Does Sesame Oil Need To Be Refrigerated?

There are many kinds of cooking oil, and each one requires a different storing manner. When it comes to sesame oil, something that we don’t use every day, many wonder does sesame oil need to be refrigerated? Or in what ways can this oil be stored properly?

Find out below about sesame oil and if it needs to kept refrigerated in our blog post.

Does Sesame Oil Need To Be Refrigerated?

Advantages

Being known as the perfect substitute for peanut oil, sesame oil also contains a substance called PUFAs, which is regularly found in nuts, seeds and fish oils in cooking oil’s ingredients.

It is especially susceptible to oxidation, making the oil containing this substance best kept in the fridge when it comes to storing. 

Sesame oil comprises up to 42% PUFAs, which is quite a high number. In this case, we can state that sesame oil is best stored in the refrigerator thanks to the large proportion of PUFAs.

Sesame oil can go rancid quickly when stored at room temperature. For that reason, sesame oil can last for a longer time if you refrigerate after opening. 

In case you don’t cook with this kind of oil regularly, keeping it in the fridge is a good idea to prolong its lifespan and keep the quality.

Disadvantages

Once you put the sesame oil in the fridge,  as a natural reaction between low temperature and oil ingredients, its texture will solidify. The longer you keep the oil cold, the denser it will become.

Due to that reason, the oil will require an amount of time, approximately 15 minutes, to return to the liquid state when you use it for cooking. 

On the other hand, if your meals do not include sesame oil regularly, you can preserve them in the fridge. Before using this kind of oil for cooking, all you have to do is leave it at room temperature 15 minutes before cooking.

If you are not using sesame oil regularly, it’s best to keep it in the refrigerator for long-term storage and quality preservation. Sesame oil refrigerates for one year without getting spoiled or stale. 

The best option to save your time and effort is to purchase small containers of sesame oil and not refrigerate them in case you use sesame oil often in your dishes. 

Nevertheless, if sesame oil is an indispensable ingredient in your everyday favorite dishes, like sushi, or soup, it’s best to store the sesame oil in another method without refrigerating. You can leave the oil in small containers in a dry, away-from-the-sun place at room temperature to ensure that the oil remains its best condition. Refrigerating sesame oil in this case won’t be an ideal storing method anymore.

Well then, should you refrigerate sesame oil or not depends on your needs and usage of the oil. 

What Is The Other Way To Store Sesame Oil?

So, if refrigerating sesame oil is not always the case, then what is the other way to store cooking oil, specifically sesame oil in this case? As we have mentioned earlier, there is another best way to store sesame oil without refrigerating it. 

Like any other oil, sesame oil can be stored at room temperature, but there are a few rules to apply to keep the oil always usable:

• Keep unopened sesame in a cool and dry zone. The ideal sesame oil storage is your kitchen cabinet and cupboards. 
• Keep the oil away from direct sunlight or heat-supply sources in your kitchen, such as the microwaves, ovens, etc. 
• When you close the container, try to seal it firmly.

Does Sesame Oil Go Bad?

Any kind of oil can go bad if you don’t store it properly and this fact does not exclude sesame oil as an exception. 

No one can deny the fact that sesame oil can go bad. On the off chance there’s a change ịn the oil’s shade or there’s residue on the base of the container, you can expect that the oil is off.

However, as long as you keep the packaged fixed well, odds of any of that incident are thin. 

What’s significantly more plausible is that the oil goes rank. Rancidity is oxidation or hydrolysis of fats that were presented to air, light, dampness, or microscopic organisms.

Regardless of whether you follow the capacity practices perfectly, the oil will even now have contact with air (that is in the container) and at times light (when you open the bureau). What’s more, the more the oil is presented to those, the quicker it oxidizes. 

Malodorous oil changes as far as taste and scent. In the event that the oil’s flavor or smell is a lot more awful than they were at the point at which you previously opened the container, the oil is rank.

Same thing if it’s a new container that you simply opened and doesn’t have that nutty and hot (if it’s toasted) fragrance, smells acidic, or tastes harsh.

How Long Does Sesame Oil Last?

Like any other oil, the shelf life of sesame oil is presented on its container once you purchase it.

However, in contrast to nut oil or corn oil, sesame oil effectively outlives the mark’s date, which means that you can still use the oil even though the expiry date has passed.

How long is sesame oil good for depends on whether its bottle has yet been opened. Surprisingly, its life can extend to one extra year past the best-by date before it goes rancid.

This time range can be longer or shorter due to several storage factors, including the quality of the oil itself, how it was stored, and so on.

Opened sesame oil bottles will expire faster than usual, so you can expect the oil to hold excellent quality for a half year if put in the cardboard and a year if put in the refrigerator.

How Do You Know When Sesame Oil Is Bad?

Unlike other oil, you cannot tell whether sesame oil has gone bad with your sight only as one of the vast differences between it and other oils is that mold will not grow on it even when the quality deteriorates.

Instead, you can tell that sesame oil goes bad due to the strange yet terrible smell and taste. Even though rancid sesame oil won’t do any harm to your health, it certainly cannot please your appetite.

In short, you should dispose of rancid sesame oil not because it’s hazardous to devour, but rather because it’s not tasty to enjoy. 

Hence, you can always test the oil beforehand to see whether it is qualified for cooking or not. Don’t hesitate to get another bottle of sesame oil if the oil shows any unusual sign.

And in terms when the oil smells lovely and tastes terrific, keep on using it. The tip here is to trust you and your food sensitivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Alternatives For Sesame Oil?

Luckily, there are many options to go for once you, unfortunately, ran out of sesame oil. They resemble sesame oil in the aspect of delivering nutty taste and providing similar health benefits.

What Are Sesame Oil’s Benefits?

Being a healthy oil to your heart’s wealth, sesame oil can help bring down the amount of cholesterol you take in every day.

This oil will also generate powerful mitigating impacts to improve your blood circulation as well.

Using sesame oil regularly for cooking will lessen the risk of having illness while highlighting the ability to fight against them.