Access to light, oxygen and heat will all make olive oil go rancid. This is why we use the bag-in-a-box method of packaging. The bag has a triple layer metalised lining that ensures the no light can access the olive oil. The same bags (just much much bigger) are used from the processing plant right through to your kitchen to ensure your olive oil never sees the light of day. The dark bottles you are used to seeing on supermarket shelves for olive oil will keep your oil fresher for longer than a clear bottle, but it wont keep it anywhere near as long as the two year minimum shelf life of olive oil in a metalised bag. The other problem with bottles is that every time you open the bottle you allow air in to mix with the oil. This causes oxidation and the oil will soon become rancid. We have decided to use a non-drip tap which lets olive oil out of the bag but doesn't let air in. This non-drip tap will also make for a much cleaner pantry. Two points to remember with the non-drip tap though. 1. Turn it OFF! Seems obvious but many people forget to turn it all the way off. Make sure you feel the small 'click' when turning it off. 2. It is non-drip because it pushes a plug down through the hole when you turn the tap to the off position. This action will push one last drop through the outlet which needs to be wiped up before putting back in the pantry. For this reason I like to call it a one-drip tap, however the marketers of it prefer us not to call it this! |
Andrew DownManager Seaview Grove Archives
December 2015
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