Storing olive oil properly
Store olive oil in the dark, at an even temperature and well sealed. A closed kitchen cupboard is enough. Not in the fridge, not next to the hob, not in the light of a window.
Light, heat and oxygen break down the compounds that make a good oil. All three are easy to avoid.
Why does light harm olive oil?
Light sets off a chain reaction in which the fatty acids oxidise. You taste the result later as rancidity.
Direct sun works fastest. A bottle that stands on a windowsill for a few summer days loses noticeable quality. This is why good olive oil belongs in dark glass.
A clear bottle says nothing about the oil inside, but it does say something about protection. If you have one, put it in the cupboard.
What temperature is right?
Around 14 to 18 degrees is ideal. A closed kitchen cupboard will do, even if it is a little warmer in there. More important than the exact degree is that the temperature stays even.
Heat speeds up ageing. The spot next to the hob, the oven or the dishwasher is therefore a poor one, convenient as it may be.
Does olive oil belong in the fridge? No, colder is not better. A fridge sits at four to seven degrees, well below the ideal range. Below about seven degrees olive oil flocculates and turns cloudy. It clears again at room temperature, but the constant swing between cold and warm does it no good.
How much does the seal matter?
Every time you open the bottle, oxygen gets in. The emptier the bottle, the more air sits above the oil and the faster it ages.
A practical conclusion follows: buy two small bottles rather than one large one. A container that stands open for a year tastes different at the end than at the start.
Close the bottle after every use. Open oil jugs on the table look lovely and cost the oil a lot of its aroma.
How long does olive oil keep?
Unopened and properly stored, around 18 months from harvest. The best-before date on the bottle often lies further ahead, but it only says how long the oil is edible, not how long it tastes good.
Once opened, use a bottle within two to three months.
What decides this is not the printed date but the harvest year. An oil from the 2025 harvest is at its peak in spring 2026 and noticeably weaker two years later, whatever the best-before date says.
How do you notice it is over?
By the smell, long before you taste anything.
If the oil smells of nothing, it has lost its aromas. What fresh oil should smell like is described in How do you recognise good olive oil?. If it smells rancid, like old nut oil, damp cardboard or crayons, it has gone off.
Olive oil does not become harmful in the process. It simply no longer tastes of anything, and the valuable compounds are gone. It will still grease a pan; it will not finish a dish.
Why we bottle in half-litre bottles
The half-litre bottle is a deliberate decision.
An early, polyphenol-rich oil like ours lives on its freshness. Where the polyphenols come from is explained in Why does good olive oil catch in your throat?. A quantity you use up in two to three months tastes the way it should down to the last drop. A litre bottle that stands open for half a year does not.
If you need more, take the set of three bottles and open them one after another. Two of them stay sealed and age more slowly.
We bottle in glass only. It takes on no flavour, gives nothing off and can be reused. Dark glass keeps out the light as well.
Frequently asked questions
Can olive oil go in the fridge?
Better not. Below seven degrees it flocculates. That is reversible, but the constant change of temperature does harm, and the aromas do not open up when cold.
Is cloudy olive oil bad?
No. Cloudiness comes from cold or from unfiltered particles. Neither is a defect. If it clears again at room temperature, it was the cold.
How long does opened olive oil keep?
Two to three months with good storage. After that it loses aroma noticeably, even if it has not gone off.
Can you freeze olive oil?
Technically yes, sensibly no. It offers no advantage over cool, dark storage and the aromas suffer when it thaws.