I have a specific question in mind, but I am also wondering if we should start a thread for this...?
Olive oil, my mom (unbeknownst to me) bought a bunch and wants to stash some away...the expirations dates are not very long...is that because of the plastic bottles they are sold in? If we transfer to glass containers will it keep longer?
What happens to olive oil is as it ages the so called quality drops off. Most here have never has fresh olive oil unless they live in California where there are some small producers that price it like Gold.I haven't had any since I was a kid we had our own olive trees and had oil pressed from them we never bought oil in Sicily and when a jug was near bottom and all the sediment was there my Grandmother made bars of laundry soap out of it.
Putting it in Glass would not be a bad idea because it doesn't transfer flavors to the oil. As long as it's kept in a cool dark place it will last for quite a while and if you can vacuum seal it it will last even longer. Tell mom not to waste her money on extravirgin for storage. If you can find it buy what is called pomace oil. It's a low grade olive oil that has a much higher smoking point than extra virgin but still has a pretty good olive flavor.
Some companies sell what they call light olive oil at the same price a virgin or extra virgin which is a total rip off because it's pomace oil.I buy pomace for frying and it's great for most everyday uses and it costs me between 12/13 dollars a full 128 oz gallon.
Stored properly it should last 2/3 years.
