Does it go bad? How long does it last once opened? Am I storing it properly? Can I cook with it? How much should I use?

Luckily, a few simple habits are enough to keep good olive oil tasting its best. If you buy good-quality extra virgin olive oil, store it properly and use it, chances are you’ll finish the bottle long before you ever have to worry about it going bad.

Which is exactly how it should be.

1. Does Olive Oil Go Bad?

Technically, yes. But not overnight.

Olive oil doesn’t suddenly become bad from one day to the next. What happens instead is much more gradual.

Over time, exposure to oxygen, light and heat causes olive oil to oxidise. As that happens, it slowly loses some of its freshness, aroma and flavour. 

That's why every bottle will have a best-before date. That date is primarily about freshness, the fresher the oil, the more expressive its aromas and flavours are likely to be.

If olive oil is part of your everyday cooking, the bottle probably won’t be around long enough for ageing to become a problem!

2. How Long Should Olive Oil Last After Opening?

For the best freshness and flavour, a useful rule of thumb is to buy a bottle size you expect to finish within a few weeks to a few months after opening. 

This doesn’t mean the olive oil suddenly becomes unusable after a few months, but it does mean it's the period when you’re more likely to experience it at its freshest and most expressive.

3. How Can You Tell If Olive Oil Has Lost Its Freshness?

Start with the smell.

As olive oil oxidises, its aromas and flavours gradually become flatter and less expressive. 

A fresh extra virgin olive oil, on the other hand, should have recognisable positive aromas and flavours. Depending on the olive variety and harvest, you might notice:

• Fresh or fruity aromas
• Green, grassy or herbal notes
• A pleasant bitterness
• A peppery or pungent sensation

That peppery sensation you sometimes feel at the back of your throat can be a very desirable characteristic of good extra virgin olive oil. It’s especially relevant with Picual, a variety naturally known for having real character: green notes, bitterness and that distinctive peppery finish.

That fresh, slightly bitter or peppery character comes partly from natural compounds called polyphenols, which are found in high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Curious about that little kick? Here’s a closer look at what polyphenols are and why they matter in olive oil.

With GOTA, you know exactly what you’re getting: 100% Picual olives, cold-pressed and direct from Jaén, Spain.

4. What’s the Best Way to Store Olive Oil?

Three things speed up the deterioration of olive oil:

• Light
• Heat
• Air

So the best storage is actually pretty straightforward. Keep your bottle:

• Somewhere cool
• Away from direct sunlight
• Away from strong heat
• Properly closed between uses

A kitchen cupboard? Great. A sunny windowsill? Looks nice. Not ideal. Right next to the stove? Convenient, but warmer than your olive oil would like.

A dark-colored bottle and other packaging that protects the oil from light can also help preserve quality. And once you’ve opened it, put the cap back on properly. Every time more air enters the bottle, oxidation gets another little opportunity to do its thing.

5. Should Olive Oil Go in the Fridge?

No, for a bottle you use regularly, a cool, dark cupboard is practical and works perfectly well.

If olive oil gets very cold, it may become cloudy, thicker or partly solid. That doesn’t mean it has gone bad, and it isn’t a reliable test of whether an olive oil is genuine or high quality. Bring it back to room temperature and it should return to its usual appearance.

6. How Much Olive Oil Should I Use?

The Spanish answer? As much as you like.

Olive oil isn’t supposed to live at the back of the cupboard waiting for a special occasion. It’s an everyday ingredient. Use it to cook vegetables, fry eggs, roast potatoes, make sauced, dress salads, or finish pasta. Pour it over tomatoes. Dip warm bread into it.

The important thing is not to treat good olive oil as something too precious to use. Fresh olive oil is there to be enjoyed while it’s fresh 🫒

7. Can You Cook With Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Absolutely. Extra virgin olive oil isn’t just for salads or finishing dishes. It has been at the heart of Mediterranean cooking for thousands of years, used for everything from frying and sautéing to roasting and baking.

As a reference, olive oil can have a smoke point of roughly 175°C to 240°C, while typical frying temperatures are usually around 180°C or below. And smoke point isn’t the whole story either. Extra virgin olive oil is naturally rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which also contribute to its stability when heated.

And that’s only the beginning. See what people around the world eat with olive oil for even more inspiration.

That’s exactly why we created GOTA Cooking Oil. Made from 100% Picual olives harvested at a riper stage, it has a smoother, more balanced flavour designed for everyday cooking.

8. Cooking Oil or Finishing Oil: What’s the Difference?

Both are extra virgin olive oil. Both are 100% Picual, come from Jaén in Spain and are cold extracted.

But the olives are harvested at different stages to create two different expressions of the same variety:

Cooking Oil

Smooth, balanced and versatile. Made with riper Picual olives for a softer flavour that works naturally in everyday cooking. Think eggs, vegetables, roasting, sauces, fish, pasta and pretty much everything happening in the pan.

Finishing Oil

Greener, bolder and more peppery. Made from earlier-harvest Picual olives, when bitterness and pungency tend to be more pronounced. Pour it over tomatoes, salads, toast, pasta, soups, vegetables, cheese or anything that could use one final hit of flavour. If you want to understand why people get excited about Picual, this is a very good place to start.

Want the full breakdown? See the difference between cooking oil and finishing oil, and when to reach for each one.

So, What Should You Remember?

Buy good extra virgin olive oil: single origin, single variety, cold pressed. Store it away from light and heat. Keep the bottle properly closed. Once opened, enjoy it over the following weeks and months while its flavour is at its best.

Most importantly?

Use it. In the pan. Over the tomatoes. On warm bread. At the centre of the table. Good olive oil isn’t something to collect. It’s something to pour.

Let it flow!