Storing red palm oil

[Grey_Moon]

Does red palm actually need to be refrigerated?
Growing up I never remember keeping any oils in the fridge...so theoretically if kept in a dark container in a dark and cool place would it be possible to keep red palm oil in a pantry?

I'm just asking because having to constantly reheat and refrigerate can't be good for the oil itself, nutritionally or in terms of rancidity. Which is what happens considering as soon as red palm oil is refrigerated it turns into a solid lump, so i have to immerse the bottle in hot water to melt the oil everyday when my fids get their sprouts and veggies.
Also it'd be nice to cut down on the time it takes me to prep the food considering I'm tight on time and my mobility isn't great...so it takes me a while to do things.

[sidech]

Yes, it has to be refrigerated. I used to do the same as you, ie put the bottle in hot water until I could get it to melt, until someone told me something brilliant :

You just get a little hard blob from it and feed it to your bird ! So I've been doing that for 4 days nows, no more messing with the bottle. Just use a cooking spoon (I give 1/4 teaspoon) and scoop it off just like ice cream ! It will be mostly small bits anyways, that you can easily mix with the food.

[lotus15]

Actually you don't NEED to refrigerate it unless you plan on storing it for over 6 months. It solidifies in the fridge so I always keep a small jar in the cupboard and the bigger one in the fridge-- that way I have the large jar that will stay fresh and a smaller one that is always ready to use in its liquid form.

[pfinarffle]

Actually you don't NEED to refrigerate it unless you plan on storing it for over 6 months. It solidifies in the fridge so I always keep a small jar in the cupboard and the bigger one in the fridge-- that way I have the large jar that will stay fresh and a smaller one that is always ready to use in its liquid form.

That's a great idea! How long does it last on the shelf before going bad?