Blue cheese stuffed olives are a delicious appetizer or snack, but because they contain dairy, it’s important to store them properly and be aware of how long they will stay fresh. Understanding the shelf life of blue cheese stuffed olives will help prevent wasting food or consuming olives that are past their prime.
What are blue cheese stuffed olives?
Blue cheese stuffed olives are green olives that have been pitted and stuffed with blue cheese, which is a type of cheese made from cow, goat, or sheep’s milk that has been cured with cultures of the mold Penicillium. This mold gives blue cheese its distinctive veining and pungent, funky flavor. The buttery, salty blue cheese complements the briny olive flesh beautifully.
Popular varieties of blue cheese used for stuffing olives include gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Stilton. The olives are often packed in jars or cans in a mixture of brine, olive oil, and vinegar to preserve freshness. Some recipes may also include ingredients like garlic, peppers, or herbs.
How can you tell if blue cheese stuffed olives are bad?
There are a few signs that indicate your blue cheese stuffed olives have spoiled and should be discarded:
– Mold growth. Mold on the surface of the olives or brine that is not the typical blue veining of the cheese is a sign of spoilage. This mold will appear fuzzy or dry.
– Slimy texture. The olives and cheese filling will begin to take on an unappetizing slimy or mushy texture when they go bad.
– Rancid smell or flavor. As blue cheese stuffed olives spoil, they will give off a rancid, bitter, or unpleasant smell. The flavor of rancid olives is noticeably “off”.
– Soft or shriveling olives. Fresh olives and cheese should both be relatively firm. If the olives feel overly soft or rubbery, have visible shriveling or are falling apart, it’s best to discard them.
Unopened blue cheese stuffed olives
Properly stored unopened olives will generally stay fresh for the following times:
– Pantry or cupboard: Up to 9 months, provided the seal is intact and the can is not bulging, leaking, rusting, or severely dented
– Refrigerator: Up to 1 year
The expiration date printed on the packaging is the manufacturer’s recommendation for peak quality. The olives will remain edible for a period beyond the printed date, gradually losing flavor, texture, and quality over time.
Once opened, the olives will need to be consumed more quickly. Follow the instructions below for storing opened cans or jars of stuffed olives.
Opened blue cheese stuffed olives
After opening a can or jar of blue cheese stuffed olives, storage conditions become much more important in determining how long the remaining olives will stay usable. Here are some general guidelines, starting from the date the jar or can was first opened:
Refrigerator:
– Stored in brine: 2-3 months
– Stored in oil: 4-6 months
The olives will maintain best quality when stored covered in the original brine or oil they were packed in. If the liquid has mostly evaporated, the olives will deteriorate faster.
Pantry or cupboard:
– Stored in brine: 1-2 weeks
– Stored in oil: 2-3 weeks
Room temperature storage is not ideal. Olives packed in brine have a shorter shelf life than those in oil once opened. For optimal freshness and to extend shelf life, refrigeration is recommended.
Freezer:
– Stored in airtight container: 6-8 months
Freezing can more than double the shelf life of opened stuffed olives compared to refrigerated storage. Place the olives in an airtight freezer-safe container, allowing some headspace to account for expansion.
How to store blue cheese stuffed olives for maximum freshness
To get the most longevity out of your blue cheese stuffed olives after opening, follow these storage guidelines:
– Transfer any unused olives to an airtight container rather than leaving them in a partly empty can or jar. Mason jars or food storage containers with tight lids work well. This minimizes air exposure.
– Completely submerge the olives in their packing liquid before sealing the container. Leaving them exposed to air will drastically reduce shelf life.
– If the packing liquid doesn’t fully cover the olives, add enough olive oil or vinegar to completely submerge them.
– Refrigerate opened olives at 40°F or below. Monitor the temperature of your refrigerator to ensure it stays in this food-safe zone.
– Rinse the olives with fresh brine or oil if they will be stored longer than 2 weeks. This helps remove any traces of metal from the can and freshens them.
– Label containers with the opening date. Use opened olives within the recommended time frames.
– Store containers towards the back of the refrigerator where the temperature is most stable. Avoid temperature fluctuations from opening the door frequently.
– For freezer storage, leave 1/2 inch headspace in rigid containers. Use within 6-8 months for best quality.
– Never freeze stuff olives in glass jars, as the liquid will expand and break the glass. Use plastic containers instead.
How to tell if frozen blue cheese stuffed olives are still good
Frozen blue cheese stuffed olives can maintain quality for at least 6-8 months in an airtight container, but over time freezer burn can affect taste and texture. Inspect your frozen olives and check for the following before eating:
– Ice crystals or freezer burn. Dryness, whitening, or development of a grainy texture indicates freezer damage. This affects the quality but not safety.
– Separation of cheese. The filling may separate and appear oily upon thawing. This does not necessarily mean the olives are spoiled.
– Mold growth. Discard any olives with mold. Do not just remove the moldy portions as toxins may have spread.
– Strange odor. Frozen stuff olives should not smell rancid or unpleasantly “off”. Do not taste any olives with an odd smell.
As long as the olives appear normal and intact upon thawing, with no off odors, soft textures, or mold growth, they should still be safe and tasty to eat. Discard any that display signs of spoilage. For best quality, use within the recommended frozen storage time.
Can you refreeze thawed blue cheese stuffed olives?
Previously frozen blue cheese stuffed olives can be safely refrozen, although this will lower the quality compared to freshly frozen olives. To refreeze thawed olives:
– Inspect olives for signs of spoilage like off-smells, mushy texture, or mold. Discard any olives that appear spoiled. Do not refreeze spoiled olives.
