Tag Archive for: Spoiled Olive Oil

Olive Oil Pour Spouts - person pouring olive oil in pan

Can you leave the pour spout on olive oil?

Our spouts make using olive oil a lot easier. For example, they control the flow of oil, letting you deliver the perfect drizzle every time. They also prevent accidental spills and that horrid dribble of olive oil that always seems to run down the side of the bottle. Finally, pour spouts keep insects away from the bottle’s mouth. Perhaps because it is such an innocuous, handy tool, leaving pour spouts on olive oil is something we tend to do almost without thinking about it.

Olive Oil Pour Spouts - Olive oil pouring in small glass bowl

Can you leave the pour spout on olive oil?

It is possible to leave an olive oil pour spout on a bottle of olive oil. However, in the wrong conditions, leaving an olive oil spout on olive oil can lead to spoilage, an unpleasant taste, and loss of premium color.

Things that affect the flavor of olive oil

Aside from its many well-studied and famed health benefits, the rich taste of olive oil is its main attraction, but that tastiness can lessen mainly due to improper storage that exposes the oil to its three major enemies: air, heat, and light. Of these three elements that affect the taste of olive oil, air is the one that impacts pour spouts.

Olive oil and oxidation

Oxidation can–and does–affect olive oil, but it is easy to overstate the matter. For one thing, olive oil is an anti-oxidation of some repute, so it would be odd if olive oil suffered quickly from exposure to oxygen.

The presence of oxygen and natural moisture in bottles of olive oil combine to form a wonderful environment for bacteria, and these unseen bugs cause spoilage. Keeping bottles of oil well-sealed means keeping both oxygen and spoilage germs out and, therefore, the taste and allure of the oil in.

The right kind of pour spoutOlive Oil Pour Spouts - Olive oil pouring on green beans

Not all pour spouts are created equal. Less pricey, rough-and-ready ones have neither a flap, a cover, nor a cap. Pour spouts of this type cannot protect your bottle of olive oil from the air, exposing the oil to the ever-present danger of bacterial spoilage.

The other hazards from which open-mouthed pour spouts cannot protect your olive oil lies are fruit flies and other critters. The bulbous part of these pour spouts contains food in the form of olive oil. The bulb is also dim, moist, and warm enough to offer the perfect medium for laying eggs or leaving excreta, both of which stomach-churning options are unpleasant and harm the oil’s taste and safety of consumption.

In brief: Can you leave the pour spout on olive oil?

If you store your bottle of olive oil properly and use an airtight olive oil pour spout (highly recommended), then you can leave the spout on without problems. If not, you must remove your olive oil spout after every use.