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Bottle of olive oil surrounded by olives - Olive Oil Pour Spouts Preventing Rancid Olive Oil

What is the best way to keep olive oil from being oxidized or rancid?

When running a food service, you’re always working against the clock. You have to get orders out in a timely fashion or else you risk loosing customers. At the same time, you have to move food products quickly enough so that they don’t spoil. For every item in your inventory, the rate of spoilage and the associated risks are different, and you have to learn tips and tricks for all of it.

When it comes to olive oil — an essential in many kitchens — the biggest risk is that it will oxidize and turn rancid. How do you prevent that?

There are two things you need to know: proper storage and proper usage. You’ll find explanations of both below.

Safe Storage & Olive Oil Pour Spouts

The easiest way to protect your olive oil and keep it pristine for long periods of time is to implement practices of safe storage.

First and foremost, keep it sealed tightly. The easiest way for olive oil to turn rancid is through exposure to oxygen. Oxygen in the air reacts chemically with olive oil and will spoil the oil over time. If your oil bottle is sealed with a screw cap, that cuts off the flow of air to the bottle, and the oil will keep much longer.

On a similar note, it’s important to store your olive oil in an appropriate bottle. You want to use nonreactive materials. Glass is the mostPouring olive oil in small glass bowl - Olive Oil Pour Spouts Preventing Rancid Olive Oil common choice because it doesn’t react with olive oil at all. Ceramic and porcelain containers are also safe. Stainless steel can work too, but be sure that it is in fact stainless.

Most metal containers are no good, as the metals react with the oil and spoil it faster. Plastic bottles are suboptimal too, as the oil can dissolve and absorb PVCs in the plastics.

Lastly, store your oil in a dark, cool place. Cellar temperatures are ideal; there’s no need to freeze olive oil. Higher temperatures speed up chemical reactions and shorten the oil’s shelf life. Similarly, light can add energy to the bottle and accelerate the oxidation and degradation of the oil.

Safe Usage

Of course, you buy the oil to use it. It can’t just sit on a shelf forever. How do you safely use olive oil to prevent spoilage?

You follow as many of the above principles as possible. When it’s not in use, keep it in proper storage. Even when it is in use, stick with glass or other nonreactive bottles.

Most importantly, you want to minimize how much oxygen can get into the bottle. For that, the easiest solution is to use sealing olive oil pour spouts. In most cases, sealing pour spouts are also measured pour spouts. How do measured pour spouts work?

They have valves built into them that prevent air from making its way into the bottle. So, you can pour out oil as needed, and even though you have an open spout, air is not readily flowing back into the bottle, and you reduce the risk of oxidation.

If you want pour spouts that help you serve olive oil and keep it from turning rancid, look no further than Anytime Olive Oil & Wood Products. Contact us today to see all of your options and find the perfect tools that protect your olive oil.

Olive Oil Pour Spouts - several clear bottles filled with olive oil

How do you know if olive oil has gone bad?

Can olive oil go bad?

Most oils don’t go bad. They have stable fats which do not easily suffer from exposure to oxygen or moisture. However, the fatty bits that make up olive oil are sensitive to oxygen and dampness, so the short answer is, “Yes. Olive oil can–and does–go bad.”

How do you know if olive oil has gone bad?

The most sure way to tell if olive oil has gone bad is to eat some and see if you end up spending an unpleasant amount of time in the bathroom. We’re kidding! Kind of…

The taste test

Olive Oil Pour Spouts - olive oil in clear bottlesIt is important to note that rancid olive oil tastes bitter–exactly the same as good, fresh, unspoiled, extra-virgin oil. This means that taste alone is not suitable for proving that olive oil has gone bad.

Instead of noticing if your olive oil tastes bitter, seek to notice a change in the oil’s taste. If the oil tastes the same as when you first bought it, then you are probably alright. However, if the oil tastes different, then it has gone off.

Note: unlike other types of cooking oil, it is super important to pay attention to the “use by” date on olive oil bottles. If your olive oil tastes more bitter than it did and is past its “use by” date, then we’d advise you to throw it away.

The smell test

There is a certain smell that rancid olive oil gives off. Most people often compare it to paint because there’s something “chemical” about it. Fair enough to say that if your olive oil smells like paint, don’t use it.

The “use by” date test

Pay attention to this. Maybe stretch it out for a few weeks, but be very aware of any sudden changes to your olive oil’s taste, smell, or looks once it is outside the manufacturer’s usable period.

A simple and effective way to protect olive oil from going bad early

Apart from its other advantages (such as helping to regulate the amount of olive oil you pour and preventing accidental spills), using a good pour spout seals your olive oil bottle, blocking bacteria, air, and moisture. Find an excellent, reasonably-priced olive oil pour spout here.