How do you store olive oil and spices properly?
Keep olive oil cool and dark, keep spices dry and tightly sealed, and both stay fresh for months instead of weeks.
Short answer
Hold olive oil between 12-18 °C in a closed cupboard that gets no light, in dark glass or a sealed tin. Decant a 500 ml bottle from the big tin, reseal the tin, and finish the open bottle in 2-3 months. Keep spices at least 1 metre from the stove in screw-top glass jars with a gasket: use ground spices within 6-12 months and whole seeds within 2-3 years.
What you need
Step by step
Pick the spot and measure its temperature
Choose a lower cupboard with a door, away from the stove, oven, dishwasher and window. Leave the thermometer inside it for a full day: 12-18 °C is ideal, and anything above 22 °C means you should try a pantry or a cupboard on the north side. In summer, balcony cabinets and the countertop are both out.
Decant from the tin into a small glass bottle
Do not empty the 5 litre tin all at once. Use the funnel to fill one 500 ml dark glass bottle with about as much as you will get through soon, then close the tin tightly and put it back in the cupboard you chose. Most of the oil never meets air this way, so oxidation only happens in the small bottle.
Label the bottle with harvest and opening dates
Write two dates on the label: the harvest year printed on the tin and the day you filled the bottle. Aim to finish an opened bottle in 2-3 months and an unopened tin within 18 months of harvest. Without dates there is no way to tell by eye how long the oil has been sitting.
Buy spices whole and grind per use
Get pepper, cumin, coriander and cinnamon as whole seeds or bark, in 100 gram amounts from a spice seller. Put a teaspoon into the grinder or mortar for each dish and grind it fresh. Ground spice loses its aroma oils in 6-12 months, while whole seeds hold for 2-3 years.
Fill the jars and never dip a wet spoon
Move spices out of their bags into screw-top glass jars and turn the lid all the way closed after every use. Only a dry measuring spoon goes in the jar. Never tip the jar over a simmering pot, because steam gets inside and clumping starts right there.
Line the jars up away from the stove
Skip the shelf next to the burners and use a closed cupboard at least 1 metre from the stove. Write the spice name and the month you bought it on each lid. Put colourful spices like chilli flakes and curry powder in the back row, furthest from any light.
Smell and taste check every three months
Set a repeating three-month reminder. Warm a teaspoon of oil in your palm and smell it: paint, putty or sackcloth notes mean the oil has gone off. Take a pinch of spice and crush it between your fingers, and if no aroma comes up it is time to replace it.
Tips
Watch out
The two most common mistakes are keeping a clear bottle beside the stove and dipping a wet spoon into a spice jar. Light and heat turn olive oil rancid in 2-3 weeks, and moisture inside a jar brings a risk of mould and aflatoxin. Do not try to dry out spice that has clumped, shows mould spots or smells damp. Throw it out.
Frequently asked questions
+Does olive oil keep better in a tin or in glass?
Both work. A tin blocks light completely, so it is the better choice for large volumes, while decanting into a dark glass bottle is the most practical option for daily use.
+Is olive oil ruined if it solidifies?
No. Below about 7 °C it clouds and partly sets, then returns to normal within a few hours at room temperature with no loss of quality.
+Can I keep ground spices in the fridge?
Usually there is no need, and it is not advised, since condensation gets in every time you open the lid. Only oily items like sesame and walnuts, or freshly ground blends, belong in the fridge in an airtight container.
+How can I tell that olive oil has gone bad?
It smells like putty, wet cardboard or mouldy walnuts, and the fresh peppery bite at the back of the throat disappears. Do not cook with it; soap making is about the only sensible use left.
+Must I throw out spices past their best-before date?
Not if there is no safety issue, but most of the aroma is gone. Spice with no smell adds nothing to a dish, and anything with mould, insects or damp must go straight in the bin.
Sources and verification
Last verified: 12 Eylül 2026. tell us. Amounts and prices reflect Turkish kitchens, where olive oil is often bought in 5 litre tins and spices by weight from a spice seller.
This content is for information only; for official procedures the relevant institution’s current announcements take precedence. Details: disclaimer.