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"  With so many olive oil choices on the shelves, picking one can be difficult. Just like choosing wine, there are a number of things to look for when selecting that bottle. Before giving up and just grabbing anything on the shelf, get educated on finding the best bottle for your budget and taste buds. We asked the Chief Oleologist (a.k.a. olive oil sommelier) at New York City&amp;#039;s preeminent Italian food emporium Eataly, Nicholas Coleman, to help us pick the perfect olive oil and never waste another drop. Here are his top tips:  Rule #1: Always look for the exact origins of your oil.  Coleman says, &amp;quot;You don&amp;#039;t want an oil that just says it&amp;#039;s from a country; you want an oil from one region.&amp;quot; More From Delish: How Olive Oil Benefits Your Health \u2014 and Your Cooking Rule #2: Check the date on the bottle. If it doesn&amp;#039;t have the harvest date, don&amp;#039;t buy it. &amp;quot;Basically, olive oil is a fresh fruit juice,&amp;quot; says Coleman. &amp;quot;So you always want it in as close to the olive time as possible. Oil is harvested in October, November, and sometimes December. So the most recent harvest is currently 2011. Without a date you don&amp;#039;t know if they are cutting it with a previous year&amp;#039;s harvest. You always want it as fresh as you can get it. Just like buying wine, you want a bottle that has the year on it, but unlike wine, you don&amp;#039;t want it to age.&amp;quot; Rule #3: The more details on the bottle the better. Coleman says, &amp;quot;You want to know the harvest date, when it was made, and you want the specific region because you want your olives localized. And you want to know the varietals.&amp;quot; Rule #4: Never, ever, ever buy olive oil in a plastic container.  &amp;quot;If you see it in a plastic container, run away,&amp;quot; warns Coleman. &amp;quot;Oil leeches on that plasticky synthetic aroma and the oil will taste greasy and heavy and bad. And it degrades the properties.&amp;quot; More From Delish: 8 Great Non-Cooking Uses for Olive Oil Rule #5: Don&amp;#039;t buy olive oil in clear bottles.  &amp;quot;Light causes it to photo-oxidize,&amp;quot; says Coleman. In other words, &amp;quot;Light will make it mellow out and go flat. The best olive oils are are in dark bottles.&amp;quot; Rule #6: Look for the mark: DOP. &amp;quot;DOP means the oil comes from a protected designated of origin,&amp;quot; Coleman explains. &amp;quot;By law those olives must be grown there, harvested there, pressed there, bottled there, and shipped out of there. They cannot be blending oils from different countries.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s basically an added layer of protection for the consumers. Rule #7: Taste the oils before purchasing. Ultimately the proof is in the taste. Find a reputable store and talk to someone who knows about the oils and has them open to taste. That way you can find what you like and what dish you want to pair it with. It&amp;#039;s very personal. Tasting it makes it so you won&amp;#039;t have buyers remorse when you get home.&amp;quot; More From Delish: When to Toss Oil, Spices, and More Rule #8: Never store your oil near your stove. Always keep your oil in a cool, dark environment. Keeping it next to the stove heat causes olive oil to oxidize. You want it kept cool, and that will preserve oil for longer. Rule #9: Don&amp;#039;t save an oil for a special occasion. When you buy a really nice bottle, don&amp;#039;t save it. Use it immediately. Once you open a bottle, try to go through it in three months, as it is best those first 90 days.  Rule #10: Enjoy your oils. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s almost like buying a piece of filet mignon: it may cost $12 to $14, but when you cook it you&amp;#039;re not thinking every bite costs $2. You cook it, eat it, enjoy it. Don&amp;#039;t use a little bit of oil. Use as much as you want, enjoy it, get the most out of it, and then buy another bottle. It&amp;#039;s meant to be enjoyed.&amp;quot;  Find more great food content on Delish: Search for the perfect recipe from our homepage Find out the latest food news Get a recipe book to save your favorite dishes Sign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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