The Question of the Day....

No, this isn't a new post idea...or something I plan on doing on a regular basis like lots of bloggers do...This was My PERSONAL question of the day...that I found out the answer to--the hard way...I will tell you the story as it happened....I realize that this shows my ignorance...but my sister begged me to post this...so here goes....James and I are budgeting (FPU) and eating out with the Allen's has decreased in the family...after realizing that is where we spent quite a good chunk of our cash....Every dollar has a name now...and it doesn't have "eating out" attatched to it!! (lots of good info in the class) Anyway, so tonight the menu was chicken fajitas and rice....hadn't made this in a very long time..but trying to cook some different things, so we don't get tired of the same old thing.....So, I cooked the chicken, cut up the peppers and onions and put them in the skillet...the next "thing" on the recipe was cooking oil...it stated to put 2 tsp of cooking oil in the skillet and then stir and let simmer.....Which was exactly what I did...Measured....Dumped....and Stirred....then I began to think...."HHhhmmmm...What is that smell? Something just smells really weird..." So I started stirring the chicken and realized the smell was coming from our dinner...that I had been working hard on preparing, I might add....Well, this is where the title of my post comes in.....my question of the day was
Can cooking oil go bad?

Could the oil that I just added to our fajitas be expired? Because the smell didn't start until after the oil was added.....Good question...So, who do I call, but the smartest chef I know....My Mother.....and her answer was

"What is the expiration date on the bottle?"

"Mmmm...Let me see, I am looking...."now I am LOL..."You don't want to know....It is 2003"

"Throw that out!!!!" my mom said...."Cooking oil gets rancid if you don't use it in about 6 months or so....You need to go shopping for some new oil!!!!!!"

Rancid??? Is that a new term for bad oil??? Or is my mom smarter that I give her credit for....She is smart...Here is the "googled" answer to my "question of the day"....Ha!

The biggest problem with fats and oils is the quality deterioration associated with oxidation, which results in off-flavors and off-odors, and eventually rancidity. Oxidation begins with exposure to air, heat and light -- the more unsaturated an oil, the more susceptible to oxidation it is. A rancid fat is easily detected by a bad odor.
The best way to store oils is to keep them tightly sealed in the dark on a cool shelf or, if such a location isn't available, in the refrigerator. Canola oil is not as unsaturated as many other vegetable oils (it has a large percentage of monounsaturated fats), so it may be kept on the shelf, unopened, for up to a year.
Once opened, however, you should use up an oil in four to six months.

So, there you go...Oil CAN and indeed HAS gone bad....Two lessons learned...Check the expiration date before use...and second smell of the oil....If it stinks...don't use it! So it is outside in the trash now...and we were without a supper plan...Ended up..James brought Pal's home to the kids...not good on the budget...But Oreo, our black lab was thrilled with her "Rancid Oil Cooked Chicken and Rice" that we gave her hot off the stove....I guess I spent 30 minutes in the kitchen cooking for my dog....that will be a first.....sleepy..good night.