Shelf life of expensive sesame oil

[kevin20422]

I am ready to go to the store make this recipe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=348346

The problem is the sesame oil should be used up in a few months.  I am going to make it anyway because I want to but what happens to this sesame oil after 6 months in a cool dark place, does it loose all its flavor or what.

I am a 55 year old grocery worker with a 4 year old so I cant waste money but I enjoy cooking and it is good for our health so I can spend a little now and then.

Are there any options here.  I dont want to be searching for sesame oil recipes everyday for the next few months.

I wasn't whining was I?   Honeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!!

 

[kyheirloomer]

Well, Kevin, we know you already have one other recipe: fried snow peas and ginger. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

But seriously, as we discussed in that thread, sesame oil is mostly used as a finish oil. So, anytime you have, say, a stir fry, add a few drops towards the end of cooking. Or use it to make Asian-flavored salad dressings. Etc.

BTW, where'd you get the six-month figure?

 

[kuan]

It does not last.  The oil is made from roasted sesame seeds.  It also has a lot of residual solids in it.  Buy a small bottle and enjoy it a bit at a time.

 

[kevin20422]

Thanks members, KY I just picked 6 months out of the air because I would like it to last that long.  I will just taste it I guess.  The recipe in this case says you use the oil to cook the first items in if you check it.

I have the price down to about 8 bucks for 12 oz. so I suppose that is not too bad.

Do I need a non stick pan?

Hope you dont mind another ??

 

[pdxjazz]

Nut oils are prone to turning rancid much faster than other oils. You need to refrigerate it and just remove it an hour or so you plan use it next time. It will last for a very long time under refrigeration.

 

[kyheirloomer]

I hadn't gone over to the recipe before, Kevin. But now that I have; you're not really cooking the oil; just using it to form the base of a sauce. Even so, ff I were going that route I'd start with a different oil, then stir in a couple drops of the sesame for flavor, just before removing from the heat.

I am not a fan of non-stick cookware (other than properly cured cast iron and carbon steel), and see no reason for its use in this recipe. What is there in that sauce that would stick? If something does, you were probably working at too high a heat to begin with---which would degrade the sesame oil, among other things.

 

[chefedb]

Since we buy it in 1 quart cans, I usually after opening pour into clean glass bottle, seal it, label and date it and refrigerate it at a constant temperature . I have had it last over a year. I have seen cans left out in kitchen go rancid.

 

[kevin20422]

Thanks KY, EB, pd,and kuan I appreciate your help.  Any KY by the way I did not mean to sound snippety about checking the recipe, you put alot of time into helping me in this and various other posts and I thank you.

 

[kyheirloomer]

I did not mean to sound snippety about checking the recipe

I wasn't aware that you had sounded that way, Kevin. No apology needed.

 

[kuan]

Alright well I had not thought about putting it in the refrigerator.  Maybe it'll last after all! 

Learn something new everyday on cheftalk.

 

[boar_d_laze]

The trick to sesame oil is buying good quality at the right price.  If you're buying at a regular, "white" supermarket, you're mostly likely being ripped off.

I just bought a 5.5oz bottle of Maruhon -- fairly good stuff -- for $2.99 from a local Asian super.  The same bottle is $3.69 from PhilAm (online Filipino/American grocer) and $9 from Amazon. 

At $3.29 if it goes bad after a few months, it's not the end of the world.  $9 is another story. 

BDL

 

[web monkey]

The problem is the sesame oil should be used up in a few months.  I am going to make it anyway because I want to but what happens to this sesame oil after 6 months in a cool dark place, does it loose all its flavor or what.

First, there are two kinds of sesame oil (toasted and not toasted), so make sure you get the right one. This recipe calls for toasted, which is used exclusivly when cooking is finished, as a flavoring agent.

The unused oil will eventually turn rancid, and exposure to heat and/or light accellerates this, although "eventually" depends a lot on storage conditions.

If you keep the bottle in your refrigerator (dark and cold) it will last for years.