I can't begin to imagine what would grow in 8 year old olive oil. Unless it's some hyper-expensive, super rare oil, I would toss it and buy some fresh stuff.

The bad news is - oil doesn't have to smell rancid to be rancid. If it smells rancid, it's been that way a long time. And we really can't tell by looking at it or tasting it how much free-radical damage has been done by exposure to oxygen, heat, and light.

You can extend the "normal" shelf-life by storing it in a vacuum-sealed container to prevent oxygen from damaging it, and also be sure to keep it away from heat and light. As a container begins to empty, place the oil in a smaller container with less exposure to oxygen, when vacuum-sealing isn't possible. Cold storage is better than room temperature (70°F) or warmer. The enemies of oil (and all foods) are heat, light, moisture, oxygen and insect infestation.

In the world of home food storage where we keep at least a year's worth of food on hand, the only fats I know of that are stable for long periods of time are coconut oil and ghee. You must have a really special olive oil there.

I wonder if maybe you've become "nose-blind" to it? It's happened to me with vegetable oils. Not realizing how off it smelled until I opened a new bottle.

The good news is, if there's really anything harmful in it, you're certainly not ingesting much of it if your bottle has lasted this many years. Everything in moderation! :)

I'd throw it out, regardless of how good of a bottle it may be (or may have been) and buy a new bottle. A much smaller bottle. Unit price comparisons fly out the window if you don't use something up.

Toss it....or use it as lamp oil....you will be amazed by how good olive oil can be when it's fresh!

Best info I could find says EVOO lasts up to 3 years, once opened...

If it doesn't smell rancid, I'd use it for toiletry - I make skin balm w/ olive oil & beeswax & it's good for hair & nails, etc..

I buy Bariani olive oil directly from the family. I remember Mr Bariani saying his mother had opened a bottle of 10yo olive oil that was perfectly fine. Most olive oil has been adulterated, usually with corn oil. But if you have real, pure olive oil, it's likely still good. I buy liter bottles of olive oil from the Barianis, usually 8 at a time, and have them shipped to me. I keep a good stash of it in my root cellar. I guess like other people store wine, lol. The oldest bottles I've opened were 6 years old. They were good to the last drop.

Unlike wine, Olive Oil does not get better with age. Most of the olive oils I buy have a harvest date stamped on the bottle. And once opened, the oil is best for up to six months. It is the oil I use the most so a bottle never lasts more than a month to six weeks depending on the size of the bottle.

Once you open the bottle it starts to oxidize. I notice a decline after a month or so, after which I'll use it in cooking up to about five or six months, but for salads and drizzles and all, I prefer fresh. OTOH, in a DARK bottle, keep away changes in temperature and light, sealed, it has the potential to last a very long time. I'm sure that's what Happydog is experiencing with the root cellar. If it makes it through travel, it's fine there.

There was a big scandal awhile back about "fake" EVOO from Italy. People were using lab equipment to test the makeup and found a lot of major brands lacking. There were rumors about mafia involvement and a whole lot of other tittletattle, when the culprit was poor handling when it got to the States. If you expose the sealed oil to heat and light, the solids that make it so coveted break down and the result is just olive oil. It hasn't gone rancid. Just ordinary. (I did a lot of research about it awhile back. This is culled from many sources.)

I forgot to mention it's a sealed bottle. I bought a dozen 8 yrs ago.

I have been using extra virgin olive oil expired for 8 years and it
just never goes bad. The fats doesn't go rancid and there's no
unpleasant odor at all.
Tastes the same as I bought it 8 years ago.

I am worried. Does the oil ever go rancid. Is it unhealthy to use expired EVOO?

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I forgot to mention it's a sealed bottle. I bought a dozen 8 yrs ago.

A sealed bottle?

A dozen 8 years ago?

Have you had fun?

I bought a box of twelve 8 years ago (They were on sale and expired within a month). I've used up several bottles over these years and still have some left.

Ah, well, a new sealed one is very different from the bottle tastes the same now as it did 8 years ago!

Actually, even unopened, it is best within two years from the date bottled. Olive oil does not improve with age.

~Ann

Are these all bots? Their writing is similar and not humanlike. Why would a bot (or a human) write something like this on an old thread. I don't get what the AI/bot deal is that benefits them from these kind of postings.

Yes, they are AI bots, some with lousy translation software, too.

What do "they" gain? These are major organizations and there are several ways they payoff. One is to embed malware on your machine when the links are clicked on. One is to con the user into giving personal info. Another is credit card fraud, sales of substandard goods, or nothing at all, or to steal the CC info. Another is companies that pay for 'clicks' that they get, a small amount but if it's done often enough, it may pay something. These are not real people, so don't worry about insulting them.

On rare occasions, a real person posts to advertise their blog or YouTube channel or whatever. Still spam.

PS, remember that it's very cheap do run these spam 'farms', just need some computers and connections.

Some people also play/experiment with AI just to try it out. I don't think these gobbledygook comments are any kind of threat - there are no embedded links, for one thing...

But usually those with no embedded links are edited within a week to add spam. Some of the spam links are only one word. And in some cases, as in "Certos", you can look at its history and see other posts that are spammed. Carol, please don't underestimate internet threats. They know a lot more than you or I do about tricking people.

Thank you both.