Tips for storing olive oil

A quality olive oil can lose its goodness over time if not stored correctly. To stop this happening, we’ve put together this collection of simple tips on how to correctly store your olive oil.

Proper olive oil storage is virtually never seen as a priority when people buy oil, yet it really is a vital consideration if you want to enjoy the full benefits of this high-quality product.

Elements to protect olive oil from

The olive oil aging process is the main cause of oil losing its quality and the nutritional properties that make it such a precious foodstuff. As such, first and foremost, it’s important that we pay attention to the use-by date of the product.

It’s good practice to consume an oil within the use-by date specified by the producer. This is the period during which the chemical and physical properties and organoleptic qualities stated on the label remain intact.

It's also a good idea to be aware of the elements that can affect the quality of an olive oil:

Heat
Light
Oxygen

How to store olive oil

The optimal olive oil storage temperature is between 12 and 18°C, so it’s important that you keep olive oil away from any potential heat sources in the kitchen. At the same time, it’s important to protect oil from excessively low temperatures, so it should not be stored in outside storage spaces, particularly those that are north-facing.

The ideal place for storing olive oil should be cool, dry and ideally dark. Storage containers should be perfectly clean and made from a material than guarantees good hygiene, such as dark glass, food-grade tin or stainless steel.

Why choose glass?

Glass’ high level of food hygiene and safety means it’s an ideal product for preserving the chemical characteristics and qualities of an olive oil.

We’ve chosen to use green glass bottles and food-grade tins in order to preserve the characteristics and flavor of our Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It’s an environmentally friendly choice, with both 100% recyclable materials.

Watch out for oxidation

In order to avoid oil oxidation, it’s important that you seal the bottle or tin back up as soon as you've finished using it using a hermetic seal, in order to prevent oxygen from coming into contact with the oil as much as possible. It’s a good idea to use a container whose size matches your consumption habits: a 3-5 liter tin is going to need to be opened and closed constantly, with the oil exposed to the air too frequently as a result.

Last but not least, it’s vital that olive oil containers are stored away from unpleasant odors in order to drastically reduce the likelihood of these being absorbed by the oil and the oil's organoleptic qualities being affected. For example, one place you don’t want to store olive oil is under the sink, next to the detergents and other products which could affect the aroma.

Simple steps for excellent results

Olive oil and extra virgin olive oil have distinctive and different organoleptic characteristics and nutritional properties, but both require care and attention when it comes to storage if they are to remain in good condition.

Thanks to the few, simple steps we've learned today, you can rest assured that the oil you use every day is safe and has the same flavor, quality and nutritional benefits as when you first bought it.

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