White lumps in olive oil - keep or throw?

[Biosblbay]

Once again Google is useless, some sites say it’s harmless fats whereas some say it’s bad and shouldn’t be consumed. Any ideas? Should I complain and get my money back or is this still ok to use? Not had this before. It was an online shop so didn’t choose it myself. Thanks in advance.

Is it quite cold? Lumps like that form when the oil is cold but disappear at room temperature.

Is it cold? As in below room temperature? If so wait until it warms up and see if it goes clear.

Try running the bottle under a hot tap for a while. Olive oil solidifies if it gets cold, so warming it up a little and giving it a good shake may melt any blobs that are just solidified oil.

@Chemenger@Ketchupmunchies@LoserWinner currently got it sat in some warm water. What happens if the lumps do not go with this method? x

It's just cold. Ours always does this in winter!

I'd be surprised if they don't - I had a bottle delivered that had been stored in a fridge by mistake and the whole thing was solid! Didn't take long to warm up, go clear again and hasn't damaged it.

@CapybarasAreJustGuineaBigs@TwattingDog put it in warm water, still some lumps but definitely less than before. Thank you for the reassurance and confirming it’s still ok to use!

Yes, it's just due to cold. No drama, use as normal.

They'll disappear when you warm it. Perfectly normal in winter, like crystals in honey.

I used olive oil to make crispy chili once (when it was much cheaper) and I had to leave in in warm water every time I wanted to use it because it really solidified and went opaque in the fridge.

Why did you keep it in the fridge?

It's a sign that it is proper olive oil, the mono unsaturated fatty acids crystallizing at low temperatures.

If it's been in the fridge or just cold it solidifies perfectly ok to eat

Probably happened during transit - it's been stored somewhere cold and has separated. Warm it up and give it a good shake. It's not gone off and is fine to use.

As above, it's just got cold.

It can take a couple of days at room temperature for it all to go away, but it's genuinely nothing to worry about.

The recipe I followed said to store in the fridge so I did. I don’t stress if it’s left out for a few days though. The one I have at the moment has been hanging around way longer than two months though, because I forgot I had it!

The recipe uses vegetable oil, which would be fine in the fridge. I wouldn’t waste olive oil on something so strongly flavoured. It does sound good though.

no need to warm it.
just use as normal.

@toastofthetown I live in an olive oil producing country which sometimes reaches 35° upwards, and here we never put oil in the fridge. We bulk buy and store it in a regular cupboard, nowhere specifically cool. No need to put it in the fridge! Just out of direct sunlight at the most.

You dont put olive oil in the fridge!

In the cupboard