If you have a partially open bottle of grapeseed oil in your pantry and don’t know how long it stays there. Or when you moved to another cooking oil, you stopped using this one. Now that the expiration date has passed, you want to finish the bottle but wonder if Grapeseed oil spoils or not. However, the response to this question is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no.
To respond properly to your specific situation, you must familiarize yourself with grape seed oil’s storage, shelf life, and deterioration. This page covers each of those topics. Keep reading if you’d prefer to reduce waste without putting other people at risk by feeding them rancid oil.
What is Grapeseed Oil?
As a byproduct of producing wine, grape seeds are used to make grapeseed oil, a cooking oil. Grapeseed oil was invented by the French and has been used in Europe since the 1930s. It gained popularity among American cooks in the 1990s. Only 8 to 20 percent of grape seeds contain oil, making them expensive, but they are renowned for their genuinely neutral, clear flavor.
Grapeseed oil, primarily polyunsaturated fatty acids, may degrade when used at very high temperatures, like deep-frying. Still, it is fantastic when heated to a relatively high temperature or used in medium-heat cooking methods, like sautéing.
How to Tell if Grapeseed Oil is Bad?
While oils typically do not rot or mold in the conventional sense, it is nevertheless advisable to look out for mold growth, color changes, odor changes, or changes in taste. Toss the oil if any of these things happen. Oil oxidizes when exposed to light, heat, or oxygen for an extended period, resulting in rancidity. The oil turning rancid is significantly more likely to occur. While they can still be consumed in moderation, rancid oils lose some nutritional value. Additionally, they do not taste nice.
Before using the oil, make careful to give it a good sniff to check for rancidity. It is most certainly rancid if the grapeseed oil has a disagreeable flavor or odor (for instance, if it starts to smell like old paint, as I mentioned in my post on the shelf life of canola oil). Feel free to utilize the oil if everything with it appears to be in order, and you don’t store it for a lot longer than is advised.
4 Tips to Tell if Grape Seed has Gone Bad
Do a Taste Test
Never consume oil about which you are unsure. In other words, if you suspect it might be nasty, don’t include it in a recipe since it will ruin the entire meal. Even so, trying a tiny bit with a teaspoon won’t hurt you and can help you determine whether it’s good or not. The moment you taste it, you’ll be able to tell if it’s rancid.
Smell it
Another great technique to tell if your grape seed oil is good or bad is the smell. Your oil is no longer usable if it has a rancid flavor or odor. It’s crucial to remember that even if the fragrance of the oil has changed, you might not notice any difference in the way it looks. But once more, it won’t smell like new oil, so you’ll be able to tell it’s rancid as soon as you smell it.
Look for Chunks
Remember that grape seed oil usually has a few pieces here and there. Even if you left it in the fridge, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that it’s spoiled. Usually, it’s simply a few tiny pieces of solidified oil. However, you should discard the bottle if it has thickened because it is likely past its expiration date. It may also release the described horrible taste and odor at this stage.
Change in Color
If your oil has reached the end of its shelf life, some color change is expected. If the color change is more pronounced and you detect an odd odor, your oil is probably no longer safe to consume. The ingredients frequently separate, as a result, giving the mixture a milky appearance and opaque streaks.
How to Store Grape Seed Oil?
Oils like peanut oil and grapeseed (or grape seed) oil can be stored similarly. The best temperature for storage is between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit (or 20 to 25 Celcius). That suggests that you keep it away from sources of light and heat in a place that is both chilly and dark.
That implies that you can keep the oil in either the kitchen or the pantry. Ensure it’s out of the oven, as repeated temperature changes could make it lose quality more quickly.
Once the bottle is opened, keep it tightly closed while not in use. The other rules remain unchanged. This oil can also be refrigerated to increase its shelf life slightly. Refrigeration is, however, entirely optional.
Almost all other oils can be used with these recommendations. You are also aware of how to store sesame oil, avocado oil, and other oil types.
How Long does Grapeseed Oil Last?
Grapeseed oil has a similar shelf life to other types of cooking oils. The bottle has a best-by date as usual on the label. Rather than food safety, that date is primarily about freshness. You can anticipate the oil to last in high condition for at least a few months after that date if you follow the storage instructions I provided.
Oil turns rancid due to oxidation. Once the bottle is opened, the oil can access “new” oxygen, accelerating the oxidation process. But that takes time, especially if you only occasionally open the bottle and always close it carefully after using it.
