Olive is a liquid fat made out of olives, the fruit of a tree known as Olea europaea. And since olive oil is a liquid, you may have been wondering how it is similar to the liquid most vital for humans, water.
And if there’s one thing everyone knows about water, it is the fact that it can freeze; if you’re from the Northern Hemisphere, you can probably even check this out by looking from your window. So how is it with olive oil regarding this matter?
Does olive oil freeze? Yes, olive oil can freeze. Olive oil starts to freeze somewhere around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 ºC). However, olive oil is a complex substance, and that means the freezing point will vary a bit by each brand and even bottle.
So can your olive oil freeze in your fridge? Or even simply in the kitchen throughout the winter? These are only some of the questions we’re about to answer in this article, so keep reading.
Table of Contents
- Can real olive oil freeze?
- Does olive oil have a freezing point?
- At what temperature does olive oil freeze?
- How long does olive oil take to freeze?
- Does olive oil freeze solid?
- Does olive oil freeze in winter?
- Does olive oil freeze in the freezer?
- Does olive oil freeze in the fridge?
- Does olive oil freeze in the refrigerator?
- Does olive oil solidify in the fridge?
- Does olive oil expand when frozen?
- Should I refrigerate or freeze olive oil?
- Summary
- Resources
Can real olive oil freeze?
Many people wouldn’t even think about their olive oil freezing and therefore suspect that it actually isn’t a real oil when it freezes. These worries are not justified, though.
So yes, real olive oil can freeze, and this process starts to happen as soon as around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 ºC). That being said, it is a little bit more complicated with this. But we’re just about to get there.
Does olive oil have a freezing point?
Yes, olive oil has a freezing point. However, it is hard to say what exactly that point is. That’s because olive oil is a very complex substance, and the exact freezing point, therefore, varies a lot product by product.
At what temperature does olive oil freeze?
As we’ve explained above, it is hard to point out a specific temperature of olive oil freezing because it is a complex, natural substance. However, generally speaking, it can be said that olive oil starts to solidify as soon as the temperature hits 50 °F (10 ºC).
And the olive oil starts to freeze when the temperature falls under 40 °F (4.5 ºC). Hence, if you leave your olive oil at that low temperature for a while, you can expect it to be frozen.
To be more precise, though, the temperature widely believed to be the actual freezing point of olive oil is 10 °F (-12.5 ºC).
How long does olive oil take to freeze?
So that’s for what the freezing point of olive oil is, but now you’re probably wondering: how long will it take the olive oil to freeze? Well, answering this question is arguably even harder.
As we’ve already said a thousand times, olive oil is a very complex substance, which makes it and freezing a complicated topic. Thus, the time olive oil takes to freeze may vary from anywhere between a few hours to even three days.
Does olive oil freeze solid?
And there’s also one more thing that makes it hard to say how long olive oil takes to freeze – it isn’t necessary for the frozen olive oil to be completely solid.
But, with that being said, olive oil freezes solid in most cases. In others, though, you can surely end up with a block of olive oil that is still liquidy, even though it is frozen.
Does olive oil freeze in winter?
No, olive oil doesn’t freeze in winter. Or, to be more specific, you at least don’t have to worry about that happening when you leave it in your kitchen near to an opened window or when you’re taking it home from shopping.
But, theoretically speaking, your olive oil can freeze in winter when you leave it in your car throughout the night, for example. That’s because the point olive oil starts to freeze is somewhere around 40 °F (4.5 ºC).
Does olive oil freeze in the freezer?
Yes, olive oil freezes in the freezer. That’s because the most often used freezer’s temperature is 0° F (-18° C), whereas olive oil starts to freeze even around 40 °F (4.5 ºC).
Does olive oil freeze in the fridge?
As mentioned above, a few times, olive oil starts to solidify around 50 °F (10 ºC) and slowly begins to freeze as soon as the temperature reaches 40 °F (4.5 ºC).
And since most fridges use precisely the temperature of 40 °F (4.5 ºC), it is, therefore, possible for your olive oil to freeze in the fridge.
Does olive oil freeze in the refrigerator?
Yes, olive oil freezes in the refrigerator. or at least it can. That’s because the critical temperature below which olive oil is sure to start at least slowly freezing is 40 °F (4.5 ºC), which also happens to be precisely the temperature the vast majority of refrigerators use.
Does olive oil solidify in the fridge?
Yes, olive oil solidifies in the fridge. Why? Well, that’s because the most commonly used temperature of the fridge is 40 °F (4.5 ºC), and olive oil starts to solidify somewhere around the temperature of 50 °F (10 ºC).
Actually, below the temperature of 40 °F (4.5 ºC), olive oil starts to freeze, so your olive oil can even freeze in the fridge! But we’ve talked about that a bit above.
Does olive oil expand when frozen?
No, olive oil doesn’t expand when frozen; quite the contrary, it gets denser by a decent amount.
And this, by the way, isn’t just olive oil’s specialty; actually, it is the case with every oil that can freeze.
Should I refrigerate or freeze olive oil?
Even though everyone likes to adjust their fridge’s settings to fit their preferences, the vast majority of people have their refrigerator at or below 40 °F (4.5 ºC) and their freezer at 0° F (-18° C).
And, as we’ve just explained, olive oil starts to solidify around 50 °F (10 ºC) and freezes when the temperature hits 40 °F (4.5 ºC).
Hence, you shouldn’t put your olive oil in the freezer or the fridge. That’s because otherwise, it would very likely get frozen, and if not, at least definitely very cold.
And that would only leave you waiting for it to get to the room temperature when you would want to use it.
Summary
Even though you may think it is impossible, olive oil can freeze. And a huge cold isn’t even required for that happening – olive oil starts to solidify even as soon as the temperature falls under 50 °F (10 ºC).
Actual freezing then starts when the oil is in a temperature below 40 °F (4.5 ºC), and the point when olive oil is sure to freeze solid is something like 10 °F (-12.5 ºC). These numbers will vary a lot by each product, though, since olive oil is a natural substance and a very complex one for that matter.
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Image credits – Canva
