Stored fats and oils

How are you preparing
GillyBee
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 6:46 am

Stored fats and oils

Post by GillyBee »

I was just wondering what everyone else does in the way of stored fats and oils? As far as I can see we may have a perfect storm heading our way for these:

Sunflower oil is now in such short supply that manufacturers are being allowed to substitute with rape seed without notifying the end user - despite the risk of allergic reactions.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... s-batters/
"Vegetable Oil" Apparently 40% of the UK rape seed comes from the Ukraine so the increased pressure on that will soon cause problems there.
Lard and other animal fats are impacted by the huge increase in feed & energy prices - which is already forcing some farmers to cut back on production since the supermarkets have not increased what they will pay for their meats.

At present I store a mix of sunflower/veg oil, tinned olive oil, ghee and coconut oil. The last 3 have long/indefinite lifespans from my research regardless of the BBE.

What does everyone else do?
jennyjj01
Posts: 3430
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by jennyjj01 »

GillyBee wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:22 am I was just wondering what everyone else does in the way of stored fats and oils? As far as I can see we may have a perfect storm heading our way for these:

Sunflower oil is now in such short supply that manufacturers are being allowed to substitute with rape seed without notifying the end user - despite the risk of allergic reactions.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... s-batters/
"Vegetable Oil" Apparently 40% of the UK rape seed comes from the Ukraine so the increased pressure on that will soon cause problems there.
Lard and other animal fats are impacted by the huge increase in feed & energy prices - which is already forcing some farmers to cut back on production since the supermarkets have not increased what they will pay for their meats.

At present I store a mix of sunflower/veg oil, tinned olive oil, ghee and coconut oil. The last 3 have long/indefinite lifespans from my research regardless of the BBE.

What does everyone else do?
Badly rotating about 20L of the Sunflower oil we usually use and about 4L of olive oil. Not rotating 4 tins of ghee as a long term butter substitute.
I have kept cheap sunflower oil long enough, >4years, for it to noticeably degrade and taste just a little bit rancid. Doesn't seem to like temperature variation. I wonder if anyone has the research on best storage.

Veg Oil is close to THE most calorie packed and flexible foods to store. And everything is better fried. :)
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
User avatar
itsybitsy
Posts: 8436
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:51 pm
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by itsybitsy »

I used to run a small business, importing high end foods from France/Italy. I recently found a couple of bottles of olive oil from those days - they were 7 years out of date. I used both and they were fine, although I did use them relatively quickly, once opened.

It was a good oil and relatively expensive oil at £7.25 a bottle to me wholesale, but I don't know if better quality oil may keep longer because I haven't done any comparison testing.
British Red
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:45 pm

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by British Red »

It's worth considering animal and dairy fats too. I've found home canning both butter and lard to be straightforward and they are very stable. Homemade ghee is very straightforward but tinned is available for those who prefer to buy. We render duck fat when making crispy duck ( surprising how many people who breed ducks want rid of the drakes) and save it for stupendous roast potatoes. Rendering your own lard, saving beef dripping and much more used to be the norm. Even if you buy it, lard is crazy cheap and makes much better pastry than butter at a fraction of the price.
GillyBee
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 6:46 am

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by GillyBee »

Dr Google seems to think all fats and oils now only last about 2 years under good storage conditions but this is at odds with traditional and anecdotal evidence.

Traditional India seems to think ghee will last indefinitely. Meanwhile in Sctoland a WW2 ship went down carrying lard and the locals happily snaffled the barrels when they washed up on shore and re-rendered the fat for some years after. A broken barrel turned up on the beach in 2013 and the lard was reported as still smelling OK.

It seems the problems are rancidity caused by light, heat or oxygen so keeping the fats dark, cool and sealed would be key to extending their life. Hard fats are naturally going to protect the interior from oxygen and light which may improve their keeping ability. Rancid fats will not taste or smell good but should not be poisonous. Extra Virgin olive oil has been shown to have lost a lot of it's extra health giving chemicals quite quickly - maybe a year although still smelled and tasted OK.

Now to go away and think if there is anywhere cooler I can keep my stash in my flat.
jennyjj01
Posts: 3430
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by jennyjj01 »

GillyBee wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 7:51 am Now to go away and think if there is anywhere cooler I can keep my stash in my flat.
Remember lower is cooler. It's surprising how hot it gets on top of the wardrobe.
Stashing anything in a flat must be tricky so whatever answers you come up with... viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17881
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
izzy_mack
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:35 pm

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by izzy_mack »

I find it difficult sometimes to read the bb date on oil bottles. especially in poor light so when I buy them I write the date on the label, makes rotating so much easier. I also freeze butter marg and cheddar living in the country some distance from shops I find it makes it easier. no running out and if I've bought more than I an use I freeze it for later. Works for me.
User avatar
rik_uk3
Posts: 707
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:49 pm
Location: South Wales UK

Re: Stored fats and oils

Post by rik_uk3 »

I talked about the importance of storing fat and oil on a recent thread, storing these is often overlooked.

Ignoring the obvious like using a freezer you can

Store cans of butter ghee, this lasts for years after the date on the tin and I've about 40 cans in storage.

From personal experience I've learned not to take a lot of notice of use by dates on oil (do this at your own risk), I've used veg oil and olive past their date by some years but I've stored them in a cool dark area prior to opening.
Richard
South Wales UK
Retired, spending the children's inheritance.