I use a clear glass white wine bottle, with a pourer spout, and keep it about two feet from the stove. It's never, ever, ever gone rancid or cloudy. But you could use a dark glass red wine bottle if you were worried. Why buy another bottle, when you can re-use one? :) I fill it up from the big can that lives in the cold basement.

Mind you, with an Italian American DH, the oil doesn't get a chance to sit around for long - we use it up really quickly.

I've also never had olive oil turn.

Not cool, but also works well are plastic squeeze bottles. I keep oils in them. Much less maintenance than cleaning up all the broken glass or drying out the tiny necked bottles in the oven - I can be a real klutz.

Thanks, everyone! Datura-07, I think it could be OK, but it'd still be exposed to more light than if in a solid bottle...and I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave it out or tuck it away. I thought it'd be nice to have the option of either, or not have to worry about making sure the kids remembered to get it immediately back into the cabinet. I'd always read so much about the need to keep it cool and dark, but maybe not necessary to this extent. The porcelain bottles are a nice option, though.

You crack me up, Bmore. --And I don't think I would've thought to dry bottles in the oven.

Me too bmore!

I honestly found that we would rather walk across the kitchen to get the big bottle out of an upper cabinet than continually refill the smaller bottle.

I keep mine in the large bottle as well. But in looking for a drizzle bottle for my dish soap at BBB, I found a pale green inexpensive one there. It wasn't these, but here are some in various colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: drizzle bottles at BBB

I'm with RHome on this one...I'm tired of walking to/from our pantry (in my case) for the oils (they don't fit in my 6" pullouts since the shelves aren't adjustable.) I'm considering making room in either the upper baking cabinet or prep cabinet.

I didn't realize olive oil spoils when exposed to light...so why do the package them in clear bottles? What about canola oil?

There are a couple of things I want to accomplish:

1) having olive oil that i can use that's not solid, while keeping the bulk of it in the fridge (which maybe, from the sounds of things, is overkill)

2) the ability to pour the amount I need, rather than the 'dump' I tend to get when pouring from the wider mouth of the regular bottles. I think you can get pour spouts that will likely fit, but my canola oil, in particular, is in a gallon bottle, and a little ungainly.

I've never heard about a short shelf life for canola (need for dark and cold), Buehl, just olive, because it's more delicate or something? I think most expensive olive oils are packaged in dark bottles. Flax seed oil is also sold in dark, opaque bottles.

The lighter the olive oil, the quicker the degradation. Extra-virgin takes longest. I just had a discussion with my DH (the Italian) who agreed, he'd once tasted olive oil that had spoiled, but thought it was more likely because exposed to heat than strong sunlight. He then chuckled at the idea we'd be able to keep olive oil LONG enough to have it spoil . . . . .

Now he's suggesting using a wine bottle to keep the canola in "because they look much nicer in the new kitchen".

rhome, I have this bottle that I use for olive oil:
{{!gwi}}

It's by Oneida but I got it at TJ Maxx super cheap AND it came with the 4 dipping bowls. The only problem I've found with these type of bottles is you may want to make sure you don't get one with a cork type stopper. After a while the cork gets so oily that when you tip the bottle to drizzle your oil the cork slides right out of the bottle. So now I need a replacement spout because I really like that bottle! Mine sits out on or near my stovetop all the time.

Oh, good point, Rmlanza. I was thinking using Sara's idea (wine bottle), and the cork tops I found on Amazon. Maybe I'll rethink, although at least I know I can probably get new tops when necessary. How long did yours last before it starting falling out at inopportune times?

And how's your giant puppy? ;-)

I thought heat was more destructive than light? Not overkill to keep the jumbo bottle in the fridge. My mom gives me heck every time I visit and tell her I don't keep it in the fridge. Depends on how much you use vs. how much you buy, I guess. I am just lazy. :)

I have several of these, because I like the way they look. I agree with another poster...I just keep the EVOO stored in a closed cabinet, readily accesssible.

I've purchased oil bottles from Tuesday Morning or even the ARC thrift store.

I use this kind of stopper, rather than the cork kind.

Here is a link that might be useful: Olive oil bottle stoppers

thanks sara, for posting those...that's exactly what I need. Hopefully they will fit my oil bottle.

rhome, it was probably close to a year before the cork got saturated enough to slip out so easily.

