HERB FLAVORED OILS
Most commercial herbed oils are quite expensive, but following these simple steps you can make your own and start using them in just a few days. As with the Herbed Vinegars, the Herb-Flavored Oils make wonderful gifts.
Rosemary, oregano, garlic, French tarragon, dill, sage and thyme are some of the best choices for flavoring herbal oils.
My favorite oil for infusing is extra virgin olive oil, as the taste is not too strong, but safflower oil is also a good choice. I have experimented with macadamia nut oil, taro oil and avocado oil and the results were good, but the oils are much more expensive, so use those when you want to pamper yourself or as a gift for a very special person.
As with the herbed vinegars, use a very clean glass wide-mouth jar and pack, this time loosely, with your favorite herb or combination of herbs. Fill the jar with your oil of choice and store in your refrigerator or a cool, dark place for maximum freshness.
The flavor of the herbs will begin to infuse the oil almost immediately, but for best flavor and fragrance, let the mixture sit for a week before using or repackaging for gift giving.
Herbal oils should stay fresh for up to six months, but for best results, try to use them up within a few weeks.
NOTE: When infusing oil with garlic you should soak the peeled garlic cloves in vinegar overnight to prevent bacterial contamination.
Strain out the garlic, place it in the clean bottle, add the oil, and then refrigerate immediately. I forgot to do this once and all the garlic turned a funny blue color in the oil. I ended up having to dump the whole thing!
If you use whole garlic cloves in either the infused vinegars or oils, it looks better if you skewer several garlic cloves on a wooden hors d'oeuvre stick and then slide this into the bottle before you fill with the vinegar or oil.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
-Large glass, wide-mouth jars
-Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, safflower oil, macadamia nut oil, taro oil or avocado oil.
-Herbs: Rosemary, oregano, basil, dill, French tarragon, thyme, sage, garlic
-Wooden hors d'oeuvre skewers
-Selection of decorative bottles with sealable tops
-Peppercorns: white, black, green, red or pre-mixed
assortment.
Check my food and garden blog
(c) From a November 2000 article in TROPICAL TASTE
By Sonia Martinez for The Hamakua Times of Honoka'a
and also included in TROPICAL TASTE cookbook
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Comments: 20
Thanks!
We do gift baskets for some of our neighbors and local friends every year!
I thought botulism was a potential problem for any homemade infused oil and therefore it shouldn't be kept for more than a few days to a week. I'm not doubting you, but I am curious.
I guess I should have mentioned in the body of the article that extreme caution and cleanliness must be observed at all times
Connie, I can believe that it has happened, but at least it has not happened to me. I do take care that everything is squeaky clean, though
The oil will solidify, so next time I will put it into a wider mouth glass jar or crock before refrigerating.
I still use fresh garlic for much of my cooking. I do not use it in vinaigrettes, as I use fresh garlic for that
Try a bit of the infused garlic oil brushed on slices of polenta and then saute them a little bit....YUM!
1) Don't do it. (This is the safest, but not very satisfying.)
2) Keep it cold. (Bacteria grows very slowly below 40 deg, but cold oil doesn't absorb flavor well, either.)
3) Keep it hot. (Growing bacteria dies at 140 deg. dormant spores die at 240 deg, but flavors are altered by heat.)
4) Keep it dry. (Bacteria requires moisture to grow in.)
5) Acidify the mix. Ph below 4.6. (Bacteria can't grow in an acidic environment.)
6) Pasteurize the finished product. (Toxin is destroyed at temps above 180 deg, but cooking won't disguise off flavors caused by spoilage.)
All of these points are effective and are described in detail elsewhere on the web. I'm not sure about the specific temperature thresholds, but I deliberately erred on the side of caution and you should, too.
Thanks, Lori!