What is the sediment on the bottom of a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and is it bad?
Joe C., Chicago, IL Without seeing the sediment, it is hard to tell. However, when olive oil has been chilled (e.g. set in the refrigerator) some of the oil congeals into white specks; those specks disappear as the oil comes back to room temperature. If there are other types of sediment, I would discard the batch of olive oil. You can also tell, by the way, if the oil is rancid, just by tasting it. It will taste distinctly off and rancid when it has turned.
