Kenzoil: A Product Review

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the makers of Kenzoil, a salad dressing/dip/marinade made from cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and fresh garlic, about reviewing their product. The bottle arrived last week and I've been putting it on EVERYTHING ever since.

I have to admit, I did think the name was a little strange at first. It sounds more like something you'd put in your car than on your salad. But after reading a little history on the product's website, I learned that Kenzoil was created by a guy named Ken from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was looking to create a salad dressing with no sugar or vinegar for a food combining diet he was following. The result was "Ken's Oil," later changed to Kenzoil. The oil was a hit with Ken's friends and eventually at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. Now it's a hit with me too!

When I first tasted the oil, I immediately thought it'd make a great bread-dipping oil. It's super-garlicky, which was the perfect accent for this slice of whole wheat beer bread:

And it was delicious tossed with some cubed red potatoes and baked at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes:

But my favorite use of Kenzoil was mixed with balsamic vinegar and tossed with a side salad:

The Kenzoil took my ordinary side salad — romaine, carrots, red bell pepper, and vegan bacon bits — up so many notches.

Right now, Kenzoil is only available in Whole Foods stores in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska. But thankfully, the product is also available by mail order through Kenzoil's website.