Olive oil, unlike other pantry staples such as red wine vinegar or black peppercorns or dried shrimp, seems to always get used up before you can blink (which is good, considering it isn't shelf-stable forever). If only for convenience's sake—but also to cut down on container waste, olive oil costs, and the deep sorrow that is starting a recipe and realizing you don't have enough olive oil to make it—many shoppers opt for large 3-liter tins of olive oil at a time. But they're not exactly drizzling-friendly.
Those large canisters should get stowed in a dark, cool place, off your kitchen counter. And since they're a bit unwieldy (and you'll want your oil within arm's distance) you can funnel a portion of the oil into a cruet—that's pronounced crew-it, emphasis on the crew, apparently—and set it out on the counter for daily use. Distinguished by a pouring spout and narrow neck, cruets are made in many materials and shapes and sizes; whether you opt for a repurposed glass decanter or a traditional carafe made from protective stone is up to you. But since they're all designed to be kept out and about, you'll want one that's cute, to boot.
Here are 14 of our favorite cruets, for dispensing your olive oil with ease.
Do you use a cruet or pour your olive oil right from the bottle? Fess up in the comments.
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