---
title: The Peppery Truth About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
description: How to store olive oil so it keeps its goodness, and seven things you probably did not know about the bottle on your counter
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-06-09T12:30:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-26T21:19:51.779Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/the-peppery-truth-about-extra-virgin-olive-oil
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/skyler-ewing-3vvZCdI6fuw-unsplash.jpg
categories: Nutrition
content_type: Guide
region: Europe
publication: Rich Health Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

There is a good chance the most valuable bottle in your kitchen is the olive oil, and an equally good chance you are storing it in the worst possible place, on the counter beside the hob in the light and the warmth. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the few foods that is both a daily pleasure and a genuine medicine, rich in compounds that calm inflammation and protect the body, but it is also delicate, and those same compounds fade if the oil is treated carelessly. Understanding the bottle a little better changes how you buy it, store it and use it, and it is more interesting than you might expect.

First, what extra virgin actually means, since the label is the whole game. Extra virgin olive oil is pressed mechanically from olives without heat or chemicals, which preserves the delicate polyphenols, the antioxidant compounds responsible for both its health benefits and its flavour. The oils labelled simply "olive oil", "pure" or "light" are a different thing entirely, refined with heat and solvents from lower-grade oil, stripped of most of those compounds, and worth far less to your body however much they cost. Only extra virgin carries the goodness, which is why it is the only kind worth buying for anything that matters.

## How to Store It Properly

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