Buying Olive Oil In Bulk? Look For This Packaging

Just like how boxed wine stays fresher longer than wine stored in an opened bottle, purchasing large quantities of olive oil in a box has similar benefits. The specially designed bags inside the boxes are made of heavy-duty plastic, which keeps air and light — the enemies of properly stored olive oil — out, helping to preserve its quality. For cooks who use a lot of olive oil, that's good news. 

So, how does this boxed olive oil work? Just like with boxed wine, the collapsable interior bag includes a tap for dispensing. The bag-in-box design allows the olive oil to come out through the tap, but keeps the air from getting in. Typical bulk olive oil containers consist of rectangular metal cans with resealable openings. While this type of packaging is adequate in keeping light from affecting the contents, it unfortunately allows air to remain in the container. The bag-in-box setup guards against both light and air far more efficiently than a can.

Along with light and air, there's another enemy working against keeping olive oil fresh: heat. Warm temperatures can quickly turn your oil from tasty to rancid, so it's recommended that you store the box away from the stove. The tap on boxed olive oil makes decanting it into a clean ceramic cruet easy. This method of decanting is a good way to safely and conveniently store your oil so it's close at hand while cooking.

Boxed olive oil is usually sold in quantities of two or three liters. While Costco sells bottles in similar quantities, none are packaged in boxes. In fact, you should think twice about buying olive oil in clear plastic bottles — like Kirkland Signature olive oil — which is a big no-no when you're looking for packaging that blocks light. The quality of the product can also vary, as evidenced in Daily Meal's ranking of Kirkland Signature olive oils. However, even good-quality olive oil will eventually deteriorate if it's not stored in the right conditions. 

Boxed olive oil — like Corto Truly 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil — can be purchased online in 3-liter quantities. If you frequently use large quantities of olive oil, buying in bulk is a great way to potentially save some cash, while stocking plenty of oil for all your recipes. And, storing it in a container designed to keep it fresh will give you peace of mind, knowing that it will be good for a long time.