The giant pup is having a BLAST with all the snow we got Sunday. Kids are out of school again today and the snowballs are flying out there! How's your future giant pup doing?

Such good ideas and suggestions of where to look...Thanks! Such a simple whim can turn into typical TKO research of several options! :-)

Any opinions on straight spouts vs the curved or bent ones?

Rmlanza,
I missed the puppy question, and couldn't resist answering...So sorry to everyone else for going off topic.

Rosie's doing wonderfully, thank you. The vet's estimate that she would be between 80 and 100 pounds (or more) was wrong. She seems to be topping out just under 70, which is what the breeder guessed, based on her parents. She had her 'big girl surgery' last month...We were supposed to keep her from running or climbing stairs for 10 days! Yeah, right! I've heard that they are supposed to calm down and become lazy after getting spayed, but she is livelier than ever. She also thinks she's small enough to be on laps or be carried...I keep reminding her that she's not a Cavalier. ;-)

Her typical napping position in her usual spot in the kitchen while we're busy at the stove. If I'm working on bread at the island, so stand still longer, she comes over and lays against my feet:

{{!gwi}}

Both dogs hanging out with us:

{{!gwi}}

Our photo (everyone else had their own) for our family Christmas letter:

{{!gwi}}

If you're not sure you're going to use up a bottle of olive oil in 3-4 months, it's not overkill to keep it in the fridge. Keep in mind that olive oil can lose its flavor and quality before it actually spoils. While it's technically better to have an opaque drizzling bottle, It's not a big deal to have a clear one if the olive oil is only out for a few weeks. The longer it sits in direct sunlight and at room temp, the more quickly it will degrade. Of course direct hear will degrade it even more quickly, so it's best that it not be particularly close to your burners or toaster oven. Make sure to wash out a drizzling bottle before refilling it. Never leave garlic sitting in room temp oil for any significant period of time (more than about 12 hours) - if you see a drizzling bottle with garlic in it at an Italian restaurant, don't consume it (while the most likely risk is mold and/or spoilage, there is a very outside risk of botulism. I have found that canola will go rancid somewhere between 8 months to a year (here in the Midwest). I always carefully smell and/or taste any oil before I use it. Happy Cooking!

Thanks for the specifics, ChefKev...Very helpful!

If direct heat degrades it more quickly, do I believe the side of the argument that says you shouldn't cook with it, or the side that says the claim that it loses its good qualities as soon as it's heated is a myth? So far I've only really used it for dipping or dressings, because I heard one shouldn't heat it, but saw a whole foods/healthy cooking show on TV recently where she used light olive oil for frying. I then searched on the internet and found the 2 opposite opinions.

I always understood it was OK for 'gentle' frying, over moderate heat, but not for high-heat frying. We use it for softening onion until translucent (i.e. over very low heat) but, for example, wouldn't ever stir-fry with it. If it overheats, it definitely spoils the flavour (to me, anyway).

Thank you, that helps. So it's OK to saute the onions in it and then heat the oily onions further in sauces, etc?

The woman I watched was deep frying onion rings in Extra Light Olive Oil...I'm assuming it's not something you would do? Would the extra light not turn flavors as much since it's not as strongly flavored to begin with?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a low flash point. So, it cannot get hot enough to fry food in before it starts burning. Burnt oil never has a good taste. Regular olive oil (not extra virgin) is lighter in color and has a higher flash point, which means it can get hotter before it burns/smokes.

Certain olive oils are not good for sauteeing or cooking and are much better for salad dressings, as a condiment, etc.

rhome410, it would depend how long you are storing the 'oily onions'. Usually when I cook sauces that require onions, I sweat or saute the onions and then go ahead with the rest of the sauce.

I didn't mean that I would store the oily onions, but was referring to the further heating that would happen in a sauce.

I understand that the lighter oil has a higher smoke point, but am still unclear about whether it's healthy properties will be destroyed or the flavor changed by the higher heat?

Maybe the taste is by trial and error and personal preference, and maybe the healthiness question is something we can't know without being chemists... We just love to stir fry and it always seems to take more oil than I think it will, and I want it to be a healthy dish, so figured using healthiest oil I can would help, and wondered if I should be trying olive oil instead of peanut or canola.

