Storing olive oil in plastic bottles?

Olive Oil Bottles

How you store your olive oil is important, and when buying a bottle at the store, you might not think beyond selecting your favorite brand, but it’s a sensitive ingredient that can degrade if mishandled.

Considering that olive oil is one of the tastiest pantry staples and that it’s getting more expensive every year, the last thing you want to do is store it incorrectly. That’s why Tasting Table reached out to Katerina Mountanos, certified olive oil sommelier and founder of the Mediterranean-rooted olive oil and lifestyle brand Kosterina, for tips on storing your precious oil.

One of the biggest warnings we received from Mountanos was about storing olive oil in plastic bottles. Mountanos says that not storing olive oil in plastic containers “was literally the first thing we learned when I studied to become an olive oil sommelier.”

She actually cites a study from the UC Davis Olive Center that showed that olive oil is corrosive to plastic. This means that when it sits on the shelf for an extended period of time, olive oil can break down the plastic containers, resulting in microplastics in the oil.

Mountanos acknowledged that chefs sometimes use plastic bottles, but the fact is, “chefs consume EVOO much faster than home cooks and therefore only store olive oil in those containers for a limited time,” compared to store-bought oil that can sit. shelves for months.

Drums for Storing Olive Oil

So, storing your olive oil in plastic or buying brands sold in plastic containers is a big no-no, but how should you store your olive oil?

Mountanos explained to us, “The best and safest materials for storing olive oil are glass and aluminum or ‘tin’ cans.” You can also store olive oil in ceramic or stainless steel containers, but you should avoid reactive metals, such as copper, which can interact with the oil and compromise the flavor.

Beyond avoiding plastic bottles, the three things to keep in mind when storing olive oil are light, heat, and oxygen. The oil should be stored in a dark place, such as a cabinet that is normally closed, and away from heat sources like stoves, as both of these can degrade the olive oil, even in a suitable container. Avoiding light also means that opaque glass bottles are better than clear ones.

Oxygen is the most difficult to manage, since once a bottle of olive oil is opened, air is inevitable to enter. The best way to prevent air degradation during storage is to use it quickly after opening, with the ideal time being less than two months.