You've almost certainly had olive oil before and probably sampled different varieties. Of course, there are a few major differences between regular and extra-virgin olive oil you should be aware of before you decide which one to use in your next meal.

Extra-virgin olive oil is made by grinding and pressing olives without using heat or chemicals. In cold-pressing, the purest method, olives are mashed into a pulp before being put through a press that strains the oil, and the name refers to the fact that temperatures never exceed 81.9 F.

Regular olive oil is created via harsher methods. The refined component of this mixture comes from a post-extraction process that involves both heat and chemicals, which removes certain impurities from the oil, but also strips it of some of the flavor.