Cooking oil is expensive. Particularly when dealing with extra-virgin olive oil, it can cost upwards of $74 to buy 3 liters of the chef- and Food & Wine-loved brand, Corto. Of course, it’s also an essential ingredient that every cook needs in abundance, and is therefore worth the price. But after spending so much of your hard-earned money on the olive and algae oils of the world, the last thing you want is for them to turn rancid before you finish the bottle. Luckily, professionals came to my aid, advising me on the best storage practices to keep this nightmare scenario from playing out.
Experts say to ditch plastic bottles and store oil in tin or dark glass dispensers, like this tested $10 option.
Oil turns rancid when exposed to heat and light, so store your bottles in the pantry whenever possible.
Giada De Laurentiis says plastic bottles can “degrade the purity” and taint the flavor of cooking oil.
What I learned is that oil degrades when exposed to heat, light, and air. To preserve the quality for as long as possible, the founder of the highly regarded brand La Tourangelle, Matthieu Kohlmeyer, stressed the importance of storing oil in “packaging that protects against sunlight, does not react with the oil itself, and is not porous to avoid oxidation.” While his preference is tin for its ability to keep out oxygen and light without adulterating the liquid gold inside, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis’ material-of-choice is tinted glass.
“Olive oil is delicate, so I treat it like I would good wine,” said De Laurentiis. “Dark glass is best, never plastic because it can leach into the oil, degrading the purity and flavor.” Luckily, there’s a $10 solution that checks every box and happens to be loved by Food & Wine editors: Aozita’s oil dispenser.
Aozita 17-Ounce Glass Oil Dispenser
Amazon
With its dark glass exterior and range of attachments — including interchangeable spouts, a screw-on cap, a stainless steel funnel, and more — it’s easy to pour oil from and preserve oil in this bottle. Of course, some light can still seep through, so it’s best to store it in the cool and shady interior of your pantry with the screw-on cap in place to limit air circulation.
While there’s clearly a lot to love about this bottle, what we appreciated most was the versatility of the attachments. Most notably, we found that refilling it was “a breeze thanks to the funnel, which can also be used to add dry spices or herbs for infusing oils.” Thousands of Amazon shoppers agreed, with one loving how easily they could control the flow of the oil from the spout, another adoring how quickly and cleanly they could refill the bottle using the funnel, and a third swearing by the tinted glass for its ability to protect their cooking oil from the sun. With so many positive reviews and the backing of experts, it’s clear that Aozita’s $10 oil dispenser belongs in every kitchen.
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At the time of publishing, the price started at $10.
Dining and Cooking