Expert explains why you should never keep olive oil out on the kitchen counter

There’s plenty of debate around the ideal places to store kitchen staples. Whether ketchup goes in the fridge or the cupboard is a classic, but there are plenty more examples where you might discover you’re engaging in some suboptimal storage.

Some people claim you’re better off keeping peppers in a cupboard than the fridge, and in some cases you may find your eggs come out better if they’re kept in the cupboard too.

A few items here that would be better off in the cupboard (Julien Mcroberts/Getty Images)

It might seem trivial, but considering the average person throws out around 70kg of food per year, and the average household throws out somewhere in the region of £470 a year. In cash-strapped times where farming yields are suffering from poor weather, there’s plenty of reason to optimise your food storage.

The question of where to keep things is more broad than you might think, too. Sometimes it’s about maintaining flavours and textures, and other times it’s about plain and simple spoilage prevention.

Take olive oil, for example, which it’s fair to say spends a lot of time on people’s kitchen counters.

However, one expert has warmed that olive oil and countertops are a bad mix.

"I keep all my oils in a cabinet, so they stay out of the heat and sunlight and don't go rancid," author and chef Bai Ruskus told Delish.

It’s an interesting point, especially when you consider that high-end olive oil is almost always sold in dark bottles or other containers. The reason for that is to limit light exposure, so with that in mind you should probably move your bottle off the counter and into a cupboard.

Michigan State University went into more detail for us: “Knowing how to store olive oil for maximum quality is important. When olive oil is exposed to oxygen, light, and heat, it may become rancid. Proper storage can prevent this.

“Industry experts recommend storing the oil at between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. Storing it at the usual room temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit is ok, but if your kitchen is routinely warmer than that, refrigerate the oil for best quality.

You might want to consider keeping your olive oil in the fridge (Grace Cary/Getty Images)

“Refrigeration is best for long-term storage of all olive oils except premium extra-virgin ones. Consider keeping a small amount of olive oil in a sealed container at room temperature in your kitchen. This way, your olive oil is instantly ready to use.”

Ruskus recommended similar for salt, spices and grains, with their flavour and longevity all benefitting from cool, dark storage.