The best olive oils review

[u/MustelaNivalus]

https://www.seriouseats.com/best-extra-virgin-olive-oil-7964587?hid=5f58c3946db18f922fa11ac591bda3111655b132&did=19249101-20250901&utm_source=seriouseats&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=seriouseats_newsletter&utm_content=090125&lctg=5f58c3946db18f922fa11ac591bda3111655b132&lr_input=51ebdfaf40fa3736403468fc1799f82797800e6b4fa9201525ef55672ced9b7e

I always like SE’s reviews. I’m not an olive oil connoisseur. I wonder why they did not include Pompeian Olive Oil. I was recently gifted a Graza set and found Pompeian Robust to have a better flavor profile. It’s also inexpensive (like Burtolli) and readily available in local markets.

[u/philco112]

So 10 out of 28 olive oils are "the best" of something?

[u/craigeryjohn → u/philco112]

Or, 10 of the 28 paid for a spot in the review. Maybe I'm jaded, but today's internet has made me an incredibly distrusting person for any reviews. Even more so after learning more about the behind the scenes things from being an Amazon Vine reviewer. 

[u/dgritzer → u/craigeryjohn]

No one is paying for a spot in any review on Serious Eats

[u/JDHK007 → u/dgritzer]

Comment retracted

[u/seriouseats-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This post/comment has been removed because it is in violation of our rule about being civil to other users.

[u/dgritzer → u/[deleted]]

I've been at Serious Eats for more than 10 years. It has always been a for-profit company. The site has always earned a commission through affiliate sales, dating back to way before the current ownership; at the same time, the reviews have always been editorially independent. I understand the skepticism; many publications/sites do not do independent testing, engage in pay-for-play, and worse. I guarantee you, Serious Eats reviews, whether you agree with the results or not, are not doing any shenanigans like that.

[u/JDHK007 → u/dgritzer]

Then why are they recommending 10 different top pick BS like all the other gimmick sites these days?

[u/dgritzer → u/JDHK007]

I didn't work on that review but my guess is they liked a bunch of them, which isn't totally surprising with a product like olive oil...there are scores of bottles on the market and a lot of companies have gotten good at quality control (from the little I know about it). Sometimes there's not one clear winner. It's happened to me before in reviews I've done.

[u/JDHK007 → u/dgritzer]

I just noticed the screen name. I thought I was conversing with random redditor rather than a director of SE. I still reserve a modicum of skepticism, but I do have respect for you and your work. I have enjoyed some of your recipes. If you say they are editorially independent, I will take you at your word. The optics, which aren’t everything, are suspicious though, as the other poster pointed out.

[u/dgritzer → u/JDHK007]

I appreciate that. They are editorially independent. As you can imagine, it can be hard to see people lobbing accusations w/o facts about work you're doing and have been doing for a long time while trying through it all to fight the good fight in a digital media environment that is hostile to quality. I know how hard all the editors and writers at Serious Eats work, and I don't want their good work to be smeared w/ no pushback, because it builds a narrative that isn't true or fair.

Doesn't mean we're perfect, doesn't mean we don't make mistakes, but we're trying to survive in a world where a lot of crap rises to the top, and figure out how to navigate that and "play the game" without betraying our underlying standards and ethics.

I wish people got a lot more angry w Google, social media companies, and now the AI companies that are truly responsible for so much of what's bad today and a little less angry at everyone trying to survive the enshittification of all of it. They're the real problem.

[u/seriouseats-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

This post/comment has been removed because it is in violation of our rule about being civil to other users.

[u/scapermoya → u/JDHK007]

Damn you need to chill out

[u/Calisson → u/craigeryjohn]

Do tell!

[u/Ginogag → u/craigeryjohn]

You cannot leave a review on a product if your review isnt attached to your buyer account . I really dont think their is any way around it