Expect the oil to stay fresh in the pantry for six months and a year if it is refrigerated. Remember that those are just ballpark figures; your scenario can be different.
Health Benefits of Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil is a substantial source of vitamin E and omega-six fatty acids in terms of nutrition. Nine milligrams of vitamin E, which has antioxidant effects and neutralizes free radicals to enhance immunological function, may be found in one tablespoon of grapeseed oil, or 19% of the recommended daily dose.
The majority of the fat in grapeseed oil is polyunsaturated (68%), with only trace amounts of monounsaturated (16%) and saturated fats (11 percent). Improve your cooking skills at home with an Annual MasterClass Membership.
4 Ways to Incorporate Grapeseed Oil into your Cooking
When you want to add fat but no flavor to a dish, use grapeseed oil.
- Try using it in place of canola oil in baked products.
- Use grapeseed oil’s high smoke point for meals that are tasty on their own, such as a well-marbled steak, whether searing, grilling, or sautéing.
- Grapeseed oil is also effective for raw uses, such as salad dressing or mayonnaise.
- Use it to extend more delicious oils, including pricey nut oils or extra-virgin olive oils.
Can you Freeze Grape Seed Oil?
Once placed in the freezer, grape seed oil will freeze. But freezing it is pointless because it doesn’t aid in preservation. Additionally, it can harm your oil and hasten its decomposition.
Freezing isn’t useful for preservation because it doesn’t significantly extend the shelf life. Frozen oil might have a few more applications, but even that is debatable.
Additionally, because thawing frozen oil is so difficult, most people believe the effort is not worthwhile. Instead of heating it manually to thaw, place it in the refrigerator for a few days.
Although you might wish to freeze it to keep it fresh for longer, it’s more likely that freezing it will have the opposite effect. Long-term oil freezing destroys its valuable compounds, making it more likely to go bad.
It will begin to degrade more quickly the longer you keep it frozen. Because of this, you should keep it away from temperatures lower than those in your refrigerator.
What is the Shelf Life of Grape Seed Oil?
Unopened bottles of grape seed oil have a shelf life of up to three months after the written expiration date when kept in suitable storage. The shelf life is extended to six months after the expiration date if the unopened bottle is refrigerated.
Naturally, once the container is opened, the oil will start to oxidize due to exposure to air, heat, and light, and its shelf life at room temperature will be reduced to three months after the opening date. Grape seed oil can be stored in the refrigerator for about six months once it has been opened.
Remember that grape seed oil can degrade more quickly when exposed to oxygen, heat, and light, so it’s advisable to examine the oil for symptoms of deterioration before usage.
What is the Difference Between Grapeseed Oil and Olive Oil?
Olive oil is produced from the pulp of the olive fruit, which contains about 20 to 30 percent oil, whereas grapeseed oil is produced only from the seeds of the grape, which only contain about half as much oil. Both grapeseed oil and olive oil are made from seeded fruits.
The flavor of unrefined, extra-virgin olive oil, which can be fruity, buttery, peppery, or grassy, is much sought after. However, even the most expensive cold-pressed grapeseed oil is prized for having almost little flavor.
How to Substitute Grapeseed Oil in Cooking?
Consider corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and even safflower oil as examples of refined vegetable oils that can be used equally because they are practically flavorless. Make sure you’re swapping oils with comparable smoke points when cooking at higher temperatures, such as when stir-frying, and remember that changing grapeseed oil for a more flavorful oil, such as sesame oil or coconut oil, will modify the flavor profile of a dish.
Conclusion
The extremely healthful grape seed oil is one of the most popular cooking oils. It has a long shelf life in addition to being delicious and versatile. As usual, the longevity of your oil will be significantly influenced by how well you keep it. It will stay fresh for longer if you store it properly wrapped and in a dark, cold area. If you see anything strange, it’s usually advisable to avoid eating anything, especially if you know it has been sitting in your cabinet for at least a year.
Like all cooking oils, grape seed oil has a shelf life. Although it’s extremely improbable that mold or bacteria will grow in the oil, oxidation still poses a threat to its freshness. Oxidation occurs when oil is exposed to oxygen, which lowers the oil’s quality and eventually causes the oil to become rancid. Most of the health benefits of rancid oil have been lost, and consuming it frequently might harm your health.
