something that we can get into is best practices in storage and display and stuff. But they age better.
So when people say, oh, it has to be the most recent harvest, I look for an olive oil that is ideally from the most recent harvest. But sometimes you can find an oil that's two years old, it's been well taken care of, it will be in absolutely perfect condition.
George Duran:How on earth do people know which olive oil to buy then?
Alexandra Devarenne:That takes buying and tasting. And I would also say really, olive oil shouldn't be that hard. And I think people, people get stressed out.
I actually lurk in the olive oil section of supermarkets a lot.
George Duran:I think I've seen you there.
Alexandra Devarenne:You probably have. And I'm like. And occasionally I'll ask people, what do you look for? And the answers are usually things that to me are pretty irrelevant.
But this look of deer in the headlights in front of the olive oil set is so common and the industry has to bear responsibility for that.
In many ways I think that there's so much disinformation, misinformation, conflicting information that people get in front of the olive oil set and they freeze, they're paralyzed. Just buy it. Just choose. Look out for something that is too cheap. If it's too cheap to be true, it is not true.
Don't look for stuff that is if it's $5 for a liter in this country, no. So you want to get products that are reasonable price.
They don't have to be super expensive, but just be wary of things that sound too good to be true.
George Duran:How do I know if an olive oil company is blending other oils in their olive oil?
Alexandra Devarenne:The chances of that in US retail are virtually nil. There was the largest off shelf study recently done in the US the problem of adulteration is not a thing.
It is really not a thing, really what people need to look out for.
And this is where that extra super ultra cheap off brand that you've never heard of, that would be where there was a couple of products that were found to have the addition of other oils. They were nothing you'd ever have heard of and the pricing was off. So those are kind of the red flags.
But if you're buying any one of the major brands in a supermarket in the US Retail, adulteration is not a thing.
George Duran:And I'm seeing a lot of what I see. There are two lanes here. I see the cooking olive oil and then the drizzling olive oil. Is that still true that you should kind of.
Can I use the drizzling to cook with?
Alexandra Devarenne:Sure, if you have the money. See, to me, absolutely it's a question of economics. If you can afford to buy fabulous olive oil to cook with, go for it. Why not? But I don't.
Yeah, I mean, to me it is more important that people look for an olive oil that they like and that they can afford. And extra virgin for me, extra virgin is all of it.
George Duran:What does that Mean extra virgin.
Alexandra Devarenne:Extra virgin is the highest grade of virgin olive oil. Virgin olive oil is olive oil that's mechanically extracted.
It has all of the natural phytochemicals, the polyphenols, the sterols, all of the things that go into an olive and an olive oil. They're all there in extra virgin olive oil. So it is by far, it's the tastiest and it has the most health benefits and so on.
The next grade, which is just called olive oil in this country, is a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil, usually about 15%, give or take of virgin. And that is a perfectly good choice for someone who's just starting out and is, is getting used to having something that flavorful. Right.
And they're looking for something that's a little more like a neutral cooking oil, which is, they've been using canola oil or whatever else, or vegetable oil, that's fine.
But what we have found is that people very quickly become kind of hooked on that olive oil flavor and then they trade up to extra virgin because that's really the, that's where the fun is. That's. Those are the really exciting products.
George Duran:Yeah. I want to tell you a few myths, or perhaps they're not myths about olive oil that I've heard of. Clear glasses. The light can affect the olive oil.
Is that true?
Alexandra Devarenne:That is not a myth. That is absolutely true. Olive oil is very, very sensitive to ultraviolet light.
George Duran:Is it okay to buy olive oil in a plastic squeeze bottle?
Alexandra Devarenne:If that's what you want, sure. Yeah. No, the whole plastic thing is for long term storage. We store olive oil in stainless steel tanks and plastic is not an ideal long term storage.
But for the short term, those are almost all PET bottles, both the rigid ones and the squeezy ones. And PET is perfectly fine for a consumer package. It's. It's just not going to be in that bottle too long.
