Olive oil: how long to keep an already opened bottle?

Along with butter, olive oil is undoubtedly one of the most used fats in cooking. To sear food, to season a salad or even to make delicious cakes: it’s difficult to do without this condiment in the kitchen. The advantage? Like honey or mustard, olive oil keeps for a long, long time. But does it have an expiration date? Here is the answer.

As Jean-Jacques Demangeat, specialist in Greek olive oil, explains on France Bleu.fr, olive oil does not expire. If an expiry date is indicated on the bottle, it is simply because the legislation requires it on all food products. However, it deteriorates over time. Indeed, the only problem with keeping an opened bottle of olive oil is that it can become rancid and thus have a less “pleasant” flavor. However, if the taste and smell are less pleasant, “expired” olive oil does not represent any health risk.

So to know if your olive oil is still good, the expiration date is not a good indicator. It’s your feeling that is best.

The storage of olive oil will undeniably affect its quality. So for a bottle that has already been opened, it is important to keep it in a cool, dark, dry place and away from light or any heat source. Also remember to close your oil bottles tightly after each use to avoid exposure to air. Indeed, oxidation could alter the quality of the oil.