Olive oil dispensers are containers that are used to hold and dispense olive oil. Often made with a body of clear or tinted glass, the olive oil dispenser may be designed for practical use in the kitchen, or as a decorative tool at the dinner table. Along with glass, an olive oil drizzler may be constructed of such materials as stainless steel, ceramic, or porcelain.
The function of the olive oil dispenser is to allow the user to control the amount of olive oil that is added to a given recipe or allowed to puddle on a plate. To that end, the container is often capped with a spout that makes it possible to easily control the rate of drizzle. Employing olive oil drizzlers or dispensers instead of simply pouring the olive oil from a larger container makes it much easier to control both the amount and the distribution of the olive oil in the recipe or onto the serving plate.
Many versions of the olive oil dispenser will also include a lid as well as a spout. In some designs, the lid will fit snugly over the spout, creating an air tight seal that will prevent constant exposure to the open air from damaging the olive oil. Other manufacturers choose to include a screw on lid that can be removed and replaced by one or more spouts when in use. In either case, it is important to seal the olive oil dispenser when not in use, as this will help prolong the life and flavor of the olive oil.
While the designs for the kitchen olive oil dispenser tend to be sparse and practical, decorate designs are often employed when the dispenser is meant for use at the table. A cut glass olive oil dispenser may be employed when the components of a salad dressing are introduced to the salad at the dinner table and gently tossed. As more people enjoy a dish of olive oil with herbs and thick sliced or hunks of baked bread as an appetizer or an accompaniment to the entrée of a meal, the presence of a decorative olive oil dispenser on the table is both practical and pleasing to the eye.
