Olive Oil Cruets

Tara Gosselin Interior Design Expert

Tara is a San Antonio-based award-winning landscape architect, writer and educator, passionate about eco-friendly solutions and growing her own food. She knows all it takes to help you create a sustainable backyard retreat that combines blissful charm with a modern take on landscaping.

Updated 13/05/2021

You might not know when one is, but a cruet is like a small teapot for oils. And we have a collection of olive oil cruets that will give your home a Mediterranean feel and will accent your meal especially if you're cooking something from Greece or Italy. If you're curious take a look in this collection.

Buying Guide

Where do you store an olive oil cruet?

It is essential to be thoughtful about where you store olive oil cruet because it needs to be kept in a cool, dry place to prevent oxidation. A cruet is like a small teapot or decorative bottle for oils, which can be a handy and attractive way to store your olive oil.

Though it may be tempting to put your cruet on display for everyone to see, it’s still ideal to store it in a cabinet with a closed door. Make sure you select a spot in your cabinet away from the stove, which can give off heat, and avoid storing your olive oil in glass-fronted cabinets as the UV and heat from the sun can damage your cooking oils.

Ceramic or tinted glass olive oil cruets help protect the oil from sunlight, heat, and air exposure, preserving it longer than the bottle you’d buy at the store.

However, this doesn't mean that you can’t buy an attractive olive oil cruet for your dining table. Choose an olive oil cruet in the same style as your decor and place it on the table when dining to dress salads and add flavor to dishes, then store it in a cabinet when not in use.

How often should olive oil cruets be cleaned?

Olive oil cruets should be cleaned each time you finish using all the oil. However, if you do not consume large quantities of oil, you may need to clean the cruet every 3 months.

Depending on the type of oil you store in the cruet, it can become stale after 3-9 months due to oxidation. While rancid oil won't make you sick, it can have a bitter or sour flavor that can ruin your dishes.

To clean your olive oil cruet, remove any remaining oil and take out the stopper. Fill the cruet with hot water, a drop or two of dish soap, and a splash of distilled white vinegar. Place your finger over the opening, shake vigorously, or use a slim bottle brush to clean the interior. Rinse thoroughly. To clean the stopper, soak it in a solution of hot soapy water and white vinegar for 30 minutes, scrub, and rinse clean. Ensure your cruet is completely dry before refilling with oil.

Do olive oil cruets need to be refrigerated?

Both opened and unopened olive oil cruets do not need to be refrigerated; however, they can be if you prefer olive oil chilled. As long as your olive oil cruet is stored properly, refrigeration is not required to maintain the freshness or taste of the olive oil itself. Olive oil is of much better quality when it is cooked and tasted at room temperature.

Olive oil has a high monounsaturated fat content, which makes it more shelf-stable than other cooking oils.

When using the olive oil after you have had it refrigerated, ensure you let it rise to room temperature. This will allow it to liquidize before you cook with it.