I'm looking for decent olive oil for daily cooking, but the imported ones are too pricey. I've seen several local brands at Carrefour and Éxito, but I'm not sure if they're actually worth it or if I should just stick with what I always buy. Does anyone have a recommendation?
It depends a lot on what country you're in, because local brands vary tons between countries. That said, in general supermarket brands like Carrefour or Éxito that say "extra virgin" tend to be a good option if you don't want to spend much - they're not premium oils but they work fine for everyday cooking. My advice is to get a small bottle of two or three different local brands and try them at home; it's the only real way to know which one suits your taste and budget, because honestly the price-quality ratio really does change depending on the region and brand.
I buy quite a lot of olive oil since I cook a lot at home, and honestly the local store brands from Carrefour or Éxito like Coosur or similar work perfectly fine for everyday cooking - you don't need the expensive imported stuff for that. The real difference is in premium oils for salads or bread, but for frying and stewing the local brands save you money without losing quality. If you want something in between, check out the origin brands on the bottles; Spanish ones from local cooperatives usually have good prices at big supermarkets.
Don't waste your money on premium "extra virgin" if you're just cooking with it! Supermarket brands like Coosur or Carrefour's own-brand stuff work fine and cost way less - the flavor disappears anyway once you heat the oil.
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