Oil is an essential substance in every kitchen, and there are many oils we use, for that matter, which are together known as cooking oils. And one of the arguably most popular and widely used of those is canola oil.
Everyone knows canola oil, even though they might think they don’t – if not anything, canola oil is the most commonly used oil for frying by many fast-food chains, including McDonald’s.
But we suppose you would know about canola oil even if it weren’t for that. Nevertheless, the fact you know about its existence doesn’t inherently mean you have to know something about it as well.
Yeah, I, for instance, have known about canola oil for my entire life, but until recently, when this question randomly popped up in my mind, I didn’t even know whether canola oil could freeze or not.
And, forgive my boldness, but I believe that you probably don’t know that surely either, so let’s take a look at it:
Does canola oil freeze? Yes, canola oil freezes, but it usually doesn’t start to happen until the temperature reaches 14 °F (-10 ºC). However, this will vary a lot case by case because of the complexity canola oil has as a natural product.
But this was put just really quickly, and there’s much more to be said about this exciting topic. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
Can canola oil freeze solid?
Even though it is certainly possible for canola oil to freeze solid when exposed to high temperatures for long enough, to be fair, it isn’t much common.
That’s because usually, the frozen canola oil is still a bit liquidy instead of being completely butter-like solid.
Does canola oil have a freezing point?
Yes, canola oil has a freezing point; however, it is hard to say what exactly that is. That’s because canola oil is a natural product, and its properties may, therefore, vary even by each bottle of the same brand.
Generally speaking, though, it can be said that the freezing point of canola oil is 14 °F (-10 ºC). But keep in mind that your canola oil will probably start to freeze a little bit sooner or later.
At what temperature does canola oil freeze?
As explained above, canola oil is a complex substance with properties varying a lot by each product. Hence, it is nearly impossible to say when it starts to freeze.
But broadly speaking, we can say that canola oil freezes at 14 °F (-10 ºC).
Can you freeze canola oil to store it?
Although you can freeze canola oil to store it, it indeed isn’t recommended. Why? That’s simple.
Mainly there’s the fact that freezing canola oil simply doesn’t make any sense since it doesn’t extend its shelf life.
Secondly, freezing canola oil ruins its structure (and therefore taste and other essential properties), and freezing it is, hence, not only unnecessary but actually even harmful.
Can you freeze used canola oil?
Yes, you can freeze used canola oil, but we don’t recommend you do so because you won’t extend its shelf life by freezing it.
Quite the contrary, you would only mix up its structure, thus interfering with its cooking abilities and making it taste worse.
How long does it take to freeze canola oil?
So now you know that you shouldn’t be freezing your canola oil on purpose, but what about that happening by accident? Don’t worry, that not happening is nearly ensured!
Mainly, the freezing point of canola oil is relatively low, as we’ve explained just a few paragraphs above, and you probably don’t encounter temperatures that low a lot.
But even if you do, it still isn’t likely that you will stay there for long enough because it takes at least a good four hours for canola oil to freeze.
Does canola oil harden in the fridge?
Yes, just like any other oil, canola oil hardens and gets denser in the fridge. Because of the reasonably low freezing point canola oil has, though, this change won’t be drastic.
Summary
Canola oil is one of the most popular vegetable kinds of cooking oil out there, and it is easy to see why – it has a neutral taste, can be heated to a wide variety of temperatures, and it’s fairly healthy (for instance, because being low in saturated fat).
These are just the things widely known about canola oil, though – the more interesting come when we dive into a bit weirder topics, like, for example, canola oil and freezing. So can canola oil freeze?
Yes, canola oil can freeze, but this starts to happen only somewhere around 14 °F (-10 ºC) and takes a relatively high amount of time. Therefore, you don’t need to be worried about your canola oil getting frozen while you’re taking it from your car to your kitchen in winter.
What you should be worried about, though, is freezing the canola oil on purpose – freezing canola oil doesn’t only lack meaning (it doesn’t expand its shelf life) but also actually harms its flavor and structure. Hence, avoid doing that at all costs.
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Image credits – Canva