– Place olives in a clean airtight freezer container with fresh brine or oil. Make sure they are fully submerged. Allow headspace.
– Refreeze promptly after thawing. Do not store at room temperature.
– Use refrozen olives within 2-3 months for best quality.
– Only refreeze thawed olives once. Additional thawing will degrade texture and flavor.
– Label the container with the refreeze date.
Refreezing will lead to some loss of texture and flavor, but should not make the olives unsafe, provided they did not sit at room temperature for an extended time before being refrozen. Storing in brine or oil helps preserve the quality better than freezing them alone.
How long do pitted and stuffed olives last at room temperature?
Olives with the pits removed and stuffed with cheese do not keep well at room temperature compared to intact olives in brine or oil. Some general guidelines for room temperature storage include:
– Pitted and stuffed olives:
– In brine: 3-5 days
– In oil: 5-7 days
– Whole olives:
– In brine: 2-3 weeks
– In oil: 3-4 weeks
The flesh inside a whole intact olive is protected from air exposure. Once pitted and stuffed, oxygen can penetrate the inside and accelerate spoilage. Refrigeration is best for storing stuffed olives.
Keeping olives submerged in oil helps prolong shelf life compared to brine, but does not compare to refrigerated storage. Discard any room temperature olives that show signs of mold, smell bad, or become excessively soft. For food safety, refrigerate after opening.
Does brine or oil make a difference?
The packing liquid does impact how long blue cheese stuffed olives can be stored after opening. Here is a comparison:
Brine
– Typically a mix of water, vinegar, salt, and preservatives
– Provides high acidity to help prevent bacterial growth
– Shorter shelf life than oil after opening
– Can corrode metal cans over time
Oil
– Usually olive oil, vegetable oil, or neutral oils
– Coats the olives to help slow oxidation and bacterial growth
– Provides longer shelf life than brine after opening
– Easier to properly cover and submerge olives
The main advantage of oil is its ability to seal out air contact and limit food spoilage once exposed to oxygen. The antioxidants in olive oil also help retain flavor. However, brined olives can sometimes have a preferable crunch and tart, pickled flavor.
For the longest shelf life of opened stuffed olives, oil is preferable. But quality brined olives stored properly in the refrigerator can still last 2-3 months.
Can you eat olives past the expiration date?
It is generally safe to eat stuff olives past their printed expiration date, provided you closely inspect them first. Watch out for these signs of spoiled olives:
– Dry, shriveled, or mushy texture
– Visible mold
– Rancid or “off” smell
– Metallic, bitter, or acidic flavor
– Pitting, soft spots, or slime on the flesh
– Separation of cheese from olives
– Gas buildup or bulging packaging
If the olives show no signs of spoilage, they may still be enjoyable for 2-3 weeks past their expiration when properly stored in the refrigerator. The quality slowly declines over time but the olives do not necessarily become hazardous to eat overnight.
Use your best judgment – spoiled olives will exhibit noticeable changes in sight, smell, and texture. Always discard any that appear rotten or rancid, even if the date says they should still be good. With high acid foods like olives, it is fairly apparent when they are no longer suitable for eating.
Can bad blue cheese stuffed olives make you sick?
Consuming spoiled blue cheese stuffed olives could potentially lead to foodborne illness, especially for people with compromised immune systems. Here are some common pathogens and toxins that can contaminate bad olives:
– Listeria: Bacteria that can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea. Higher risk for pregnant women.
– Salmonella – Causes vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps
– Clostridium botulinum – Causes flaccid paralysis if botulinum toxin present
– Mycotoxins – Toxins from mold growth linked to cancer and organ damage
– Peroxide compounds – Formed in rancid fats, can irritate the digestive tract
The main risks come from contamination and microbial growth after the olives’ protective packing is opened. Refrigeration and proper storage helps minimize pathogen and toxin production.
Discard any olives that look or smell off. Do not taste them. Severely spoiled olives should not be eaten, especially by young children, elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
How long do unopened olives last?
Both whole and stuffed olives can have very long shelf lives if the packaging remains unopened and intact. Here are the general timelines:
Pantry or Cupboard:
– Canned olives: 12-18 months or longer
– Jarred olives: 12-16 months
– Vacuum sealed pouches: 9-12 months
Refrigerator:
– Canned olives: Up to 5 years
– Jarred olives: Up to 3 years
– Vacuum pouches: Up to 2 years
Freezer:
– Canned olives: Up to 5 years
– Frozen in airtight packaging: Up to 2 years
As long as the container is not seriously damaged, the olives maintain quality for impressive lengths. Refrigerating or freezing unopened olives can more than double their shelf life compared to pantry storage.
Conclusion
To summarize key points on maximizing the shelf life of blue cheese stuffed olives:
– Unopened olives keep 1-5 years based on type of packaging and storage conditions. Refrigeration prolongs shelf life.
– Discard opened olives after 2-8 weeks in the fridge, depending on packaging liquid. Use within 2-6 months.
– Olives last longer when fully submerged in liquid in an airtight container. Minimize air exposure.
– Freezing extends the shelf life of opened stuffed olives up to 8 months. Use freezer-safe packaging.
– Avoid storing olives at room temperature once opened. Refrigeration is best.
– Inspect olives for mold, foul smells, slime, and other signs of spoilage before eating.
– Refreeze thawed olives only once for best quality. Discard if any spoilage is present.
– Brined and oil-packed olives last differently once opened. Oil provides longer shelf life.
With proper storage and handling, blue cheese stuffed olives can remain delicious and safe to eat for an extended period beyond the best by date. But olives that show any signs of spoilage should be discarded. Following these guidelines helps maximize the freshness.