Grape seed oil is commonly used in the beauty, health, and cooking industry. It’s pretty versatile thanks to its mild taste and ability to handle high temperatures.
The bottle usually has a best-by date stamped somewhere on the label. However, many people often wonder if grape seed oil can go bad and if it’s any good after the best-by date.
Let’s dive in to see whether or not you can use that bottle you have sitting in your pantry for a while.
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Does Grape Seed Oil Go Bad?
Much like all cooking oils, grape seed oil can go bad. It doesn’t go bad in the conventional sense, meaning that it probably won’t end up with any bacteria or mold.
However, it can easily oxidase when you exposed it to air for an extended period. As a result, it degrades in quality and taste until it’s rancid.
Rancid grape seed oil has no health benefits and can negatively impact your health if you consume it for too long.
One thing to keep in mind is that oxidation will happen nonetheless, but you can slow it down by storing the oil properly.
How Long Does Grape Seed Oil Last?
As we said, there’s always a best-by date on the bottle, making it easier to know how long you can use your oils. Of course, you might be able to use it past that date, but that depends on how you stored it and whether it’s rancid.
The date doesn’t have much to do with food safety as much as it has to do with freshness. In most cases, it can last several months past the best-by date if you store it properly.
The process of oxidation begins the moment you open the bottle and expose it to air. But, the process is relatively slow, so you have enough time to use up the bottle if you close it tightly after use.
It usually lasts a year in the fridge and about six months in the pantry, depending on whether you’re closing the bottle or not.
| Pantry | Fridge | |
| Unopened | 3-6 months | 6-12 months |
| Opened | 6 months | 12 months |
Your grape seed oil can easily go rancid if you’re leaving the bottle opened. The taste and quality will deteriorate quickly if the product is exposed to the air for an extended period.
4 Tips to Tell if Grape Seed has Gone Bad
Although it doesn’t go bad as most foods, grape seed oil does change over time. It acts much like most oils, so air is its biggest enemy, causing both the taste and quality to deteriorate.
When it goes bad, it gives out apparent signs that can help you determine whether it’s still good to eat. However, it’s important to note that grape seed oil has a few traits that are normal but might appear like spoilage.
For this reason, it’s essential to know the difference, or else you could accidentally throw away good oil. So here’s what you can do to determine whether your grape seed oil is still good to go.
– Do a taste test
You should never eat oil you’re not sure about. In other words, avoid using it in a recipe if you think it might be bad because it can spoil your entire meal. Still, tasting a bit in a teaspoon won’t do you any harm and can help you figure out if it’s good or not. You’ll know if it’s rancid the moment you taste it.
– Smell it
Smelling it is another excellent way of determining if your grape seed oil has good bad. Rancid taste and odor are clear indicators your oil is no longer usable. It’s important to note that you might not notice any change in the appearance of oil, even if the smell has changed. But, again, you’ll know it’s rancid as soon as you smell it since it’ll smell nothing like fresh oil.
– Look for chunks
Keep in mind that a few chunks here and there are quite typical for grape seed oil. This doesn’t mean it’s gone bad, especially if you kept it in the fridge. In most cases, it’s just small parts of solidified oil. However, if the bottle has congealed, you should throw it out as it’s probably too old. At this point, it might also give out that rancid odor and taste we mentioned.
– Change in color
Some change in color is normal if your oil is closed to its best-by date. It usually happens due to the ingredients separating, making it look milky with opaque streaks. If the change in color is more drastic and you also notice a weird smell, your oil is probably no longer eatable.
Tips to Store Grape Seed Oil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX8UDE-UlFc
Grape seed oil has a long shelf life, but as it’s the case with other cooking oils, it begins in the grocery store. You should always aim for a dark-colored bottle to ensure minimum sun exposure.
You should also try to find glass bottles since chemicals found in plastic can leach into oil after an extended period.
In most cases, storing grape seed oil in your pantry is the safest option. However, you should ensure your pantry is dark and cool to ensure minimum light and heat exposure that would cause the oil to deteriorate.
Moisture is another enemy you should look out for as it can easily change the quality and consistency of your oil.
Keep the bottle at a consistent temperature since any fluctuations can cause it to degrade faster. In addition, you should always make sure you tightened the bottle after using it.
You can also keep it in your fridge since the temperature is usually consistent. Lower temperatures won’t cause it to get cloudy or congealed, making it ideal for foods that require refrigeration.
Refrigerating can help to extend the shelf life up to a year, but try not to move it back to room temperature after you’ve stored it in the fridge. As we said, temperature fluctuations can cause it to break down and spoil faster.
If you have a set of bottles for oil and vinegar and want to use it for grape seed oil, make sure to leave some in the original packaging. This is especially important for see-through bottles since grape seed oil is best when kept in a dark bottle.
Still, you can use your favorite set, just make sure to pour a bit of oil at a time. Again, store the set in a dark and cool place to limit light and heat exposure.
If you can’t follow through with all of these guidelines, you might want to go for the smallest bottle you can use quickly. Buying a bit at a time ensures your oil is always fresh and tasty, especially if you’re not using it every day.
Risk of Consuming Expired Grape Seed Oil
Although oil can’t go bad as other foods, it can still develop a weird taste after a while. This usually happens once it goes rancid.
Rancidity happens when the oil oxidizes due to exposure to oxygen, heat, and light. As a result, it loses both the pleasant smell and taste but also its nutritional value.
Still, rancid oil is safe to eat as it doesn’t present any danger to your health. However, it’s not tasty, and you’ll find the rancid taste lingering in your mouth throughout the date.
So, there aren’t any real risks you’re exposing yourself to when eating rancid grape seed oil. But, you won’t get anything out of it since its nutritional value is probably fully diminished by then.
Can you Freeze Grape Seed Oil?
Grape seed oil will freeze once in the freezer. However, freezing it is useless as it doesn’t help preservation. On top of that, it can even damage your oil and cause it to break down quickly.
Freezing doesn’t prolong the shelf life by a significant degree, so it’s considered useless for preservation. You might get a few more uses out of frozen oil, but even that is questionable.
Plus, thawing frozen oil is so complicated, most people feel like it’s just not worth the struggle. When thawing, leave it in the refrigerator for a few days instead of heating it manually.
You might want to freeze it to keep it fresh for a longer time, but it’s more likely you’ll achieve the opposite. The oil kept frozen for a long time is likely to go bad because low temperature damages its useful chemicals.
The longer you keep it frozen, the more it will break down. For this reason, you should keep it away from temperatures lower than in your fridge.
Summary
Grape seed oil has many health benefits and is among the most popular oils in the cooking industry. Not only it’s tasty and versatile, but it also has a long shelf life.
As always, proper storage plays a significant role in how long your oil lasts. Keeping it tightly closed and in a dark and cool place helps keep it fresh for a longer time.
If you notice anything wrong with it, it’s probably better to avoid consuming it, especially if you know it’s been in your pantry for at least a year.