Muffy 1938 – Thank you! I learn a lot from your great posts also 🙂
Littlesister – Your underbed boxes will be a lot sturdier than mine. I’m being very low-tech and just cutting down some cardboard boxes to fit under there and then reinforcing the bottom seams with strapping tape – super cheapo but should work for awhile, lol.
Mama cando – Here’s what Janet at Sagittario Impruneta wrote to me on that topic: “Oil, whether in a tin or dark bottle will last longer if kept in a cool dark place as you said,” (Note: Here she’s referring to my telling her that I was considering storing olive oil in a dark, dry basement storeroom at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit) “but it will continue to mellow and age in any case and gradually loose its distinctive characteristics and nutritional value. Therefore, a year and a half from harvest is usually considered the limit” (I assume she means if you haven’t frozen it) “and it is ideal if you can manage to buy what you use in a year and be ready for the fresh press by the time it is available. As for open bottles or tins, keep in mind that the part that oxidizes and speeds up aging of the oil, is the surface oil. So, it is not so much a matter of an open bottle as it is of there being little oil in a large container. It is best to decant your tin into smaller dark bottles that can be kept full except for the small one you are using . . . Refrigeration is not good as it is too cold and will also speed up aging. If you want, when you receive the fresh press, you can put some into very small (100ml for example) bottles and freeze it. Then when you open it the oil will be very close to the fresh oil, but you will need to use it up quickly at that point.” So, Janet did not specify how quickly you needed to use up thawed olive oil. However, this morning I saw an online article at a website called canyoufreezethis dot com which said: “Freezing oil will maintain its health benefits, but once thawed it should be used quickly, as its shelf life is reduced to days. For this reason, you should consider how you plan to use the oil before making the decision to freeze it . . . If you want to freeze olive oil, consider freezing it in small single-use quantities. You can freeze it in ice cube trays either alone or with herbs to use as a base for soups, stews, or other cooked dishes. Once fully frozen, these cubes should be transferred to air-tight containers. Freezing olive oil in a marinade or cooked dish are other ways to freeze your oil . . . To thaw your oil, simply allow it to return to room temperature. If you are using frozen cubes, you can put them right in your pan to start your dish. Some people like to thaw their oil to refrigerated temperatures and use it as a spread. The flavor and texture of the oil will not be changed by freezing and thawing, and it should return to its normal state once it has reached room temperature. The molecular structure will be weaker, and the oil will go rancid quickly, so it is best to use the oil immediately upon thawing.” Wow! Apparently it really goes bad fast after having been frozen and thawed! So, if I freeze any I’ll either freeze it in cubes and then keep the frozen cubes in a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer until needed, or freeze it in very small bottles, like the 100 ml size Janet recommended. I haven’t seen any articles yet that say exactly how long the shelf life of olive oil is if you freeze it but I did see an anecdotal post from 2011 by a gentleman named Greg on preparednessadvice dot com who reported that he froze some extra virgin olive oil for 4 years with very good results. As far as refrigerating an opened bottle of olive oil to extend its shelf life a bit, it seems to make a difference whether the oil is a premium extra virgin olive oil or just a “regular” type of olive oil. From what I’ve read, refrigeration can cause some condensation and moisture formation inside open bottles of oil, which adversely affects the taste of premium extra virgin olive oils but doesn’t seem to bother “regular” olive oils as much. So, if you have a pricey extra virgin olive oil it appears the best ways to store it are either 1) to keep it in a dark, dry storage area at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (for 1-2 years) or, 2) to freeze it in small quantities (for up to about 4 years) and use the thawed oil up within few days. If you have a more “regular” grade of olive oil, you can store it in either of those same two ways or can refrigerate it.