Upon opening the bottle, olive oil has a shelf life of 18 to 24 months, and since extra virgin olive oil is less processed it has a shorter shelf life of 12 to 18 months. Some suggestions point to refrigerating olive oil to extend its shelf life, but it doesn’t change the olive oil’s unavoidable expiration, if anything, refrigerating olive oil changes its viscosity and makes it harder to use.
There are tricks to follow even before opening that bottle of olive oil. When shopping for olive oil in the store, try to buy olive oils in dark glass bottles, as this dark coating acts as sunglasses against excessive light. To further ensure that the olive oil lasts longer, wipe the top opening of the bottle and seal it tightly between uses, excess drippage can get rancid before the rest of the oil and then compromise the flavor of the olive oil in the bottle.
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