Olive oil in big cans

[afn33282]

Hey eGullet,

On a recent grocery store trip to stock a new apartment, I got a 3+ qt. bottle of olive oil. I have since read that one should use olive oil within months or it will go stale, or maybe even rancid. What do you think? What, in your opinion or experience, is the shelf life of olive oil for somebody who cares about freshness in their ingredients? By the way, this is "mild" olive oil. Don't ask me why I bought it. I was actually not the one doing the buying. It was one of those "You're an adult now, but I'm still your Mom, and by God I can still stock your cupboards when I want to," so I think I was a bit conscious at the time of how much I was spending on individual ingredients. A smaller bottle of extra-virgin may have been a better idea, but I think I was thinking I would mostly fry with this stuff. Does this make a difference in terms of shelf life?

Thanks.....

[Gifted Gourmet]

I don't think that "stale" is the word so much as "rancid" ... I always keep my purchases fresh by buying smaller amounts since I am not cooking for many at the moment.

[Jason Perlow]

Olive oil has like a 2 to 3 year shelf life. Provided you keep the large can in a relatively cool place, it will be fine.

Its important that you know when the olive oil was pressed, so you really want to buy it from a reputable purveyor that can tell you when he got it and from what year's harvest it came from.

[AK@Spicehouse]

I would say closer to 5 years if sealed, away from the elements at a normal room temperature.

Olive oil has like a 2 to 3 year shelf life. Provided you keep the large can in a relatively cool place, it will be fine.

Its important that you know when the olive oil was pressed, so you really want to buy it from a reputable purveyor that can tell you when he got it and from what year's harvest it came from.

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[Ducky]

3 years? 5 years?

I also buy large 4 quart cans (usually from Greece or Italy) and these always have a use-by date stamped on them somewhere - and this is never more than a year away.

The oil becomes progessively more acidic the longer it stands - although I do not understand the chemical reason for this - and from my experience 1 year would be the absolute max before a bitter, acidic taste begins to make itself known.

[Jason Perlow]

I would say closer to 5 years if sealed, away from the elements at a normal room temperature.

Olive oil has like a 2 to 3 year shelf life. Provided you keep the large can in a relatively cool place, it will be fine.

Its important that you know when the olive oil was pressed, so you really want to buy it from a reputable purveyor that can tell you when he got it and from what year's harvest it came from.

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Yeah, it certainly is usable at 5 years if its stored properly, but if its a really good first pressing it will lose its bite after about 2 or 3 years. Depends where the stuff comes from. 2 to 3 is probably a good timeframe to use it, but if kept cool enough, it can certainly go longer.

[Flocko]

Hey eGullet,

On a recent grocery store trip to stock a new apartment, I got a 3+ qt. bottle of olive oil.  I have since read that one should use olive oil within months or it will go stale, or maybe even rancid.  What do you think?  What, in your opinion or experience, is the shelf life of olive oil for somebody who cares about freshness in their ingredients?  By the way, this is "mild" olive oil.  Don't ask me why I bought it.  I was actually not the one doing the buying.  It was one of those "You're an adult now, but I'm still your Mom, and by God I can still stock your cupboards when I want to," so I think I was a bit conscious at the time of how much I was spending on individual ingredients.  A smaller bottle of extra-virgin may have been a better idea, but I think I was thinking I would mostly fry with this stuff.  Does this make a difference in terms of shelf life?

Thanks.....

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I buy Greek Extra Virgin oil (either Acropolis or Minerva brand........usually about $27/gallon in SLC) in one gallon cans. It is very green and fruity. I decant it into 5 750ml "scotch" bottles that are green tinted (light as well as temperature is supposed to affect the freshness of the oil). I fill the bottles up to less than an inch from the top to have the least possible surface area and store the bottles I'm not "working on" in a basement cold room. The oil remains fresh till the last bottle............which I must confess is only about 6 or 7 months!!.................and there are only 3 of us...........but we use it for everything

[Shalmanese]

Don't forget that, depending on where you buy it from, the oil might be well over a year old by the time you purchase it. So, really, a 2 - 3 year shelf life becomes a 1 - 2 year shelf life.

[Carlovski]

As this is a light oil anyway, so more likely to be used for cooking I don't think it is much of a problem.

[DonnaMarieNJ]

Can't you store it in the fridge and just take it out when you need it? This is what I have been doing. Please tell me this is ok, because I, too, have a large container of olive oil.

DonnaMarieNJ

[Jim Dixon]

So-called ‘lite’ olive oil isn’t really extra virgin, even if that’s what it says on the label. There are no regulations on the use of the term in the US, although the California Olive Oil Council has petitioned the FDA to adopt the IOOC’s rules. The lite oil is likely a blend of virgin oil and refined or rectified oil, olive oil that’s been processed to remove flavor defects (and the rest of the flavor, too). I wouldn’t worry too much about it going bad, but I wouldn’t personally use it, either.

True extra virgin oils (virgin and extra virgin are oils produced under IOOC standards and differ in the level of free fatty acid expressed as oleic acid) have a variable shelf life depending on the level of phenolic compounds present (polyphenols and tocophenols). These are antioxidants, the same compounds that give olive oil some of its healthful qualities, and also slow the rate of oxidation (oxidation is the process of going rancid). The phenols are responsible for what is often called a peppery flavor (pungency is the official term), actually a chemical irritant, altho’ a desirable one, that should be balanced with the fruity and bitter flavors.

As Jason noted, estate-quality oils typically have higher levels of phenols, but they can also vary since the phenols also vary from year to year depending on weather, growing, harvest practices, and pressing conditions. But in general, a good olive oil, stored away from exposure to air and light, will last for 2-3 years before showing obvious signs of deterioration.

Freshness is hard to apply to olive oil. In the Mediterranean oil is pressed only in the late fall and early winter, so the only really fresh oil is the viscous, bright yellow-green cloudy stuff you buy at the frantoio.

I don’t recommend refrigeration. Water can condense in the container and drip into the oil. And I remember reading somewhere that oil that was frozen tended to oxidize more rapidly after warming.

If you buy in bulk, you can decant into bottles (dark glass, please) to reduce the amount of oil exposed to the air. You can also use one of those wine preservers that either suck the air out or inject some inert gas into the head space. Store the oil in a cool dark place.

But the best way to ensure that your oil stays ‘fresh’ is to use it liberally. I tell my customers if they don’t go through a 375 ml bottle in a month they’re not eating enough olive oil.

Please remember..I’m not a food scientist. I just sell the stuff (follow the link below).

Jim