Hmmm... the mid-west? So perhaps you mean, Illinois, then phat? If so, I am in Bloomington/Normal.

As CanMan offers- brand name isn't really all that important to quality, necessarily. I have used olive oils from Aldi's brand to Kroger's, Jewel, Schnuck's and Wal-Mart, and they've all been pretty good.

If one MUST be brand loyal "Pompei" is always a good brand. From my many years in commercial kitchens, Pompei was used regularly as it was always available to us in volume one gallon and 3 gallon tins. In Alaska we also often used a good brand received from purveyours in BC which was called "Fruit Tree".

What I meant was that the USA has not adopted the International Rules for labeling for such things, so the term “extra virgin” is not regulated so some products can be called such but not have the quality.

How To SpeaK Olive Oil

Another thing that many folks are not aware of is just what calssification terms like "extra virgin", "fine virgin", "semi-fine virgin", and "ordinary olive oil" actually mean.

Olive oil is produced from pressing olives to extract the oil. The first or "virgin" pressing extracts a dark product rich with particles of the olive (these little "floaties" tend to burn fast when heated in a pan and can sometimes negatively affect the taste of the oil and the food product). This oil has incredibly intense flavor, however, some folks don't realize it but this one is best used raw for vinaigrettes and salad dressings- and not for cooking.

The later 2nd, 3rd and 4th pressings produce slightly lighter, less intense products respectively, that contain fewer tid-bits and particles of the actual olive. These fewer "floaties" help make these oils more suitable to using with heat, since there are fewer "floaties" to cinge and burn, and taint flavor.

There are exceptions to every rule, and every cook is different... some use extra-virgin for all uses. But a general rule of thumb is extra-virgin for raw use only... and 2nd, 3rd and 4th pressings for actual cooking.

phathod, I use Bertolli Olive oil here. It's sold nation wide and comes in several varieties. I have even bought it in Walmart stores that sell food items.

I use Bertolli. I get the 3 liter jugs of the extra virgin at Sams for around $22.
I go there about once every couple of months and get it.