Olive oil is a particularly versatile product. At least, the extra virgin variety. You can use it for baking, frying, marinating, and much more. Nowadays, olive oil is a staple in kitchens across the Netherlands. However, a common question is: how long can you store olive oil? And what is its shelf life? Gkazas Olive Oil is organic extra virgin olive oil. The best variety of all types of olive oil. So, we will focus on this variety here.
Storing Olive Oil in a Nutshell
If you don’t have time or interest to read all the information, but simply want to know what to do? Here are the basics:
- Buy superior quality olive oil. This olive oil contains more antioxidants and will oxidize more slowly.
- Store olive oil in a cool, dark place. This means not in the windowsill or next to the stove. Around 15 degrees Celsius is ideal.
- Keep your olive oil (as much as possible) sealed. Every time you open your bottle or can, oxygen enters. Your olive oil will oxidize, affecting its quality. Our tip: if you buy a 5-liter can of olive oil, pour it directly into old 750ML bottles or used wine bottles. You can then use one bottle and leave the rest sealed.
- Only buy olive oil in dark bottles or certified cans. These provide the best protection against external factors such as light.
- Keep tasting the olive oil. If it still tastes and smells delightful, your olive oil is ‘good’!
Olive Oil Shelf Life: What Not to Do
Can olive oil spoil or go out of date? Yes! That’s why it’s so important to store olive oil carefully. Here’s the shelf life 101: the main factors that affect olive oil shelf life and lead to oxidation of olive oil are light, air, and temperature (too warm/too cold/unstable). Light causes the beneficial compounds in the oil to break down faster, air can cause condensation inside the bottle or can, and heat negatively affects the shelf life of olive oil.
Storing Olive Oil in the Fridge?
The sun with its light and heat has the greatest effect on olive oil. So, don’t store your olive oil in the windowsill. It may be tempting, but it’s not a good idea. Also, don’t store your olive oil bottle or olive oil can in the fridge. Storing olive oil in the fridge can cause condensation to dilute the oil, making it rancid quite quickly. Now you know why it’s important to store olive oil properly!
What to Do When Storing Olive Oil?
The best place is a dark cupboard at room temperature. A can is actually even better than a bottle because no light can get in.
There’s also a step before this: olive oil with fewer antioxidants will oxidize faster. That’s why it’s essential to buy olive oil of superior quality for its shelf life. We ensure this by having every batch we fill tested organoleptically by the best panels in the world. You can read more in this detailed article on what makes the best olive oil.
It’s also important to keep the bottle or can open as little as possible. Every time a bottle or can opens, the humidity inside increases. This is often the main reason olive oil oxidizes. Our tip: we buy a 5-liter can of olive oil and immediately pour all the olive oil into a bottle. These can be old 750ML bottles or used wine bottles. You can then use one bottle and keep the rest sealed. Smart, right?
This tip is mainly for when you don’t consume your olive oil like the Greeks (meaning, you don’t take more than 6 months to finish a 5-liter can). When you store your olive oil in a dark and cool place, the chance it will oxidize within 6 months is very low! Olive oil shelf life, check!
Can Olive Oil Go Bad?
Can olive oil go bad? Yes, indeed! Fortunately, if you’re unsure about the quality and shelf life of your Greek olive oil, you can test it yourself. Just taste the oil straight from a spoon. If the olive oil smells or tastes very strong, musty, rancid, or too sour, it’s no longer good. But wait, you can still use the olive oil for other purposes! For example, you can use olive oil as a polish for your furniture or for lubricating your bike lock. Of course, we assume you’re such an olive oil lover that your olive oil will be used up quickly and won’t even have time to spoil! 😉
Olive Oil Past Its Date, Shelf Life of Unopened Olive Oil
How long you can store olive oil exactly is a difficult question to answer. There are even stories about olive oil jars found at Knossos that are 2000 years old and still edible! One thing we do know for sure: the shelf life of unopened extra virgin olive oil is many years after harvest. As long as it is stored in the dark and at a constant room temperature, of course. The very low free fatty acid content in our organic olive oil means that its taste only marginally becomes stronger (more nutty/vinegary) over time. Many Greeks even keep several vintages on hand and choose from them based on the dish they are preparing.
