Olive oil can of Portugal

Look at the shape and you immediately understand why we like it. This is not a modern kitchen accessory trying to disappear into the background. This little can is allowed to be seen.

The tall body, small handle and especially that long classic pouring spout give it exactly the old-fashioned character that brings to mind kitchens where olive oil was simply always close at hand.

There are plenty of products today that are deliberately made to look “vintage”. This olive oil can does not need that at all. The classic shape does the job by itself.

And perhaps that is exactly its charm: it looks equally at home in a country kitchen or beside a modern cooker. A little nostalgia without turning the whole kitchen into a museum.

This olive oil can comes from Portugal and is sold under the Guimarães brand. No Italian design name, no complicated technology and no story that needs to be made bigger than the product itself.

It is above all a solid stainless-steel utensil with an instantly recognisable shape. And that is precisely where its charm lies.

The long, narrow spout makes it possible to pour the oil quite precisely. Useful while cooking, for example when drizzling oil over vegetables, pasta or a baking tray.

And admittedly, olive oil simply looks much nicer coming from a classic spout like this than from an anonymous plastic bottle.

The can is made from stainless steel. It is sturdy, practical for everyday use and, most importantly, completely opaque.

This means the olive oil inside is not exposed to direct light. Use the can for your everyday amount of oil and keep the larger supply somewhere cool and dark.

The Portuguese olive oil can is available in two capacities. Both have the same recognisable classic shape; the main difference is simply how much olive oil you like to keep within easy reach each day.

Are you mainly looking for the clever anti-drip system that guides any oil running back into the can? Then choose our modern Portuguese olive oil can.

Do you instead love that classic silhouette and want an oil can that looks as though it has belonged in a southern European kitchen for decades? Then we would choose this one. Not more modern. Much more nostalgic.

Beside the cooker, on an open shelf or during a long table filled with antipasti, bread and pasta: this model does not need to disappear behind a cupboard door after use. Its nostalgic appearance is a large part of the fun.

The modern version is cleverer. The Alessi is more elegant. But this Portuguese oil can has something the other two are not even trying to offer: nostalgia. A simple stainless-steel can with a wonderfully old-fashioned shape that simply looks good in the kitchen. And sometimes that is more than enough.