It’s now well known that cooking oils can easily become rancid when exposed to light or heat, which is why we ALWAYS want to buy oils in dark containers AND store those oils away from heat. AND as tempting as it can be, NEVER buy large containers of oils. There is too much risk that they will become rancid over time.
The same holds true for nuts and seeds. NUTS and SEEDS contain natural fats and oils that can go rancid over time.
If you are buying small bags of nuts and eating through them rather quickly, then they can probably stay in your kitchen cabinet. But if you are buying bulk nuts (at a store like Costco) or you eat through nuts very slowly, then it is best to put them in the fridge or freezer. Those same guidelines hold true for nut butters. Store those babies in the fridge too!
Rancid oils will likely not make you immediately sick, but they contain free radicals that can increase your risk of developing diseases such as cancer or heart disease down the road. No thank you!
