You love olive oil, but hate how quickly it solidifies if you don’t use it. You can’t cook with solidified oil! Or you can’t use the rest of the olive oil in the container because it’s too solid to properly store it. What you need is a guide on how to unsolidify olive oil and make it liquid again so that you don’t have to throw out this expensive kitchen favorite.
QUICK ANSWER: The best way to make olive oil liquid again is by taking it out of a cool place, putting the bottle on the kitchen counter, and waiting a few hours until the olive oil unsolidifies completely.
If you have some olive oil in a bottle that solidified into an oil brick, then this article will show you how to get it back into liquid form.
Olive Oil Usually Gets Cloudy in Temperatures Below 40F (5C).
Oil can solidify in two ways – by forming crystals or by becoming cloudy. Olive oil usually becomes cloudy when you store it in a fridge, and that’s because at low temperatures the oil gets more viscous and its molecules move slower. That makes it easier for them to clump together and form a cloudy state.
But if your olive oil has crystals at the bottom – then those are real crystals, not clumps of molecules. Most of the time this happens to extra virgin olive oils with low acidity. They contain natural waxes which can crystallize at low temperatures. This process starts from the bottom of the bottle, so you’ll see crystals forming there first. But don’t worry – these are still edible, although they might change the taste (usually for worse).
Olive Oil usually solidifies in temperatures below 40F (5C) (which is why you should never keep olive oil in the refrigerator). You can make it liquid again by following the tips I’ll show you below.
Few Things You Can Do To Liquify The Olive Oil Again
Before everything, I suggest you learn the proper way of storing olive oil (check here). Okay, now that you know it, let’s see the solution to the problem of solidified olive oil.
1. Keep The Bottle on The Counter.
Wait patiently for an hour or so. The olive oil will liquefy again. This method is so far the best and the most natural method to unsolidify olive oil. However, as you can see, it can take several hours for olive oil to liquify completely.
So, if you’re in a rush, you should check other methods for unsolidifying olive oil.
2. Immerse The Bottle In Hot or Warm Water.
If you don’t have time to wait for the olive oil to melt, place the bottle in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes or so. You can also fill your sink with warm water and float the bottle in there for about 15 minutes.
This method shouldn’t affect the olive oil quality, especially the taste and smell, so consider this method safe, even though the 1st method is the best.
3. Microwave The Bottle For a Few Seconds.
Microwave the olive oil for 10 seconds at a time until it liquifies. Stir between heating sessions because microwaves tend to heat unevenly. Personally, I don’t like using this method since microwaves are an unnatural thing, and they aren’t the best for olive oil taste and smell (in my opinion).
Can You Use Olive Oil If It Has Been Frozen?
Yes, it can be used. The chemistry of olive oil is what makes it so great for cooking, and that chemistry is not affected by freezing.
Olive oil is a healthy and tasty alternative to margarine or butter, but it can be expensive. Many people buy large bottles of the oil and store them away in dark, cool places. The problem with this strategy is that sometimes the cold storage causes the oil to solidify. Many people then wonder if the oil can still be used, or if they have to throw it out. The good news is that the oil will return to its liquid state when it reaches room temperature again.
Conclusion
The best thing you can do is to prevent olive oil from solidifying, and try to keep it in dark places with temperatures between 10 to 14 degrees Celsius. However, if the olive oil somehow becomes cloudy or solidified, now you know a few ways of returning it back to its normal state.
I hope that now you know how to unsolidify olive oil so it’s liquid again and you can use it in your kitchen.
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