High-quality olive oil tastes wonderful and enriches dishes with its special aroma. It is often offered in large canisters that should be used quickly once opened. Then simply freeze the olive oil, as this way you can preserve it without compromising its quality.
Can you freeze olive oil and how do you do it?
Freezing olive oil is an effective way to extend its shelf life without compromising its taste. Pour the oil into ice cube trays in portions and store it in the freezer at around -15 degrees. To defrost, leave the oil at room temperature or defrost in a warm water bath.
How to freeze olive oil?
Olive oil does not have a uniform freezing temperature, as this depends on the quality, the type of olive and the degree of ripeness of the pressed fruit. The following table gives an indication of how the oil changes due to cooling:
| Temperature | Consistency of the oil |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 degrees | The olive oil remains viscous. No crystals are forming yet. |
| Up to 2 degrees | The oil begins to solidify. It initially becomes cloudy and then looks crystallized. |
| 2 degrees | The oil can no longer be poured. |
| – 10 degrees | The olive oil is so hard that you can no longer pierce it with a fork. |
Which containers are suitable?
Your freezer cools down to a temperature of around -15 degrees. This is enough to allow the olive oil to freeze completely. You can even leave the oil in the bottle. There is no need to worry about this bursting because, unlike water, the oil contracts during cold sleep.
- Since olive oil quickly goes rancid after thawing, it makes sense to bottle the olive oil in portions and defrost it again as needed.
- Ice cube trays are well suited for this.
- If you love seasoning oil, you can first put chopped herbs in the compartments and fill them with olive oil.
How to defrost olive oil
Take the olive oil cubes or oil container out of the freezer and let the oil thaw at room temperature. It becomes clear and liquid again.
If you have to do it quickly, simply put the oil in a bowl in a water bath no more than thirty degrees warm. In this way, frozen oil cubes are thawed within a few minutes and can be added directly to the food or salad.
Tip
Freezing olive oil does not change its taste, as chemical processes that would lead to changes in the oil are stopped during cold sleep.
Additional information on freezing wild garlic is compiled here for you.
