Let's talk about shelf life, spoilage and reuse of peanut oil.
Say you bought a bottle to roast your Thanksgiving turkey a few years later.and you have not used this oil yet. Does peanut oil spoil and if so how do you know?
Or maybe you've just opened a bottle of toasted peanut oil and are wondering how long it's good. How long does peanut oil keep?
If any of them sound familiar, this article is for you.
Let's get in right away.
Image used under Creative Commons byAdam Engelhart
Index
- Is Peanut Oil Unhealthy?
- How do you know if peanut oil is bad?
- How long does peanut oil keep?
- How to store peanut oil
- Reuse peanut oil
- Summary of Shelf Life and Spoilage of Peanut Oil
Is Peanut Oil Unhealthy?
Peanut oil will do it sooner or laterrancid, even if it is left closed in a cool place.
You can tell yours has gone rancid if it tastes strong or bitter, or gives off a foul or chemical smell. The smell isn't always easily noticeable, but the change in taste is quite obvious.
(The same goes for other oils, includingRaps,grape seed, orsesame oil.)
Rancidity is a gradual process, so the flavor change doesn't happen overnight. Instead, it takes months before you notice a difference.
That said, eating rancid peanut oil or using it in cooking at least won't make you sick.not immediately. But if you consume it regularly, it can have some negative consequences, which is why I suggest avoiding rancid peanut oil.
Luckily, the change in taste is usually enough for most people to throw the oil away.
Let's talk about what to look for in peanut oil when considering whether it's still good to eat.
How do you know if peanut oil is bad?
Discard peanut oil if:
- The quality is really bad after several uses.SomeSymptoms of excess used oil include:Making food greasy instead of crispy, foaming on the surface, reduced smoke point (i.e. steaming before the oil reaches temperature), dark color and "dirty" appearance.
- The oil smells bad.If it smells like old paint or crayons, the oil is rancid. If it gives off a musty smell after a few uses, you've had enough and should also get rid of it. Any smell other than the normal one also means the oil has expired. For reference, roasted peanut oil should smell nutty and roasted, cold-pressed should have a slight peanut odor, and refined peanut oil shouldn't smell too strong.
- It tastes strong or bitter.A significant change in taste is typical of rancid oil. Again, the roasted variety should have a roasted flavor, the cold-pressed variety should have a mild peanut flavor, and the refined variety should be fairly neutral.
- There's something in the bottle that shouldn't be there.Before using the oil, inspect the top, bottom, and neck of the bottle to make sure there are no contaminants. It is particularly important if you order the oil online and not in the supermarket. Also, filter the oil well before saving it for another round of frying.
These are the most common signs of deterioration. But if you notice anything else weird or concerning about your peanut oil, trust your gut and skip the fat.
Next, let's talk about storage time.
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How long does peanut oil keep?
Peanut oil lasts approxClosed 2 years and about 6 months after opening.Cold-pressed or roasted peanut oil can have a slightly shorter shelf life, while the refined variety can last longer, but manufacturer-recommended storage times are generally pretty similar for all varieties.
Also, the stated shelf life is only a conservative estimate, and if you store your peanut oil properly, it will likely last much longer.
Next, keep in mind that using peanut oil will shorten its shelf life significantly if you intend to reuse it. So if you open a new bottle, use the oil once and save all the remaining fat, it's not guaranteed to retain its quality for the next six months.
If you don't fry food that often, I suggest instead doing a few frying sessions within a month or two of opening a new bottle. That way you'll make the most of the oil you have and dispose of it when you're done. Or rather, when that oil is no longer good enough to use.
(More on reusing oil later.)
Now let's move on to storage.
How to store peanut oil
Store peanut oil tightly closed and in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and sources of heat.If you want it to last as long as possible, or if it's an expensive bottle of roasted peanut oil, refrigeration is worth considering.
like everyonecooking oilsPeanut oil spoils faster when exposed to air, light, and heat.
Therefore you must:
- Remember to cap the bottle tightly after use to limit exposure to air
- Store it in a cupboard or closet away from sunlight
- Keep the oil away from the stove and other places where the temperature fluctuates
If you choose to refrigerate your peanut oil, be aware that it may become cloudy or crystallize (depending on the variety). This doesn't make the oil go bad, and you can easily reverse this effect by bringing the oil back to room temperature.
The bottom line is that when you need this chilled oil to top off a salad or pour over roasted vegetables, it would be handy to have it at room temperature and pourable. This could mean pouring something into a bowl and letting it sit at room temperature to warm up before use.
Finally, let's talk about the peanut oil takeover.
Reuse peanut oil
Peanut oil, especially the refined variety, is a popular frying oil thanks to its high smoke point (450°F or 232°C) and becauseNOTake in the taste of the food cooked in it.
This makes it a great reuse option, but unfortunately that doesn't mean you can reuse it indefinitely. Eventually the overall quality of the oil gets really bad and you'll need to replace it before another frying session.
How long does used peanut oil last?
It's virtually impossible to tell how long used peanut oil will last, or how many times you can cook with it, before discarding it. It's not as easy as any of us would like it to be.
Instead, before and after each cooking session, you should quickly assess the quality of the oil and decide if it's good enough to use. I have described how to do this inSection on spoilage.
Also, it's good to know what affects oil quality the most so you can plan accordingly.
for starters,is what you fry. Plain vegetables have the least impact on the oil, breaded foods have slightly more, while foods dredged in flour have the most.
So if you want your peanut oil to last longer, stick to roasting veggies and battered stuff.
Another way to think about it is this: Consider the size of food particles submerged in oil. Naked veggies are quite large and leave no residue, while a flour-covered fish leaves a lot of hard-to-filter small veggies.
Next comes the baking temperature. Do not overheat the oil (this is where a thermometer will help) and it will retain its quality much longer.
Finally, keep the oil in good shape while cooking. This means all large particles are removed between batches, especially those that end up on the surface. A few sweeps with a fine mesh filter should do the trick.
For more information on reusing frying oil, seeThis articleby Kenji Lopez-Alt. He dives much deeper into the topic.
Storage of used peanut oil
You store used peanut oil the same way you store regular peanut oil: tightly sealed in a cool, dark place away from heat sources. If you want to go the extra mile, chill it.
Then always keep used peanut oil separately and only put it in a bottle when it has cooled slightly and filtered through a sieve, coffee filter or gauze.
Summary of Shelf Life and Spoilage of Peanut Oil
Thank you for reading this Peanut Oil Foundation. Here are the suggestions:
- Peanut oil will go rancid if stored in poor conditions or for too long. Yours is rancid if it has a strong or bitter taste or gives off a strange chemical smell. The change in aroma isn't always obvious, but the flavor often is.
- Peanut oil has a shelf life of about 2 years unopened and about half a year after opening. Roasted and cold-pressed varieties might not last as long, while refined peanut oil should last a little longer, but the differences aren't that big.
- Store peanut oil, tightly sealed, in a cool, dark place. If it's the cold-pressed or roasted variety and you want to keep the top quality for as long as possible, consider refrigeration.