How To Get Rid Of The Little White Spots Floating In Your Olive Oil

It's freezing outside, and from the looks of your light or extra virgin olive oil, the snow may have done more than chill the groceries. Icy olive oil can develop white spots or clumps. It might look unsavory and may make you want to toss the bottle out, but before you do, try a little trick to get rid of the white spots. Set the oil out on the counter until it reaches room temperature, or submerge it in a water bath until the glass vessel (This also works for plastic olive oil squeeze bottles) hits room temperature. As the oil warms up, the clumps will disappear. And, don't worry; The product will still be good to use, with no impact on the flavor or function of the oil.

The clumps form in cold olive oil because of the natural waxy coating on the olives. When olives are processed for oil, some of that wax gets into the final product. When the temperatures plummet toward freezing, the wax naturally separates from the liquid and clumps together. Fortunately, the clumps begin to disappear as the oil is brought to room temperature. The good news is, anyone living in a place where the weather becomes cold can get "winterized" olive oil which goes through a filtration process to remove any extra waxy coating in the liquid.

Despite those harmless, waxy, white clumps, there are other signs that could mean your olive oil has gone bad. Olive oil is perishable — and even extra virgin olive oil doesn't last forever. Some say the oil needs to be used within a year of harvest, or as soon as three to six months after it's been opened. Others say it can last longer if you store olive oil properly. But olive oil that has gone bad has a few signature characteristics that you can easily spot by its flavor and aroma. Play-Doh, wax crayons, old lipstick, and varnish are some of the ways people describe the smell of rancid olive oil. It may also taste tangy, bitter, or very sharp while leaving a waxy texture in your mouth.

If it's cold outside and the groceries sat for a minute before you brought them into the house, those white clumps in your olive oil will disappear with a bit of warmth. Chances are, your olive oil is perfectly good and just needs a minute to adjust to room temp.