Storing cooking oil is often wrong, here's how to do it exactly

Cooking oil that is sold in the market is available in various packages. Some are put in plastic, bottles, jerry cans, or other packaging. You can just choose whatever cooking oil package you like. But be careful, if you don't store it carefully, the quality of the oil can quickly deteriorate and cause a rancid smell. So, how do you store cooking oil right? Here's the explanation.

Why should cooking oil be stored properly?

When buying cooking oil, you will of course choose the type of cooking oil with the best quality so that the nutritional content is high. Unfortunately, no matter how good the quality of the oil you buy, it can be lost if not stored properly.

Each oil contains saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Reporting from Live Science, these two fats can turn into a rancid odor if they are contaminated by five things, namely light, heat, water, air, and certain microbes.

If the oil is not stored properly, for example, it is left open, the fat in the oil will bind to oxygen and form aldehyde, ketone, or carboxylic acid compounds. These compounds cause the oil to smell rancid.

Heat can also make oil spoil quickly. Hot temperatures can make the chemicals in cooking oil collide and damage each other. The more substances in the oil that have been damaged, the more rancid will smell.

So, how do you store cooking oil right?

Basically, almost any type of cooking oil can last up to two years if stored properly. In order for your cooking oil to last longer and last longer, follow these tips.

1. Store in a glass bottle

Most housewives store cooking oil in plastic bottles rather than glass bottles. Apart from being more practical, oil packaged in plastic bottles is also easier to find on the market. Are you one of them?

If so, you should immediately transfer your cooking oil into a glass bottle. This is because the quality of cooking oil stored in plastic packaging will decline faster than oil stored in glass bottles.

The plastic material expands faster and dissolves into the oil. What's more, the amount of peroxide (the measure of damage to oil) will quickly increase. The higher the peroxide number, the faster the rancid odor will appear in the oil.

If you buy cooking oil in large packages, pour it into smaller glass bottles to make it more practical. In addition to extending the overall shelf life of the oil, this method also prevents the entry of microbes or oxygen into the oil due to frequent opening and closing of the bottle.

2. Do not put it near the stove

Most housewives are accustomed to keeping oil near the stove so that it is easier to pour it into the pan. If you also do this habit, you should change it from now on.

Cooking oil that is placed near the stove will be more susceptible to heat from the stove. This will make the oil more volatile and reduce the quality of cooking oil.

As a solution, store your cooking oil in a closed shelf or kitchen cabinet. Make sure the room temperature remains stable so that the quality of cooking oil is maintained properly.

3. Keep away from direct sunlight

Cooking oil should not be stored in a place exposed to direct sunlight. This is because the heat can reduce the antioxidant content of the oil and accelerate spoilage.

This condition can be made worse if you use plastic packaging when storing oil. The faster the cooking oil expands, the faster the contents will spoil and smell rancid.

Can I keep cooking oil in the refrigerator?

Storing cooking oil in the refrigerator can keep the oil fresh and maintain its quality. The shelf life also tends to be longer, because the oil will become denser due to exposure to cold temperatures.

Actually, this is okay to do. It's just that cooking oil will be more difficult to use because it has to be thawed before use. As a result, your time is a little wasted to prepare cooking oil first before starting to cook.

Even so, changing cooking oil from liquid to solid or vice versa will not decrease the quality of the oil. So, go ahead if you want to store cooking oil in the refrigerator to make it more durable and long lasting.