You can prepare olive oil at home with the right conditions. To obtain natural and additive-free olive oil, you need to obtain olive milk. Olive milk is obtained by crushing and then pressing olives, resulting in oily extracts. Olive milks produced by cold pressing have higher natural values compared to those exposed to high heat. The acidity level of olive milk is very low. Olive oils sold in markets or produced in factories undergo various stages of heat exposure, unlike home-produced olive oil, which is made by cold pressing.
Heat exposure can reduce the nutritional value of olive oil by causing a decrease in the high nutritional values found in olives and leading to an increase in acidic values. There is a difference in color and aroma between olive oil processed with heat and those produced with cold pressing. The shelf life of homemade olive oil may be slightly shorter compared to others, but its organic nature and reliability for consumption are among the main reasons for the interest in homemade olive oil.
To make olive oil at home, start by separating fresh olives from their pits. It’s advisable to wear gloves during this process to prevent your hands from getting dirty. Also, the olives should ideally be green for easier crushing. The separated olives can be chopped into small pieces using devices like fruit crushers. Breaking the olives into smaller pieces ensures that their essence can be easily extracted.
Here’s how the cold pressing process is done:
After the olives are turned into a puree, the oil separates. You can use strainers for this step. The olive pulp placed in the strainer is tightly tied and hung to drain. After waiting for a certain period for the oil to drip from the pulp, the olive pulp can be kneaded with a small cloth to extract any remaining oil. You can wear gloves during the kneading process. Once you’re sure all the oil has been extracted, you can finish the kneading process.
How to Obtain Olive Milk?
To strain the oil extracted from the pulp, you can try different methods. You can place the oil in a fine cloth and let it drip into a bottle. Alternatively, you can add cotton to the mouth of the bottle to filter the oil. The straining process may take some time. At the end of the process, the olive oil you obtain will have a very low acidity level. There is no loss of nutritional value in the product obtained through natural methods. Additionally, its aroma and flavor are slightly more potent compared to other examples. Homemade olive oil, or olive milk as it’s also called, has a denser consistency compared to conventional processed olive oils. You can try it in various dishes. By dedicating a small amount of time at home, you can produce olive oil, or olive milk, and even serve it to your loved ones.
Olive milks, known for their denser consistency compared to conventional processed olive oils, have quite strong flavors. Since they are produced without exposure to heat, when the correct preparation techniques are applied, their acidity levels remain low. However, as with all homemade products, if you follow certain wrong steps, the opposite scenario can occur, and the acidity level can increase. There are no additives in olive milk, which can result in a short shelf life. Therefore, when preparing olive milk, you should consume it without delay. Otherwise, the prepared products will lose their freshness and may pose health risks. Olive oil is a staple in cooking and breakfast dishes, and you can prepare it in this way. During the preparation process, make sure to follow the steps correctly and meticulously. This way, you can prepare delicious olive oils ready for consumption. Remember that the choice is entirely yours. You can also choose to buy quality and organic olive oils.