My olive oil dispenser sits on the countertop an arm's length from the stove but not in direct light. The thing I like about it is that all I have to do is press a rubberized chamber to fill the spout 1 Tbsp. My husband wants another one for some cherry juice concentrate that he takes (1 Tbsp per day) for his health. Thanks for the reminder. I'm posting a link to press and measure oil dispenser that I love.

Here is a link that might be useful: press and measure oil dispenser

I don't buy olive oil in bulk (I like the oil from Trader Joe's) so I don't have special bottles. But I just ordered these measured pours from Lee Valley. We bought the 2 tbs dispenser for the canola oil. My boys are always making popcorn in our Whirly Pop, which calls for 2 tbs of oil. So I'm always finding an oily measuring spoon on the counter. I'm hoping that this measured pour will solve that problem.

I ordered the 1 tbs measure for olive oil. Should be here next week. Hope they work well!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley measured pours

rhome410, that's exactly what I would do: soften onions in olive oil, then proceed with the rest of the sauce - once other stuff, like tomatoes or whatever, are added, it pretty much gets absorbed, so doesn't 'fry' in the heat. (If that makes sense).
I've found with my new, hotter burners, I definitely only use a very little oil for stir frying, whereas before I would have to use more before, or things stuck. I still wouldn't use even light olive oil for stir frying though. I figure a tablespoon of canola is all I'm using for a stir-fry anyway, so I don't fret anymore about whether it's the healthiest option.

My own view is that olive oil has a definite flavour, which can be a boon in some dishes, but a distraction in others, such as a stir-fry.

(Don't you love threads like this? Kitchens at work!)

This is a fun and educational thread, Sara! These little tools (and ingredients), afterall, can be very important additions to our kitchens. For me they're part of the experience of having a new kitchen, because I'm wanting to investigate and cook things I haven't tried before.

I am still new (1 yr) at gas cooking, and still improving at stirfry, although not at all sure I'm doing it 'right.' I must be doing something wrong, or just overdoing the amount of oil...When you say you use 1 Tbsp, do you mean for one wok-full? I have to load the wok about 4 or 5 times to feed our family, so would you use a tablespoon of oil for each, or just for the 1st?

Lots of great options out there I didn't even know about. I don't think I could put the finite measured pour spout on my canola oil...It'd drive me nuts to remove it, or try to get a 1/2 cup by 2 tbsp at a time. ;-D That's why neesie's example would be better for me there, but I can think of other uses for Lee Valley's predetermined ones...Thanks for sharing!

I'm jumping in late here--but as an olive oil lover, although not a particularly discriminating one, I thought I'd chime in :) I am revelling in finally having enough counter space where I can simply keep my bottles right on the counter near the stove. Like sara and her dh I can't imagine any of it hanging around long enough to go bad. I use olive oil for almost everything and have three or four varieties next to the stove at any given time. Some are never heated and just used for drizzling and dipping...but I use TJ's EVO with abandon for all kinds of cooking. I LOVE popcorn popped in olive oil...it's our afternoon snack most days. I don't think you need to worry about spoiled oil unless it hangs around awhile...I certainly don't worry about it. I love the pretty bottles (especially those sur la table choices) but am too lazy to deal with filling them! (I've noticed the better olive oils are in darker bottles and often have a spout that is better for drizzling...the ones I cook with are the gluggers) Now the press and measure--THAT's COOL :)

And since dogs have entered the thread as well--mine loves his olive oil drizzled on his kibble! He also loves bread but he has to steal that--we don't feed it to him.

"I use olive oil for almost everything and have three or four varieties next to the stove at any given time. Some are never heated and just used for drizzling and dipping..."

I think I need olive oil lessons! Can you tell me about the varieties you have and what you like them for?

