# My olive oil coagulates. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280 "2005-01-29T14:30:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/1 "2005-01-29T14:30:35Z")
How come the olive oil in store-bought salad dressings doesn’t coagulate, but when I make a homemade dressing it does? Is this, as I suspect, another case of better living through chemicals? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/2 "2005-01-29T14:42:24Z")
Some store bought dressings contain emusifiers (like lecithin contained in egg yolks). Try using pure olive oil in place of EVOO and see if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/3 "2005-01-29T14:45:29Z")
Emulsifiers - chemicals that are added to commercial dressings so the fat doesn’t separate. In homemade mayo the emulsifier is the lecithin in the egg yolk. The slow addition of oil to the other liquid base will temporarily make the two integrated but on standing without emulsification they will separate. It doesn’tr matter just whisk the dressing before application and make sure to use a salad spinner so that there is no water on the salad. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/4 "2005-01-29T14:47:35Z")
Similar thoughts there eh? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/5 "2005-01-29T14:50:33Z")
Because your olive oil is made _outta people!_ ---
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/6 "2005-01-29T15:10:59Z")
I should have said it coagulates if I refrigerate it. I make it fresh, use it, and it’s ok, but if I have any left over, and want to save it, it comes out of the 'fridge a gloppy, yucky, chunky mess. Sounds appealing doesn’t it? Just what you want to liberally dose your spinach with. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/7 "2005-01-29T15:21:47Z")
From experience, olive oil starts coagulating at about 2 degrees C or below. Maybe your fridge is too cold (normal operating temperature should be around 6 degrees). But it also depends on oil quality and the presence of water in it. You could also experiment with other olive oil brands. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenchslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/94ad74/32.png) [@Wrenchslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenchslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/8 "2005-01-29T15:48:35Z")
Olive oil will cloud get cloudy and coagulate in cold temperatures. However the oil will return to normal if allowed to return to room temperature with no appreciable harm done to its quality or flavor. FWIW, I’m not sure what you put into your salad dressings, but as long as none of the individual ingredients need refrigeration (e.g. oil, vinegar, spices), the dressing itself should be fine for a day or two on the counter. You may also want to try adding some mustard powder to your dressing. It acts as a pretty good emulsifying agent as well as being pretty darn tasty. wrenchslinger ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/9 "2005-01-29T15:50:00Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Because your olive oil is made _outta people!_ And boyoboy is Popeye pissed! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/10 "2005-01-29T16:08:20Z")
There are a couple of organic liquid soaps out there which act as excellent emulsifiers and do not leave a “soapy” taste when used properly – one drop per gallon, or something of that sort. Oils, however, “gel” at an appropriately low temperature – it may merely be that your refrigerator is cold enough to hit the gel point for olive oil. (A good organic chemist would have to comment on this.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/11 "2005-01-29T16:09:37Z")
> [@mailman](#): > > How come the olive oil in store-bought salad dressings doesn’t coagulate, but when I make a homemade dressing it does? Is this, as I suspect, another case of better living through chemicals? It isn’t coagulating, it is freezing. And I bet the reason that store bought dressings don’t freeze even at cold refrigerator temperatures is because they are cut with another oil (likely soybean oil) which has the same or lower freezing point. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/12 "2005-01-29T22:07:45Z")
According to [this](http://snipurl.com/ce3z) Google search, olive oil freezes at very different temperatures. Olive oil based dressing does coagulate in my fridge (40 deg. ft.) but it sure as hell isn’t turning in to a solid. I doubt **mailman** ’s fridge is much colder. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/13 "2005-01-29T22:59:15Z")
I keep my olive oil in the fridge and I’ve also seen this. As pointed out above, I just take it out before I need it and let it get to room temperature. According to [Hormel](http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=40&id=189&floater=disabled), olive oil is 77% monounsaturated fat. So what’s the rest? Could it be fats which are more saturated and would have a higher melting point? That could be the part that’s “coagulating”. If so, could one theoretically remove the solidified part and be left with an even healthier oil? Would the increase in healthfulness be worth the trouble? I suspect not, or someone would already be doing it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-olive-oil-coagulates-why/287280/14 "2005-01-29T23:36:57Z")
According to [Go ask Alice](http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0768.html): 9% polyunsaturated 72% monounsaturated 14% saturated 5.8:1 unsaturated/saturated fat ratio