How to store extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil does not improve with age. From the day it leaves the mill it slowly begins to lose aromas and polyphenols, and the way you store it decides how fast that happens. There are three enemies: light, air and heat.

Away from light

Light, even from a lamp, speeds up oxidation and dulls aroma and colour. That is why good oil is sold in dark glass, in tins or in opaque containers, and should not be left on a windowsill or on a sunny shelf.

If you decant it into a cruet, choose an opaque one, in ceramic or steel. Clear bottles look nice on the table, but only for oil you will use within a few days.

As little air as possible

Oxygen works quietly. Every time you open the bottle a little gets in, and the emptier the bottle, the more air there is above the oil. Always keep the cap on and choose a size you will finish in a few weeks.

When you refill the cruet, do not pour the new oil onto what is left of the old: wash it and dry it well first. Oxidised residue quickly spoils even fresh oil.

Away from heat

The right place is cool and dark: a pantry or a cupboard away from the oven and the hob, at around 15°C. Heat speeds up oxidation, and keeping the oil next to the hob, handy as it is while you cook, is the quickest way to spoil it.

There is no need for the fridge. Below about 10°C the oil can turn cloudy and form pale flakes: this is not a defect and does not spoil it, and at room temperature it turns clear again.

How long it lasts

The label gives a best-before date. Many producers set it at about 18 months from bottling: after that the oil is still edible, but it loses aroma and polyphenols. Once opened, a bottle is at its best in the following weeks, and it is worth finishing it within a couple of months.

How to tell if an oil has gone off

Smell it. A fresh oil smells of olives, grass and almond. A rancid oil recalls stale nuts, wax crayons or putty, and in the mouth it is flat and greasy. By then it has lost what you chose it for.

How we store it

After milling, our oil is filtered and rests in stainless steel tanks, under nitrogen and at a controlled temperature: no light, no oxygen, no sudden changes. Even the best of oils loses its qualities if it is badly stored, and that is why storage matters so much to us.

The Bag in Box: the same principle at home

The 3-litre Bag in Box brings the same idea to your pantry. Inside the box is a bag that collapses as the oil flows out of the tap: air does not get in, even when the box is nearly empty, and the cardboard keeps out the light. Keep the box in the pantry and refill the cruet when you need to, always with protected oil.

If you need the cruet too, there is the Bag in Box with the ceramic cruet, handmade by Apulian artisans. If you use less oil, there is the 500 ml bottle.