If you’ve spent any amount of time looking into it, then you’re probably well aware that the world of olive oil is a strangely deep and complex one. Maybe this shouldn’t be too surprising –- after all, olive oil had been around in some capacity since at least 3500 B.C., giving the industry plenty of time to carve its niche in the culinary scene. But from understanding the different terms surrounding olive oil, such as the difference between refined and extra-virgin, to figuring out what “light” olive oil truly means (and why you should avoid it), you might be left pondering one very basic question: How do you store it?
There are several factors in figuring out the best way to store olive oil to keep its quality for as long as possible. But before you go reaching for a container specifically for housing your olive oil, first consider the bottle that your oil shipped in. Many olive oil producers ship their products in tightly sealed, dark glass bottles, which just so happen to be perfect vessels in which to store your oil. Olive oil should be kept away from as much light and air as possible, since these will discolor and oxidize your oil, leading to it potentially spoiling. And since your olive oil probably already shipped in a near-opaque bottle, it should be sufficient to keep your oil safe.
Don’t harm your olive oil for no reason
A lot of the time, people like to have specific locations or vessels for certain food items, perhaps rightfully questioning the integrity of the boxes or containers that they shipped in. This can be true of cereal and pasta –- just to give two well-known examples -– and you’ll see it not uncommonly with oil too. But those cute clear little bottles that you see tableside or near the stove are doing a lot more harm to your oil than good.
Olive oil, just like another Mediterranean staple, wine, doesn’t like three things: heat, light, and air. When you’ve got your oil on the counter, you’re potentially exposing it to all three of these, and exposing it quite often too. One of the many factors to look out for when buying olive oil is the best-by date since olive oil doesn’t tend to keep well beyond that. But this expiration is dramatically sped up when it’s stored improperly. Luckily for you, though, keeping your olive oil in its original bottle will not only go a long way in resolving this issue, but it conveniently eliminates one step in your food storage process.
