How long before oils spoil?

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Don't buy it in quantities that you can't use before it goes rancid is
my rule of thumb. Though I don't think I've ever had any *go* rancid,
but it is still a great rule.
Pound wise and penny foolish...and all that stuff..y'know?

Goomba38 said:

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Don't buy it in quantities that you can't use before it goes rancid is
my rule of thumb. Though I don't think I've ever had any *go* rancid,
but it is still a great rule.
Pound wise and penny foolish...and all that stuff..y'know?

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

"bhAttHSI" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Goomba38 said:

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Don't buy it in quantities that you can't use before it goes rancid is my
rule of thumb. Though I don't think I've ever had any *go* rancid, but it
is still a great rule.
Pound wise and penny foolish...and all that stuff..y'know?

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

The other day when I was asking about an extra-virgin olive oil spray, I was
told to taste it. If it tastes rancid, throw it out.

The next time I buy a bottle of EVOO spray, which I don't use often, I will
label it the date I bought it/opened it...

I should do that, too, when I overbuy olive oil -- although I use it up
awfully fast.

Dee Dee

bhAttHSI said:

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

For me, all it takes is a sniff. If it smells rancid, I throw it out.

--
Jerry Gaiser in North Plains, Oregon USA - 45.6933N 123.0418W
"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steaks
to cook." -Julia Child

bhAttHSI said:

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

Smell them and you'll know when they've over stayed their welcome. Do
you keep them in the refrigerator? Sesame oil resides very nicely
there.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

These days most oils have a "Best by used ...." date shown on them.

AlexM

bhAttHSI said:

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

Rancidity seems to happen overnight (or at least very quickly in
relation to how long it's been stored). You can usually tell by
smelling it, especially when heated.

Just keep it in the fridge and you'll extend it's life by almost
twofold.

-sw

bhAttHSI said:

Goomba38 said:

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Don't buy it in quantities that you can't use before it goes rancid is
my rule of thumb. Though I don't think I've ever had any *go* rancid,
but it is still a great rule.
Pound wise and penny foolish...and all that stuff..y'know?

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

I have spices from the early 80s that for some reason has a
sentimental value that compels me from throwing them away.

In article <[email hidden]>, bhAttHSI <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Keep the EVOO in the fridge and it will last for years. Ditto for the
sesame oil. I have had the same bottle of canola oil in my cupboard for
years and its fine.

In article <[email hidden]>, bhAttHSI <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Goomba38 said:

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Don't buy it in quantities that you can't use before it goes rancid is
my rule of thumb. Though I don't think I've ever had any *go* rancid,
but it is still a great rule.
Pound wise and penny foolish...and all that stuff..y'know?

Yup... But still I have these bottles/containers for
a long time and I'm not sure I know how to determine
rancidity. So I was thinking that I could just use
time as a determining factor. I vaguely remember
someone saying that a year is a good rule of thumb.

Its obvious when oil goes rancid. Smell it. If the oil smells like oil,
its probably fine. If it smells oil and dirty, its rancid.

Stan Horwitz said:

Keep the EVOO in the fridge and it will last for years.
Ditto for the sesame oil. I have had the same bottle of
canola oil in my cupboard for years and its fine.

No! EVOO will separate. I've noticed that once
that happens, it seems to lose a lot of its flavor.
I don't understand why that should be, but even
after bring it back to room temperature and
getting what appears to be full remixing of the
solid and liquid parts, it never tastes the same.

Temperature has very little effect on the rate
at which oil spoils. The important factors are
exposure to oxygen and light. In a sealed metal
can, most oils will keep indefinitely.

There is no reliable rule of thumb based on time.
Your best guide is your nose. Most people can
detect rancidity by smell quite well.

Goomba38 said:

I saw a magazine advert the other day for McCormack spices. The ad said
if you had the old short McCormack tins of spices, they're at *least* 15
years old (except for ground pepper IIRC?) which stuns me. Not that they
stopped making the tinned spices....but that I *do* have a few and swear
to God I can almost remember buying a few of 'em. Some even have price
stickers on them which *is* odd as I haven't seen old fashioned price
stickers for eons. Does time fly or what..? Makes me feel sooooooo damn
old, LOL.

Somebody smell Gomba. May have gone rancid.

Sqwertz said:

Rancidity seems to happen overnight (or at least very quickly in
relation to how long it's been stored). You can usually tell by
smelling it, especially when heated.

Yes, that because it's a free-radical chain reaction.
Once it gets started, it proceeds exponentially,
not linearly. It's sort of like a slow form of
detonation.

Quoted message said:

Just keep it in the fridge and you'll extend it's life by almost
twofold.

That's because it's dark in there, not because it's cold.

Alexm said:

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

These days most oils have a "Best by used ...." date shown on them.

I checked the EVOO has a date of Sept 30, 2006 (oops!)

No dates on Canola, Peanut, or Sesame (imported).

The Corn oil has a "Best purchased before...".
But the date doesn't help if I keep it for 20 years.

Hmmm....

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:11:59 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Sqwertz said:

Rancidity seems to happen overnight (or at least very quickly in
relation to how long it's been stored). You can usually tell by
smelling it, especially when heated.

Yes, that because it's a free-radical chain reaction.
Once it gets started, it proceeds exponentially,
not linearly. It's sort of like a slow form of
detonation.

Quoted message said:

Just keep it in the fridge and you'll extend it's life by almost
twofold.

That's because it's dark in there, not because it's cold.

i don't think that's true. most people don't store their oil on a
windowsill, yet notice a difference in the refrigerator.

your pal,
blake

bhAttHSI said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

A lot depends on how the oil was processed before it was bottled. There
are green oils that are minimally processed. I used to get them at
health food stores, and I sometimes see olive oil with that green look
to it. If they're fresh, they taste great, but they go rancid in no
time. Now I'm careful to buy from the supermarket where there's a lot
of turnover and where the oils look yellow.

--Lia

In article <[email hidden]>, bhAttHSI <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I use several types of oils for different purposes...
Canola, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil....

Is there a rule of thumb for the age of oil before
tossing it out?

Sure. Tip the bottle to get a bit on your thumb and taste it; you'll
know when it's time has passed.

Isaac

Julia Altshuler said:

A lot depends on how the oil was processed before it was bottled. There
are green oils that are minimally processed. I used to get them at
health food stores, and I sometimes see olive oil with that green look
to it. If they're fresh, they taste great, but they go rancid in no
time. Now I'm careful to buy from the supermarket where there's a lot
of turnover and where the oils look yellow.

Yes, that's true. Chlorophyll and some of its
breakdown products continue to be photoactive, even
when there's nowhere for that energy to go. That
energy can initiate the chain reaction that causes
rancidity.

Saffola, a major brand of safflower oil, used to
come in dark brown glass bottles to block the light
and oxygen that would accelerate onset of rancidity.
I believe they then turned to brown plastic (not a
good choice because oxygen diffuses through plastic)
and then clear plastic (even worse). Safflower oil
goes rancid like crazy, and they didn't help by
making these changes to the packaging.