Storing and Handling - how to enjoy Olive Envy Antipasto, Olives & Olive Oil

A Food Scientist's Guide to Storing and Handling our Products

Let's delve into the best practices for storing our products, the difference between "best before" and "used by" dates, and why olive oil might seem to set in colder temperatures.

Storing our olives

1. Storing Antipasto and Olives:

Proper storage is crucial to maintain the freshness and flavour of antipasto and olives. Follow these guidelines for the best storage conditions for our @oliveenvy products:

Refrigeration: Once opened, store antipasto and olives in the refrigerator at temperatures between 1°C to 5°C.

Airtight Containers: If you’ve opened our goods and put them out for a platter or olive bar make sure to transfer any remaining product to a clean, airtight container before refrigerating. This helps prevent spoilage and maintains the product's integrity. The marinated cheeses need to be kept covered in oil, and our marinated vegetables, capers and baby gherkins etc. covered in brine. Salty tap water in place of brine will work. The ingredients in our Caponata and Tuscan Antipasto olives need to be kept under oil too. Your good management will maintain the product's integrity.

Our own Olive Envy pouches are airtight and also a perfect option for storage.

Avoid Contamination: Always use clean utensils when serving from the jar to prevent cross-contamination.

3. Olive Oil Setting in Colder Temperatures:

Olive oil can become cloudy or set in colder temperatures, leading some customers to believe it has become inedible. However, this is a natural occurrence and doesn't indicate spoilage.

Cold set olive oil

Olive oil contains different types of fats, and when exposed to colder temperatures, some of these fats solidify, causing the oil to set.

This is known as "olive oil clouding" and is reversible. When the oil returns to room temperature, it will become clear again without any impact on its quality.

Remember, you may need to take olives, or marinated cheeses from the refrigeration and set on the countertop to allow the olive oil to become liquid again before serving.

We suggest you store our bottles of beautiful Australian olive oil at room temperature and avoid refrigeration to prevent setting. Our house made Wicked Worcestershire and Honey & Mustard dressings are perfectly happy in your pantry too. Both of these sauces improve with age.

By following these “storage and handling guidelines”, understanding date labels, and addressing olive oil setting, you can fully enjoy the exceptional quality and flavours of our antipasto, olives, and olive oil.

Cold set olive oil