And you know, as a chef that, you know, chefs for years have been taking up putting it in a squeeze bottle and using it because it's convenient.
George Duran:Right, of course.
Alexandra Devarenne:And that's important. Olive oil should be convenient. That's one of the reasons why we tell people, don't put it in the refrigerator.
You don't want to have to wait to use it. You want it to be available so you can use it all the time at every meal.
George Duran:I buy my olive oil from Costco Large Extra Virgin, the best one. It is in plastic, but it is dark and the turnaround is very quick. This is my regular frying sauteing olive oil. Am I doing the right thing here?
Alexandra Devarenne:You certainly are. Say you live alone buying that large, you know, product, the extra virgin that you like at Costco or someplace.
I don't think there's anything wrong with doing that.
But what I would recommend for a person there is to carefully decant it into absolutely clean glass bottles and close, you know, seal them up and put those in the refrigerator. Because you're going to take it out one at a time. It never goes back in.
But that way, if you've bought enough to last you for four months, it's better that it be in a container with no headspace, because oxygen is, is an enemy. Right? And that's one of the reasons why I love bag and packaging.
Bag in box packaging is the best because the bag collapses and therefore you don't have that oxygen exposure. Light, air, heat, time, those are the things that get you with olive oil. So you want to keep it away from light, want to keep it away from air.
And that's why they always say, be sure to seal the bottle and so on.
George Duran:That's crazy, because when you say bag in box, I think of the cheap wines that you buy out there. But for olive oil, it totally makes sense.
Alexandra Devarenne:It is. I know. And this is, this has been an obstacle to the adoption of bag in box packaging because for everyone, it's the.
It's the box wine, it's the cheap stuff and so on. That's the association. There are brands that have rejected that thinking and have done absolutely gorgeous bag in box packaging.
In fact, one of them, you can see it at the Extra Virgin alliance booth, that there is a product there that comes in a bag and box and nobody would look at that and say, oh, that's a cheap product. It's a beauty. It is absolutely gorgeous.
George Duran:Are the Italians using bag in box?
Alexandra Devarenne:Oddly, I would say less than. This is a brand from South Africa, actually, that has this one. I know brands in Portugal, Spain, some Italian brands also. It's sort of everywhere.
But being adopted slowly because there's fear of the, you know, of consumers having that perception you're talking about. And this is.
It's like you might have been thinking of asking about first cold press because that's something that people put on labels and yet it means, really means nothing because.
George Duran:Wait, wait, wait. First cold press means nothing with olive oil.
Alexandra Devarenne:Oh, now absolutely means nothing. Because in order to be extra virgin grade, it has to be the first press and it has to be done. In fact, it's not even really A press.
It's a centrifuge and it has to be done under low temperatures. So it's a throwback to the old days.
George Duran:Quickly, tell me how olive oil is made, because are you taking raw olives and then squeezing them? Tell me how it's made.
Alexandra Devarenne:What you do is, first off, you. The olives have to be fresh. They cannot sit. You get them off the Tree and within 24 hours they gotta go into the mill.
The first thing you do is you, you know, they get cleaned. But you grind them with the seed. Seed and all, you grind them up. And that can be done in a number of different ways.
But you come out with something that is a paste and it's kind of a coarse paste with chunks of pit. And it's. See, you know, it's got the seed, it's got. It's got pulp, everything in it. That then goes into something that's called a malaxer.
And that is the beginning of the separation process where it slowly, very slowly churns and the oil begins to separate there. But more importantly, there's a lot of biochemical activity that takes place because the phenols in an olive are.
A lot of them are in the water part of the olive. So those start to get transferred into the oil and so on. So there's a whole bunch of chemistry that goes on in this thing.
And then it goes into a centrifuge. And in the old days it went into mats which got pressed, right, which is where the press business comes from.