I'm not qualified to teach olive oil lessons (only homeschool ;) ) BUT--I treat it like I treat wine...I know little other than what I like to taste. So when I see something I haven't tried yet and it isn't outrageously priced...I can't resist. And some friends do bring me bottles of olive oil when they visit instead of wine!
I typically cook with TJ's EVO--they actually have a few bottled under their name, but I buy the least expensive ones for cooking --I feel less guilty about sloshing it around. One of my favorites right now is a bottle my neighbor gave me called Lungarotti EVO...it's got a label on it that says it won a gold medal at a 2007 olive oil competition..whatever. It just tastes really really good--almost floral. It is fabulous with homemade bread but I also have used it on a seafood salad and the kids love it drizzled on spinach (I'm not kidding!) This particular one is in a dark bottle and all the bottles I have say "protect from heat and light" so it stays on the soapstone far to the left of the stove and stays pretty cool--especially at this time of year. It actually has a little booklet attached to the neck that says these Lungarotti people founded the Olive and Oil Museum! That's a little more serious than I can get with :) Let's see here..I also currently have a bottle of Goya, which is Spanish rather than the Italian I typically have. It is often on sale in the smaller bottles at Safeway. They all taste rather different from each other, and like wine, can vary with the harvest and date even within the same brand. There have to be people on here who know more about this than me...but that's a start! I've always loved this stuff, probably due to my own Italian and Portuguese heritage and cooking style--but really started getting into it after researching the meditt.diet with my mom after her cancer treatment a few years ago. As you pointed out, many health benefits. Happy tasting :)
B

Agree with both sara_the_brit_z6_ct and danielle00 about sauteeing with olive oil. Very few chefs in restaurants saute with extra virgin as it would kill their food costs. None of the fine dining places I worked in did it. I usually don't either, but I do have to say that I will occasionally make panko and Parmesan crusted chicken breasts gently sauteed in extra virgin olive oil - killer!
The onions gently sauteed in extra virgin olive oil and then added to a sauce should still retain some of the extra virgin flavor, but many people would not know or be able to pick it out - a good, less expensive bet might be to saute the onions in butter (unless you're worried about cholesterol) and then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil in the sauce or on the dish right before serving.
I would note that Lidia Bastianich, whom I'm a fan of, advocates brushing extra virgin olive oil on to Bruschetta and crostini after they have been toasted so the the extra virgin flavor is preserved.

Thanks so much to both of you. I really didn't know olive oil was such a deep and complex topic, but I'm excited to try things. My dd (an adventurous cook and baker) is a nanny for a family with Greek ancestry, and the dad does a lot of cooking, so she's getting more and more excited about trying things like olive oils, etc. and, I'm afraid, is spending more time on interesting food blogs she's discovered than on her schoolwork! (and with finals coming up!) Anyway, maybe we can each pool our independent studies and end up learning great new dishes and ways of doing things. (After leaving work the other night, she called from the Metropolitan Market, telling me of all the new and interesting ingredients she was finding...with my credit card in her hand...)

Again, thank you, thank you.

chefkev reminded me of another use for the extra virgin olive oil-- you can use it to finish a dish (drizzle a bit over your finished product after everything is cooked). there are a few pasta dishes I finish that way. my husband also sometimes puts a bit over grilled steak. This is the way they often serve the fiorentina in his hometown (milan)-- over argula w/ some sea salt, pepper, & a bit of raw oil (e.g. not heated).

I've never thought of oil as a flavoring (other than in salad dressing or in using sesame oil for stir fry), so it will be a different mindset to think of using it that way...

rhome, I do indeed stir-fry just with a tablespoon. The idea is to get your wok really, really, really hot - the oil should be smoking (which is why olive oil isn't a good choice). The oil is really just to stop stuff sticking to the wok, and if it's hot enough, it shouldn't need anymore. In fact, adding more oil will cool the wok down.
I was pretty scared the first time I was able to heat the thing up that much though. I realise I need much longer-handled utensils . . . .

So my initial tablespoon of oil in my 16" wok should last through my 5 batches? I usually let the pan reheat and then re-oil before each new wok-full.

The last time I stir-fried, I left it on high and did use less oil, and felt I was finally getting the hang of it when the product seemed the best texture yet and the sauce added at the end didn't even threaten to stick. But maybe I still used more oil than I needed, though.

Not to change the subject but How long do you let your wok heat up before you start cooking?

I'm not sure of exactly how long...But it's always smoking pretty well before I add oil, then let it heat to smoking, then start cooking.

I thought I would chime in since I just cornered the nurse practitioner from the cardiologists office a couple of weeks ago about dietary teaching and the health benefits of olive oil. She told me:
1. Olive oil is only healthier if it is used as a substitute for other oils in a low fat diet. Using olive oil but using more of it or adding it to the fats already used in the diet is not beneficial. Use it in place of less healthy oils not in addition to them or don't use it.

