Olive oil liquid in refrigerator?

Question

I just bought a bottle of what's labeled as extra virgin olive oil from spain with an authenticity label on it.  Its green in color, and smells and tastes good.  I made salad dressing with it, though, and the oil stayed liquid in the refrigerator.  It makes me wonder if what I have is really extra virgin olive oil.  Can anyone shed light on this?  Thanks.

Alison · Answer

I've read that only unfiltered olive oil goes solid.

ChefJune · Answer

drbabs: I have the same experience with salad dressings made with extra virgin olive oil.

drbabs · Answer

oh, and I had no idea about the Dr. Oz thing; I've just noticed that when I use good olive oil in a salad dressing and refrigerate it, the olive oil separates into a solid layer on the top.. this didn't.

drbabs · Answer

Thank you, Nancy.  I'm honored that you answered my question.  Yes, there is a harvest date of November-December 2013 on the bottle, and it tastes and smells fine.  Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Nancy H. · Answer

The refrigerator test (widely promoted by Dr. Oz, apparently) is completely unreliable. Olive oil will clump together, but only if it's kept cold long enough, and in my experience there's always a certain percentage of oil that stays liquid in any case. So even if your oil stays liquid (and how long did you leave it in the fridge?), that's no proof that it's not extra-virgin. It might also be that mixing the oil for salad dressing (with vinegar? with lemon juice?) could have an effect on its reaction to cold. But I'm convinced that if it looks good and tastes good, it most probably is good. One thing to check for: Does it have a harvest date on the label (not a "use by" date--a real date of harvest)? That's one of your best guarantees of the quality of the oil.

Susan W. · Answer

Absolutely. She doesn't go into why it's not a reliable test, so it could be that refrigerators are not all kept at 40 or below which is what all the people who advocate this test requires. My fridge is definitely colder in some spots, so that could be a factor as well. I just put my California Olive Ranch bottle in my fridge just for fun. I'll check it tomorrow.

drbabs · Answer

Thanks, Susan.  It is in a dark bottle, dated, and doesn't smell off or rancid, so I guess I'll just chalk it up to a normal variation.

Susan W. · Answer

Dr. Wang from UC Davis said that the refrigerator test is not reliable. Unfortunately without taking your oil to a lab, there's no sure way to tell. She did say that the date of harvesting should be within 12-15 months of harvesting and that it should be packaged in a dark bottle to protect it from light which could cause rancidity.

Olive oil liquid in refrigerator?

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