Date: January 23, 1998 01:09 PM
Author: Mike (mgibbons@valdosta.edu)
Subject: Making cooking oils at home.

I've read that cooking oils don't stor very long; 6 months to a year. My question is can you make your own out of sunflower seeds and how? How many pounds of seeds will it take? and is there any special equipment needed? Also what is the shelf life of Crisco shortening?

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=11296)

---

Date: January 23, 1998 08:54 PM
Author: Joe W. Stout (joewstout@iswt.com)
Subject: Crisco


From information posted a few months ago the information was that Crisco has a shelf life of several years. Probably longer than most peoples supplies last. It was reported that Crisco has the longest shelf life of any type of cooking oils or grease.

JS

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=11350)

---

Date: January 24, 1998 08:39 PM
Author: Corinne Hayes (hayesm@erols.com)
Subject: Crisco


Joe, great info for those of us new to the forum. Thanks. I know that I've bought a big can of Crisco at Costco, opened it, put the plastic lid back on it and kept it on a shelf in our basement for a couple of months. Silly me hasn't been keeping a log of when I open something so I'm not sure how long it was down there, but it was still good to the last scoop.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=11460)

---

Date: January 25, 1998 11:03 PM
Author: D.J. (djw318@datawave.net)
Subject: Shelf life of Oil


The following is my own personal experience about storing oils.

In 1981 I purchased over 25 gallons of cold press olive oil from a local store that imported it from Greece. (This oil was the ordinary olive oil. Not the more expensive oil such as extra virgin or virgin oil). It was packed in 1 gallon tin cans. I also purchased over 15 gallons of Hains Sunflower Oil at a local health food store. The sunflower oil was nitrogen packed in half gallon bottles.

I used the sunflower oil sparingly until I thought it was all gone. One day in 1992, eleven years later, I found a box with six one half gallon bottles collecting dust under a shelf. Upon opening one of the bottles and expecting it to be rancid, it tasted as fresh as the day it was packed. I was utterly amazed, to say the least!

Concerning the olive oil....I still have 6 gallons left that I purchased in 1981 - seventeen years later! I opened one of the gallons two months ago. It was still very useable according to the tastebuds of all who tried it.

This is what I am convinced from this experience: 1) If all possible buy your oil in glass bottles. 2) Buy the oil cold pressed. Regularly pressed oil is pressed with heat which will break down the oil prematurely. 3) For olive oil to be called "Extra Virgin" it has to be packed with less then a 1% rancidity. Regular olive oil can have as high as 2% to 3% rancidity at the time of packing. If you buy olive oil, although it may cost a little more, extra virgin may survive longer due to its lower rancid level, if it is properly packed. 4) Store the oil in a very cool, dry, dark place if at all possible.

I realize the above length of time will never be approved by any manufactuer of food oil. Because of the above experience I am personally unafraid to buy food oil and hope that it will last more than a year or two if proper care is given in purchasing and storing the oil the way I did so.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=11553)

---

Date: January 30, 1998 07:38 PM
Author: Dr. Gene (carvgene@eci.com)
Subject: crisco


Corinne: My understanding concerning Crisco and the likes is that you are best to stay away from it as it is a trans- fat with means it is hydrogenated. The transfats are the worst for you from a health standpoint, better the canola, olive, sunflower, and safflower oils. Some medical people feel that they are one of the big causes of a lot of the various health problems evident today. I don't know from a professional standpoint, only what I read by Dr. Wm. Douglas and others. Good luck and God bless, Dr. Gene

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=12010)