CARING FOR YOUR OLIVE OILS

What you need to know

Now that you have received your olive oil and are ready to spice up your life, take these precautions when finishing up that beautiful meal for family and friends.  Olive oils are fragile and need proper storage to ensure longevity in taste. Follow these three steps to ensure proper storage!

1. Keep it cool: Recommended storage temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a wine cellar. If you don’t have a wine cellar, consistent room temperature will do just fine. Be sure to keep away from an oven microwave, other heat producing sources and light.
   
   

2. Keep it dark: As soon as you open the bottle we recommend keeping your olive oil in stainless steel, tinted glass or ceramic containers. These keep out light and are nonreactive with olive oil. Avoid metals containers – iron or copper because they can react with olive oil and create toxic compounds. Also, avoid most plastics as the olive oil can absorb noxious substances from the plastic.
   
   

3. Keep it fresh: Olive oils do not improve with age. As olive oil ages, it breaks down and the acidity level rises, flavor weakens and the nutrients degrade. Check your olive oil within a year of pressing, check your bottle for “Use By” date and if you notice a crayon or Band-Aid smell, your oil is going rancid so it needs to be disposed of.

If you follow these three steps, you can keep your olive oil up to fourteen months. Some may degrade sooner or store longer than recommended time. If you have any questions, please contact us!