Does olive oil go bad?

An unopened bottle of olive or vegetable oil keeps 6 to 12 months in the pantry. Once opened, use it within 3 to 5 months. Oil doesn't spoil like fresh food, but it goes rancid: stale, bitter and unpleasant.

Food	Fridge	Pantry
Olive or vegetable oil	—Opened: 4 months	6–12 monthsfrom purchaseOpened: 3–5 months
Canola oil	—	1 yearfrom purchase

Fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder, freezer at −18 °C (0 °F). Freezer times are for best quality: food kept frozen stays safe, but slowly loses taste and texture. These times are USDA guidance, not a guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.

How to tell if oil has gone bad

A rancid smell: like crayons, putty, old nuts or paint.
A stale, bitter or sour taste. Good olive oil tastes fruity, sometimes peppery.
Cloudiness in cold oil isn't spoilage: it clears at room temperature.
Mold or an odd film, which can appear in homemade infused oils.

How to store olive oil

Light, heat and air make oil go rancid. Keep it tightly closed in a cool, dark cupboard, not next to the stove or on a sunny windowsill.
Dark glass or tin protects olive oil better than clear bottles.
Buy a size you'll finish within a few months of opening.
Keep homemade oils with garlic or fresh herbs in the fridge and use them within a few days: at room temperature they can grow the bacteria that cause botulism.

Can you freeze olive oil?

You can, but there's little benefit: oil keeps for months in the pantry. Some cooks freeze olive oil with chopped herbs in ice cube trays to drop into pans. The fridge makes olive oil cloudy and thick; it returns to normal at room temperature.

Questions

Can you use olive oil after the best-by date?

Rancid oil isn't likely to make you ill, but it tastes bad and spoils whatever you cook with it. Smell and taste a little first: if it's fine, use it.

Should olive oil be refrigerated?

No, a cool, dark cupboard is better. The fridge makes it cloudy and solid. The exception is homemade infused oil with garlic or herbs, which must be kept cold.

How many times can you reuse frying oil?

Strain it, keep it covered in a cool, dark place, and reuse it a few times for similar foods. Throw it out when it darkens, smells off, foams or starts smoking at a lower heat.

Add oils and pantry staples to ShelfLife with the date you opened them.

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