Vegetable oil past it's best by date?

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

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I've got a 2 litre bottle of Waitrose vegetable oil, and in smaller print it says it's actually rapeseed oil. There's a date printed at the top saying Jan 2018.

It doesn't say expiry date so I assume it's a best before date. There's still a good three quarters of unused oil left in the bottle. It seems to smell and look ok. So is it ok to continue using?

I bought a fresh 1 litre bottle yesterday to fry some falafels in but wanted to use up the old oil first if it's not going to kill me.
 
monkentage said:
eatbydate.com seems to be a pretty good guide.
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Yeah, I read this page on there before posting.

https://www.eatbydate.com/other/condiments/how-long-does-oil-last/

It says "So, how long does oil last? When properly stored, the shelf life of oil past its best before date is ...

Oil Expiration Date

Unopened: Vegetable oil will last : Pantry 1 year. Fridge 1 year.

Opened: Vegetable oil will last: Pantry 1 year. Fridge - -.

I'm not sure if that means it's good for a year past the printed date or a year from when I first opened it.
 
MagicBoy said:
If it smells bad, then it's off. Otherwise it's fine.

I just used some 1 year past the date to fry up the meat for my tea...
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I'm not really sure if the smell is bad or not, it just smells of oil. But I opened the new bottle today which is completely odourless, also rapeseed.

Meh, old oil discarded, not going to risk it.
 
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It would have been perfectly fine.

As with anything, use your eyes smell and taste, not what it says on the package.

Vegetable oil won't go off for years, particularly if it is sealed, even once opened, provided you dont leave it open it's unlikely to go off for years.

Oil will degrade (a bit like in your car) but otherwise fine to eat. Apparently it is possible for it to go off, in which case it'll smell odd and go dark in colour, but I have never experienced that.

I would eat vegetable oil 10 years past it's date provided it looked okay.
 
BUDFORCE said:
It would have been perfectly fine.

As with anything, use your eyes smell and taste, not what it says on the package.

Vegetable oil won't go off for years, particularly if it is sealed, even once opened, provided you dont leave it open it's unlikely to go off for years.

Oil will degrade (a bit like in your car) but otherwise fine to eat. Apparently it is possible for it to go off, in which case it'll smell odd and go dark in colour, but I have never experienced that.

I would eat vegetable oil 10 years past it's date provided it looked okay.
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Well the bottle is in the bin, I can still take it out and use it. What particularly worried me was this article.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/506250-the-effects-of-expired-vegetable-oil/

I can't say my oil is rancid, and the colour looks normal to me, it hasn't gone dark. But it does have a mild smell which may or may not be anything to worry about. I wouldn't say it's a rancid smell, but the fresh bottle I opened today has no smell at all.

Effects

The volatile free fatty acids released during the hydrolytic rancidity process can smell unpleasant. For example, butyric acid is a short-chain volatile fatty acid with the characteristic rancid butter odor. These fatty acids, although they may smell and taste foul, are not harmful to your health. The oxygenated aldehydes produced during oxidative rancidity are toxic, however. These molecules create a condition of oxidative stress in your cells and may raise your risk for developing artherosclerotic and degenerative diseases. Expired vegetable oils may be not only offensive to eat but also hazardous to your well-being.

Other Considerations
Manufacturers often add anti-oxidants to vegetable oils to delay the rancidity process. Protecting vegetable oils from light, heat, water and oxygen may also extend their shelf life. However, as you might not know what kind of rancidity your expired vegetable oil has undergone, your safest action is to discard any oils past their expiration date.
 
Fair enough.

I have some sunflower oil in my garage, I reckon its probably about 3 years old at least, I have that its fine. But it's personal choice and I guess vegetable oil isnt exactly a huge waste.

I eat most things way way past their dates, worst case most things will just give you a bad stomach for a morning. Peanuts though you gotta watch, apparently when they go off (turn black) if you eat them they can give you liver cancer.

But in general, even mould, gotta avoid the brown/black mold and that one that goes kinda reddish colour, green or white mould is ok.

Listen I am not a wierdo that goes round eating mouldy food all the time!!!! But if cheese is a little mouldy around the edge, just cat that bit off, or pick the green mould spots from old bread, both perfectly fine.

Meat just use your nose, you will tell if its off. Chicken tends to go off faster than darker meats.

I am wary of any fish/seafood though, and also fresh vegetables that start to go, neither I will risk.

Also, just seen Finchley Central, why are you even cooking yourself when you have Durum and Divan there, mmmmmmmm.
 
Thanks guys, I took confidence from your replies. So I went ahead and used the old oil today to make my falafels. Used most of the oil and then funnelled it all back into the bottle after it had cooled down and binned it. Falafels came out nicely. I added some beetroot to my falafel wraps which was a good choice. Simple and delicious with the houmous!

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