Fix Your Sad, Dry Nutella With A Simple Oil Solution

There's nothing quite like a fresh jar of Nutella. The silky smooth, chocolatey hazelnut spread is perfect on everything from toast, to being the secret ingredient in your baked goods (and a ton more creative uses). Let's be honest, more than one of us has eaten it straight off the spoon. But if you've ever reached for the Nutella a few days (or weeks) after opening it, you can probably relate to the plight that has afflicted many: the once creamy spread has turned dry, crumbly, and difficult to slather. Luckily, there's an easy trick to keep your Nutella smooth and spreadable for longer. All it takes is a thin coating of cooking oil over the top of the remaining Nutella in the jar.

The culprit causing your delicious spread to dry out is air. When you open the jar, the moisture inside the spread slowly evaporates. Eventually, all you're left with are unappetizing tough bits like refrigerated-solid butter. Cooking oil can act as a barrier between the Nutella and the air in the jar or the outside world. If you feel like it'll be a while before you touch the Nutella again, brush a thin layer of neutral cooking oil over the top before you close the lid.

Peanut oil is your best bet — in fact, a lot of sources recommend it as the first choice. It's cheap, widely available, and has a very neutral flavor, so it's the perfect oil to treat your Nutella. The only problem, of course, is if someone in your household has a peanut allergy. While peanut oil has been proven to not cause flare-ups, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Fortunately, you're not short of nut-free choices. Canola oil and light olive oil (not the strongly flavored extra virgin variety) work perfectly. You can also use any oil labeled as "refined," such as refined coconut or grapeseed oil, which have been specially processed to remove their natural flavor compounds. Unless you want your Nutella to get an extra taste, steer clear of anything unrefined, which will taste strongly of whatever it's pressed from. Whichever oil you choose, though, a gentle touch is crucial here. You only need the thinnest sheen on the Nutella, just enough to maintain moisture. You don't want to slather too much oil onto it that the spread turns out greasy. Never guessed such a simple hack is how you'd be able to bid farewell to disappointing, dried-out Nutella for good, did you?