2. Olive oil turns from a good fat to a bad fat when it is exposed to high heat.

What do you olive connoisseurs recommend for EVO brands? Ina Garten is one of the few cookbook authors that will name names, and her favorite is a Stonehouse variety. I would like to compare others.

Some olive oils don't have bad looking bottles and pouring spouts might be able to be put right into them. I would think the original bottles would be decent storage containers to keep it fresh for a while. The manufacturers have a stake in keeping it usable and some offer refills of bottles at a discounted price, so they must think the original containers are good for the contents if you like what they look like.

Sue

The problem I find is that some people insist it changes to a 'bad fat' with heat and some people insist it doesn't...At least not in the conditions found in home cooking, but only with prolonged and repeated heating like would be found in a commercial setting in which they reuse the oil. Unfortunately, it's sad that the medical community isn't famous for their great nutritional knowledge, but I don't want to take the olive oil industry's word for it either.

I agree that olive oil shopping is a bit daunting... I got 3 different bottles at Costco today, but have NO idea if they were good choices or not!

I do not think that using olive oil in a residential kitchen to cook food turns it into a bad fat. I think that process only occurs in industrial-like factories where they turn vegetable oil to margarine (very bad fat). I really don't think that can occur in your home stove with olive oil.

rhome410,
The reason I ask is beacause my salesman said to get a cast iron wok and let it heat up 20 minutes before I start cooking and this would be on the Wolf gas multifunction module with 18,000 BTU's.

That just seems like too long and a waste of fuel.

Wow...20 minutes?! I know I've never heated my wok for that long. Mine is carbon steel.

I ruined my wok the came with my JennAir (special burner for it) by heating it too long. I'll have to post a question on that later.

I have to figure out what kind to buy - but I need to deal with selecting sinks and faucets before I start looking for a wok and other cookware for my induction.

A flat-bottomed carbon steel wok should work on induction...And those are easy to find and not too expensive. I got ours at WalMart for under $20 (14"), if I remember right. I got my larger (16"), round bottom carbon steel wok at a restaurant supply store...I don't know if they had flat-bottomed ones.

rhome, I forgot you were cooking several batches - I probably would add a little more for each batch - depends on whether the wok looked oily or not. If not, then I'd add a little.

Someone here, I'm afraid I don't know who, recommended "Breath of a Wok" and I got a copy for Christmas. Really helpful about technique, wok types and styles etc. Interestingly, the author makes it pretty clear that the inexpensive carbon steel woks are the best.

I just heat mine until the oil begins to smoke a little. I've never timed it.

I use Sclafani extra virgin olive oil. They are a local importer, in CT, and have been in the forefront of a campaign against 'adulterated' olive oils. The consumption of olive oil worldwide has skyrocketed, and the entire production of Italy cannot now possibly account for the amount being sold as "Italian". So CT is now testing oils, and discovered that several are only 10% olive oil, and the balance is groundnut oil - which is pretty serious for those with allergies.
So, I'm confident with Sclafani, and their quality and flavour.

Yay...they have Breath of a Wok at the library so I can check it out. (Literally...Ha Ha)

I use a baby bottle and just made the nipple hole a bit bigger. Then again, I use it for cooking so it lives in my cabinet, not on my table. Cheap alert!

As for olive oil, I cook with Costco olive oil. To finish a dish, I buy some fancy (World's top 10 award) that is organically grown locally, milled under vacuum and cold pressed. It's There is nothing like dipping a crusty bread into this buttery EVOO and balsamic vinegar...

I don't like the ceramic oil bottles because they are porous inside. Oil seeps into the pores of the bottle, and if you have oil that goes rancid, you cannot get the smell/taste out.

I picked up this one at World Market and I love it. It is smaller, so it is easy to hold, and the handle helps too. I'm picking up another one for balsamic vinegar. Filling it is not annoying to me at all.

OT, but here is a little gadget that is one of my favorites, a mini measuring cup. It measures tablespoons, oz, and up to 1/4 cup. I use it a lot! It's available at most kitchen stores as well as online.

Baby bottle...That's inventive, Golddust. I wouldn't have thought of it.

Good point about the porosity of ceramics, Weed30. I am going to look for the mini measuring cup, as I can think of several uses...thanks for sharing it.

weed, I've been using the angled measuring cups for years and that little 1/4 c one is so handy. I also have some of each in stainless.

And I love that other one for oil.