Storage of Toasted Sesame Oil

[FelafelBoy]

How long can a container of bottled toasted sesame oil at room temperature be stored for after it has been opened? I have had mine stored for years - it smells ok and tastes ok, but I am concerned that after more than a year or two, the oil may have gone rancid and the chance of "free radicals" may be more likely.

(I use toasted sesame oil only at the very end of a stir fry dish cooked in refined sesame oil - I pour a very small amount of the toasted sesame oil in at the very end just to slightly warm it up.)

[jinet12]

Supposed to keep it in fridge

[slacker]

I also keep my sesame oil at room temp for long periods of time and never had problem. I thought that if an oil goes rancid, it would be easily detectable by smell?

[momof3]

You can totally tell it's rancid by the smell. I do keep mine in the fridge too, as I only use it as a flavoring and not to cook with.

[Ted in Central NJ]

Yes, rancidity is detectable by smell. However, oxidation takes place over time, not all at once.

If you store these oils in the refrigerator, you can avoid using oils that have begun to oxidize but have not yet begun to smell rancid. Since the free-radicals that are produced by the oxidation process are believed to be dangerous to your health, I would recommend that you refrigerate any oil that is not used frequently.

[Scrapironchef]

I keep mine in the fridge, it lasts as long as the bottle, usually about 6 months in my kitchen.

Find more recipes that use it.

[ccbweb]

I only keep opened oil for a year. For something like toasted sesame oil, which I, too, only use very sparingly, I try to buy the smallest jar I can find.

[Ted in Central NJ]

I agree that you should buy the smallest possible bottle of any oil that is used sparingly. But, I also suggest that you store this oil in the refrigerator. While it will not preserve it indefinitely, the cold storage will greatly extend its life before free-radical oxidation takes place. I have stored toasted sesame oil in the refrigerator for up to two years with no apparent degradation.

[justagthing]

Agree with Ted in regards to refrigeration. Mind you, it will solidify a bit, but quickly liquifies soon after you take it out of the fridge.

[Budser1228]

I refrigerate the toasted sesame, walnut or any nut oil, etc. Some of them even say on the bottle to refrigerate after opening. They are just that much more fragile than other oils that I would rather not take chances.