How Do You Store Olive Oil?
Store olive oil in a cool, dark place, tightly capped, away from heat, light, and air. A closed kitchen cupboard away from the stove and oven is ideal, at a steady temperature of roughly 57 to 70F. Keep the oil in its original dark glass bottle or tin, which blocks light, and close the cap firmly after each use to limit contact with oxygen. Do not store olive oil next to the stove, on a sunny counter, or in a clear bottle, and there is no need to refrigerate it. Used this way, most extra virgin olive oil stays fresh for several months after opening.
The four things that spoil olive oil
Olive oil does not spoil the way perishable food does, but it does go rancid, losing its fresh flavor and aroma and taking on a stale, crayon-like or greasy taste. Four factors speed that up: heat, light, oxygen, and time. Heat and light drive the chemical reactions that break the oil down, oxygen oxidizes the fats every time the bottle is open, and even a sealed bottle slowly fades as the months pass. Good storage is simply about slowing all four.
Where to keep it
A pantry or cupboard is the best home for olive oil, the further from the stove the better. The cabinet beside or above the oven is the worst spot because it heats up during cooking. A spot on the counter looks convenient, but daily sunlight and kitchen warmth shorten the oil's life. If you buy oil in a clear bottle, keep it inside a cupboard rather than on display, or decant a small amount into a dark cruet for the counter and keep the main bottle sealed and dark.
Should you refrigerate olive oil?
Refrigeration is not necessary for everyday use and is not recommended for a bottle you go through within a few months. In the fridge, olive oil turns cloudy and may form solids; this is harmless and reverses at room temperature, but it makes the oil awkward to pour. The exception is a large quantity you will not finish for a long time, where cold storage can buy extra time. For most kitchens, a cool dark cupboard is enough.
How long does it keep?
Unopened extra virgin olive oil is generally best within about 18 to 24 months of pressing, which is why a harvest date on the label is useful. Once opened, flavor is at its best within a couple of months, though the oil remains usable for longer if it still smells and tastes clean. Buy a size you will realistically use within a few months rather than a large bottle that sits open for a year. If the oil ever smells stale, waxy, or like old nuts, it has gone rancid and is past its prime.
Olive oils to keep on hand from Madeline's
New-harvest Italian EVOO with a dated label.
An everyday organic EVOO for the cupboard.
Find more in the Oils & Vinegar collection.
Frequently asked questions
- Does olive oil go bad?
- It does not spoil like fresh food, but it goes rancid over time, losing flavor and developing a stale, waxy taste. Heat, light, oxygen, and time all speed this up, so cool, dark, sealed storage matters.
- Should I keep olive oil in the fridge?
- For a bottle you will finish within a few months, no. Refrigeration makes olive oil cloudy and solid, which is harmless but inconvenient. A cool dark cupboard is fine. Cold storage only helps for large amounts you will not use for a long time.
- How long does olive oil last after opening?
- Flavor is best within a couple of months of opening, though the oil stays usable longer if it still smells and tastes clean. Buy a size you can use up in that window.
- Is it bad to store olive oil next to the stove?
- Yes. The heat from cooking is one of the fastest ways to degrade olive oil. Keep it in a cupboard away from the stove and oven.
- How can I tell if olive oil has gone rancid?
- Smell and taste a little. Fresh oil smells grassy or fruity. Rancid oil smells stale, waxy, or like old nuts and tastes flat or greasy. If it smells off, replace it.