But you spin it and that separates out to oil, water and solids. And then it goes in through another spin to clean it. And you have virgin olive oil. And if you had good olives, you have extra virgin olive oil.
George Duran:Let's say you have a high quality, super expensive, high quality, fruity, a little pepperiness. What should I taste that olive oil with?
Alexandra Devarenne:I think probably the best thing would be the hot potato test.
George Duran:What?
Alexandra Devarenne:Because heat is important, right? You want those aromas, those volatiles. Heat will release them, right? So hot is good.
So take that potato, you know, open it up and then put your fabulous olive oil in there. I'm also. I like a little salt in there. And then you're going to be just enveloped by the aroma of this olive oil is going to come up and then.
Sounds great.
George Duran:What is the Extra Virgin Alliance?
Alexandra Devarenne:The Extra Virgin alliance is the specialty section of the North American Olive Oil Association. And we, Our focus is to build appreciation for extra virgin olive oil.
And we do this through telling the stories of the Products and the people behind them.
George Duran:Is there A stamp? An EVA stamp?
Alexandra Devarenne:Yes, there is. We have the AVA seal and it's EVA S E A L avaseal.org yeah.
George Duran:And you can't just buy into it. I mean, you really have to go through.
Alexandra Devarenne:Oh, there's a whole process. Yeah.
And these oils also meet very stringent criteria of chemistry and sensory evaluation and packaging requirements, and so, you know, some best practices. So any product that has the AVA seal has met a series, you know, a set of criteria.
George Duran:All right, we're gonna do it quickly here. We're gonna play a little game called Would you'd drizzle it? Tell me if you drizzle olive oil on any of the following. You ready?
Alexandra Devarenne:Okay, I'm ready.
George Duran:All right. Vanilla ice cream?
Alexandra Devarenne:Absolutely.
George Duran:Oh, wow. Coffee?
Alexandra Devarenne:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Really put it in coffee. Sure.
George Duran:Okay. Watermelon?
Alexandra Devarenne:Yes.
George Duran:How about breakfast? Oatmeal?
Alexandra Devarenne:Oh, yeah, all the time.
George Duran:Sure. Okay.
Alexandra Devarenne:Absolutely.
George Duran:Hot chocolate?
Alexandra Devarenne:You could. Yeah, you could.
George Duran:My kids wouldn't really. I don't think if I put olive oil in their hot chocolate, they would just throw it in my face.
Alexandra Devarenne:Really?
George Duran:For sure.
Alexandra Devarenne:You gotta work on those kids.
George Duran:Yeah, I do. Pancakes?
Alexandra Devarenne:Sure.
George Duran:Okay.
Alexandra Devarenne:Sure. You could do that.
George Duran:Yeah. My kids, again, would probably slaughter me. Finally. Peanut butter and jelly, huh?
Alexandra Devarenne:Now, that one, I would maybe try it once. I don't know. It's a little hard for me to visualize, but. Yeah, why not?
George Duran:Yeah, why not?
Alexandra Devarenne:You know, instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches, I use olive oil all the time. I don't think I've put mayo on a sandwich in years.
George Duran:You know, Alexander Duvarin of the Extra Virgin alliance, thank you so much for being on the show. I'll probably find you lurking in my local supermarket soon.
Alexandra Devarenne:Absolutely.
George Duran:So I really appreciate it. What is the website to go to to find out more about the AVA. The Extra Virgin Alliance.
Alexandra Devarenne:AVA seal.org okay, Eva seal.org that's us.
George Duran:Fantastic. Thanks so much for being on the show. And folks, thanks for tuning in to Always Hangry.
Don't forget to join us next week when I'll be sitting down with feel good foodies Yumna Jawad for another fun conversation you won't want to miss. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to Always Hangry wherever you get your podcasts.
Or visit alwayshangrodcast.com for episodes, updates, and much more. I'm George Duran. Until next time, stay hungry.
