Olive oil is a great way to add healthy fats and flavor to your dishes. It’s versatile, which means you can use it for sautéing, roasting and baking. However, olive oil is sensitive to heat, light and oxygen exposure – if stored improperly (or even just not properly), the quality of the extra virgin olive oil could degrade rapidly with potentially unpleasant results on your palate.
Olive oil needs to be stored in a dark bottle because it is light sensitive.
Olive oil is a natural product. It’s made from the fruit of an olive tree, and it contains all of the nutrients that are found in olives. That means that it has a higher concentration of vitamin E than any other vegetable oil, as well as high levels of monounsaturated fat, which helps lower cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart disease.
But like all fats, olive oil can go bad if not stored properly. Olive oil is sensitive to light and heat—it can become rancid when exposed to these factors too long or too often. In order to keep your olive oil fresh longer and preserve its flavor profile (and health benefits), you should store it away from direct sunlight in a dark bottle or container at room temperature (not refrigerated).
Light can cause the oil to become rancid.
Rancid oil is not good for you. It can cause health problems, including cancer.
There are three stages of rancidity:
- The first stage is called autoxidation and is caused by oxygen reacting with unsaturated fatty acids in the olive oil to produce free radicals that have a dimethyl-diallyl-methane structure (DAM). These DAMs are responsible for causing damage when they attach themselves onto DNA strands and then cause mutations in cells all over your body, which leads to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses.
- The second stage of rancidity occurs when peroxides form from oxidative stress caused by these DAMs after eating foods high in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as nuts or fish; these peroxides cause cell membranes throughout your body to break down because they interfere with normal cell function due their ability accelerate oxidation reactions at a faster rate than usual; this leads directly back again into those same health problems mentioned above such as diabetes mellitus Type II (type 2 diabetes), coronary artery diseases like atherosclerosis leading up towards heart attacks and strokes as well as some cancers like leukemia due its ability affect DNA structures through oxidation processes involving hydrogen peroxide activation within blood cells while also being able
Olive oil should also be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat and moisture.
You should also keep olive oil in a cool, dark place away from heat and moisture. This is because if the oil gets too warm, it becomes rancid, just like butter or margarine; this results in a bitter flavor that can ruin the taste of your final dish. Another reason to store your olive oil in an airtight container is to prevent oxidation—the process by which air interacts with organic materials like food or wine. When exposed to oxygen over time, many foods become stale and lose their natural flavors.
Olive oils tend to be quite sensitive to light exposure and can become affected by its rays within just one hour of exposure! For example: If you leave a bottle of extra virgin olive oil on your kitchen countertop for several days at room temperature (say 80°F), its flavor will deteriorate significantly due to the lack of proper storage conditions like darkness or coolness.
Better for you to buy olive oil in a dark bottle and store it in a cool place away from light.
The reason that olive oil is stored in dark bottles is to prevent light from reaching the olive oil, as this can cause it to become rancid.
Dark bottles are more expensive than clear glass ones, so you should choose a dark bottle if you want to protect your body.
So, there you have it: the best way to store your olive oil. The next time you buy some, be sure to keep this information in mind. You’ll be glad you did!
