Is it safe to use olive oil that has gone cloudy?
I have some olive oil that has gone a bit cloudy. What causes that to happen, and is it still safe to use?
Best Answer
The most likely reason is that it was stored too cold (= in the fridge). If this is the case, then it is perfectly safe to use.
Some oils are also sold unfiltered. They don't really "go" cloudy, but are that way from the onset. But it can happen that the sediment falls to the bottom over time, then somebody shakes the bottle and it looks cloudy again.
If you had filtered oil sitting on a shelf and it turned from clear to cloudy, then this is suspicious. It is unclear what is causing the cloudiness in this case, but it is probably not doing anything for the quality, and has some potential to do harm (although there aren't many pathogens which can survive in a bottle of pure oil). Throwing it out would be on the safe sid.
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Quick Answer about "Is it safe to use olive oil that has gone cloudy?"
Answer: Your olive oil should be fine. When stored at temperatures below 50° Fahrenheit (like those you'll find in your fridge), olive oil has a tendency to become cloudy and may start to solidify, says the North American Olive Oil Association.What happens when olive oil gets cloudy?
Cloudiness in olive oil can result from naturally occurring sediment or from storage at cool temperatures. Some extra virgin olive oils are unfiltered and will appear cloudy at room temperature. This cloudiness is caused by sediment extracted from olives along with the oil during the pressing process.What is the white stuff floating in my olive oil?
When olive oil is placed in a cold environment, the natural waxes start to separate from the liquid, and come together in small fragments or clumps. The white stuff in olive oil might not look appetizing, but this process is natural and won't harm the flavor.How can you tell if your olive oil is spoiled?
You'll only know whether your olive oil has gone bad by giving it a small taste. If it's bitter or off-smelling, it has gone rancid. This won't make you sick, but it may not taste good in your next dish.Why does oil become cloudy?
Polyphenols are soluble in oil only at room temperature. As the temperature decreases, they begin to separate out, making the oil cloudy.How Can I Tell If My Olive Oil Is Bad?
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