I have a problem with my EVOO going rancid.

While I don't use it up very fast, preferring to do a lot of my cooking with lard, there are some things that require olive oil and I like to have a good quality product on hand. To that end, I've been using California Olive Ranch Arbequina for awhile. It's probably the best I've had and I've previously used Italian, Greek, and Israeli olive oils (all good, but this is better). COR makes a great product.

Problem is, it seems to go rancid far faster than it should. I keep it out of direct sunlight, and limit time with the cap off. The only possible cause is that I do keep it on the counter about 2 feet away from the stove, so heat might be the cause.

I'm curious what you guys have found to be a good way/place to store it. Today I made another order of Arbequina and added bottles of Arbosana and Miller's Blend and I'd like to be able to keep them as fresh as I can for as long as I can.

I'm thinking of moving the bottle to the pantry where it's a little cooler.

When storing olive oil, keep in mind the oil has four enemies:

Time – The time from when we pick the olives to when we crush them must be as brief as possible. And once you open your oil, you’ll want to consume it sooner versus later. We recommend using up the oil within three to six months.

Light – Exposure must be minimized or eliminated at all times.

Temperature – The optimal storage temperature for olive oil is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Oxygen – Exposure must be minimized or eliminated during storage.

Here are tips for how to safeguard your oil and ensure it’s as fresh as possible.

When shopping, look for a harvest date. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. If there’s no harvest date on the container, it’s quite possible people are trying to bottle oil that might be more than two years old. We put the harvest date on the back label of our bottle. The label also shows a “Best By” date for using the oil.

A bottle of our 2012 Everyday Fresh, for example, will show a harvest date of November 2011. And if that oil was bottled in March 2012, it will show a “Best By” date of March 2014. Olive oil is best when consumed within two years.

Keep your oil away from direct light, preferably in a dark cupboard or storage area. Avoid storing it by a window. Ultraviolet rays can break down an olive oil over time. (That’s why we bottle our oil in dark green bottles or in boxes.)

As we’ve noted, keep your oil away from any heat source. It can get damaged if exposed to heat from a nearby stove or oven, or even warm sunlight. At home, we keep our oil in a cool, dark closet downstairs.

Also, prevent your oil from being exposed to air. Air can degrade oil quality and the process starts once the oil is exposed to air. At our mill, we store our oil prior to bottling in airtight tanks. Once you open a bottle, use oil quickly and store it in smaller bottles or steel containers to minimize its exposure to oxygen.

And then there’s the matter of time. It pains us to hear about people who buy our Limited Reserve or some expensive oil and “save” the bottle for special occasions, doling out a few tablespoons every few months. The oil is going bad!

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

https://californiaoliveranch.c...or-keeping-it-fresh/

^^^^^^^^ Yep. Read that about an hour ago from their site. It seems that I do everything right except possibly the temperature.

Just curious what everyone else is doing and what results they have.

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Originally posted by Gustofer:
^^^^^^^^ Yep. Read that about an hour ago from their site. It seems that I do everything right except possibly the temperature.

Get it off the counter and into a dark cupboard or pantry

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
^^^^^^^^ Yep. Read that about an hour ago from their site. It seems that I do everything right except possibly the temperature.

Get it off the counter and into a dark cupboard or pantry

I'll be trying this. The COR site recommends 65-75F. In the winter, with the woodstove going, my house is 75+/- all the time, and I'm guessing this is the issue. Being ~2ft away from the stove, I can't imagine that the stove heat would cause the problem, so it's likely just the ambient heat. The pantry will be closer to 65F.

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Being ~2ft away from the stove, I can't imagine that the stove heat would cause the problem, so it's likely just the ambient heat

Granny had a 'still room' where such as pickles, sauerkraut, sour dough starter & other canned goods, especially in that uninsulated, unheated spare room era, were stored pending use. Olive oil was an unspeakable treasure rarely available to her. Everybody used lard/bacon grease/butter. Those not dying due to various accidents or infections often survived into their late 80s or 90s.

We use the same oil and only buy it in the smaller bottles to make sure it doesn't get older than a few weeks old after opening. We follow all of the other suggestions listed as well.

Jim