You have bought your reserve of EVO oil perhaps paying a little more than budgeted to guarantee you a high quality. Maybe it’s a 5-liter can that you open today to finish it in a few months by filling a transparent glass table cruet when needed and then leaving it on the kitchen counter all day summer and winter.

Well, know this is not the right way to guarantee yourself consistent quality from the first to the last drop.

Extra virgin olive oil has many enemies that can undermine its quality but three above all:

• The light. Which interacts with chemical reactions, helping to modify their structure
• The temperature. Each food has its own storage temperature. That of the oil is about 15 degrees.
• Oxygen. It is the most fearsome enemy as it favors the oxidation processes and over time radically modifies the main characteristics of the oil such as color, smell and taste, leading to rancidity.

At this point you understand how a behavior like the one described above at least makes you waste your money but worse still makes you consume a product that is poorer in terms of nutrition and above all with a bad taste.

What to do then? Once opened, the tin should be immediately poured completely into dark glass bottles (for example the classic 75cl bottles which are consumed more quickly) which should be stored in a dark and cool place such as a cellar.
Yes, it is not easy to comply with all these recommendations. Not all of us live in houses with cellars dug into the rock with ideal temperatures, but we can concentrate on the most important thing that is not leaving the oil in contact with the air.

As with all things, it is a matter of habit. We are taught as children not to leave the milk carton out of the fridge and it is now a foregone conclusion for us. It is not the same with oil.
In this case, a little effort must be made in order not to neglect the basic conservation rules and transform them into discounted habits.

So, if you buy a bottle it does not have to be transparent, if you buy a tin immediately pour all the contents into dark bottles and keep them “away from light and away from heat sources” as stated on the labels.
By consistently following these few rules you will guarantee yourself an oil as healthy and good as the first day.

For those wishing to reach perfection, and if they can afford it, there are cellars that guarantee the ideal temperature of 15 degrees. They are the same used for wines. There are some that can hold up to 260 bottles, but they aren’t for all budgets.

Good oil.