Originally Posted by
BiziBB
How long does it take for you to go through a 4L can?
Just asking in case a 2-3 month period from opening would have meant the oil has oxidised, gone stale or whatever. I'd rather use a recyclable steel container rather than four or eight plastic bottles, which most likely would go to landfill if not recycled by our council's recycling contractor.
If locally-made oil was available at a competitive price and in a 4L can I'd buy it. ^
It's been a while since I've bought oil in receptacles that large - in the UK, it's rarely the large cans that are discounted. But we tend to consume about 2 litres a month (certainly in the summer - perhaps a bit less in the winter).
As you're using Carbonell, I really wouldn't worry about it, especially not for cooking. As long as you keep it somewhere dark (and it's in a can, so perfect!) it takes much longer than a couple of months for opened oil to go noticeably rancid by even the slightest amount.
If the oil has been kicking around for a couple of years in some hot warehouse before you got a chance to buy it, that will affect the taste more than having it open for four months or so. If it was fresh to start with and it's kept somewhere dark and not too warm, 4 months, even 6 months should be fine.
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I just looked around to see if I could find something to back up my experience and intuition and found this:
http://news.curiouscook.com/2007/01/olive-oil-cold.html