Fresh-pressed oil is cloudy with fine particles, so let it settle in a tall, narrow container for 3-7 days, pour off the clear oil, filter it through cloth by gravity, and store it in dark, full, sealed containers in a cool place. Sunflower oil then keeps about 6-12 months, olive 12-18, and flax only 1-3 months.
Part of Oil Pressing at Scale
What happens to oil between the press and the kitchen: settling, filtering, containers and shelf lives.
Clean Oil Keeps, Cloudy Oil Spoils
The particles and water carried out of the press hasten spoilage. Cleaning the oil is cheap: settling does most of the work, cloth does the rest. The carrier gives three storage rules once the oil is clean: dark containers, full containers and a cool place, with a seal. The shelf lives it gives are the planning figures for a store:
| Oil or fat | Shelf life in ideal storage |
|---|---|
| Sunflower | 6-12 months |
| Olive | 12-18 months |
| Flax or linseed | 1-3 months |
| Lard or tallow | 6-12 months |
Details: Settling and Cloth Filtration, Oil Storage Containers and Conditions and Rancidity Prevention.
What You Need
- Tall, narrow settling vessels of clean glass, glazed ceramic or tin
- Muslin or fine linen for the filter
- Dark, sealable containers, in sizes that can be filled to the top
Method: From Press To Shelf
Step 1: Settle the pressed oil in a tall, narrow container for 3-7 days without disturbing it.
Step 2: Pour off the clear oil from the top, leaving the sediment.
Step 3: Filter through layers of fine cloth in a cloth-lined funnel, by gravity.
Step 4: Fill clean, dark containers to the top and seal them.
Step 5: Label and store cool, with the date.
Step 6: Use the oldest first.
Common Mistakes
- Storing cloudy oil. Fines and water speed spoilage.
- Forcing the filter. Squeezing cloth pushes fines through.
- Half-empty jars. The air above the oil oxidises it.
Fire and oily cloth
Oil and oil-soaked cloth burn: keep them away from flame and hot surfaces. Cloth soaked in drying oils such as linseed can heat and ignite by itself; see Rancidity Prevention for safe handling.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Settling and Cloth Filtration - the first step in detail
- Combine with: Community Oil Budget - how much oil you have to store