Giada De Laurentiis Reveals This Is Her Go-To Olive Oil, Plus Her Other Favorite Italian Groceries

When most people think about the kind of olive oil Giada De Laurentiis uses in her kitchen, they probably think that she buys it from some small-town operation in Italy. That or she makes it from scratch like a boss. Turns out, the Giada at Home star buys her favorite olive oil from the grocery store just like everybody else. Here’s a quick look at De Laurentiis’ favorite type of olive oil, plus a few other pasta staples she always keeps in her pantry.

What’s Giada De Laurentiis’ favorite olive oil?

Taking to Instagram, De Laurentiis recently took fans on a tour of her favorite grocery store in Santa Monica called Bay Cities Italian Deli. In the clip, the Food Network star revealed which Italian groceries she reaches for first, including her favorite brand of oil olive.

What is most surprising about her go-to olive oil is that it can be purchased in most grocery stores across the country — and it will cost you less than $20.

According to The Kitchn, Giada De Laurentiis is a huge fan of Lucini extra virgin olive oil. This brand of olive oil is available in a wide range of stores and can be purchased for around $18 at Target, which is not bad at all.

“I really like to use Lucini olive oil in my cooking. It is an extra virgin olive oil, but it’s a very light one, so it’s really easy to cook with,” De Laurentiis explained.

She added that fans should be cautious about cooking extra virgin olive oil on too high. But if you are aware of that, then it is a great olive oil to use in a variety of classic dishes.

The best tips for buying olive oil

If taking Giada De Laurentiis’ advice is not good enough for you, here’s a quick rundown on how to buy the best olive oil for your kitchen.

For starters, it is good to only buy olive oil in bottles that keep out the light. Excess light is one of this ingredient’s biggest enemies and can make it go rancid.

Secondly, avoid buying olive oil in plastic containers. There are way too many things to consider when it comes to plastic, which can leach into the olive oil and taint it.

As a rule of thumb, keep in mind that olive oil does perish after a period of around 2 years. So whatever brand you choose, keep an eye out on the expiration date and buy a new bottle when necessary.

Lastly, check the location where the olive oil was actually made. Some brands sound like they are from Italy but are made in a completely different country. So don’t just trust the name!

What kind of tomatoes does Giada De Laurentiis like?

When it comes to picking out a tomato puree to make the perfect sauce, De Laurentiis favors Mutti Passata. This brand makes a tomato puree in 14-ounce jars that is great for a base — and it will not break the bank at only $2.60 per can.

For De Laurentiis, what makes Mutti Passata the best is that it is tomato puree in its purest form. The company does not put any extra flavors into it, which is why she uses it in her Parmesan Pomodoro recipe.

De Laurentiis uses the same brand when she needs cherry tomatoes. The celebrity chef likes to use these canned tomatoes whenever she needs a sweeter sauce. Even better, it goes great with a variety of dishes and is pretty much her go-to brand for tomatoes.

“This makes a very sweet, delicious tomato sauce. And you can do it really fast in a pan with a little bit of garlic and olive oil, even add some red pepper chili flakes. You can put it with fish, you can put it with chicken, on pasta, over a baked potato, over rice, anything,” she stated.

This is De Laurentiis go-to pasta

Giada De Laurentiis is obviously a big fan of making pasta throughout the week. During her tour, the Giada at Home star admitted that she makes pasts a ton in her kitchen — but she likes to switch things up a lot.

To that end, De Laurentiis likes to stick with one brand, Rustichella d’Abruzzon, and just goes with whatever fits best with the dish she has in mind.

When she is making a sausage and broccoli rabe, for instance, De Laurentiis will usually go with an orecchiette pasta, which is great on both flavor and texture.

It really all depends on what the dish calls for, but it is nice to know which brand Giada De Laurentiis usually goes for first.