How to Make Homemade Flavored Oils
add extra flavor and aroma to cooking oils with herbs, spices, citrus, nuts, and aromatics
by kendra vizcaino-lico
ook no farther than your pantry and produce drawer for everything you need to create a personalized, inexpensive, and thoughtful gift for any occasion—Hanukkah, Christmas, birthday, wedding, or just because... With just a few ingredients, you can create delicious flavored oils that are bursting with color, taste terrific, and have amazing aromas. Not only are these infused oils quick and easy to make, they're perfect for jazzing up salad dressings, drizzling over pasta and seafood, dipping bread into, stir-frying, sautéing, and so much more.
general tips:
• Always keep flavored oils refrigerated. Infused oils last about 1 month when stored properly.
• Allow flavored oils to sit out at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes before each use.
• Don't use flavored oils for deep-frying—leftover particles will burn.
• When gifting flavored oils, include storage instructions as well as serving suggestions.
Blender or food processor, pot or oven-safe bowl, cheesecloth, fine-mesh strainer, funnel, and glass bottles with tight-fitting caps or corks
You're adding additional flavorings, so there's no need to splurge on the most expensive oils. Any good-quality cooking oil will work just fine.
Olive oil is a natural choice, given that it's most likely in your kitchen already. A little fruity as well as slightly peppery, olive oil naturally complements a wide variety of flavors, but be aware that its natural flavor characteristics will also come through in the final product. If you want the added ingredients to shine, opt for either light olive oil or another neutrally flavored oil, such as peanut, grapeseed, or avocado.
Using spices, herbs, aromatics, citrus, and nuts, you can make your oil as minimal or intricate as you'd like. Use one or two ingredients for a simple blend or a variety for a complex concoction. You will need about 2 tablespoons of flavoring (in total) per cup of oil.
Infusing Oil with Spices
You can flavor oil with either whole or ground spices. (If you want to use ground, we recommend buying the spices whole and grinding them at home for the freshest, most pungent flavors.) There are two ways to infuse spices into oil: on the stovetop and in the oven. Once the oil is infused, using either of the methods below, strain it using a fine-mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth, then funnel the liquid into your bottle.
Stovetop flavored oil preparation: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan with the spices (whole or ground) for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely before straining.
In-oven preparation: Place the oil and spices in an oven-safe bowl or small pot on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the mixture from the oven and allow it to cool completely before straining.
Spices to Try:
• Dried red pepper flakes
• Cloves
• Curry
• Annatto seeds
• Star anise
• Cardamom
• Mustard
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Fennel seed
• Caraway
• Paprika
• Cinnamon
Infusing Oil with Herbs
The most important rule for making your own herb-infused cooking oil is always to use fresh herbs: They have a purer flavor than their dried counterparts, and will give your oil a more vibrant color. Thoroughly wash and dry your herbs before getting started.
Soft herbs like basil and cilantro should be blanched, shocked, drained, and blended with the oil in a food processor before being heated. Blanching the herbs will give your finished product a much more vibrant and bright color than if you just blend them. But if you're short on time, blending them without blanching will still result in a flavorful oil. Woody herbs like rosemary and thyme can simply be heated directly in the oil to infuse their flavor. Whether you use soft or woody herbs, the infusion method is the same: Warm the herbs and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the oil is lightly bubbling. Remove from heat and let the oil cool completely.
To prevent any cloudiness, take care when straining the infused oil mixture into bottles. If you're making oil infused with soft herbs, be sure to strain the mixture without pressing on the solids. For oil infused with woody herbs, simply remove the herbs from the oil before straining—but be aware that if you put herbs into the bottle with the cooled oil for a pretty presentation, it will result in slightly cloudier oil.
Herbs to Try:
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Chives
• Tarragon
• Mint
• Marjoram
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Sage
• Parsley
• Dill
Infusing Oil with Garlic and Other Aromatics
Oil infused with garlic, onion, or other aromatic vegetables is delicious for both dipping and cooking. It's important to thoroughly wash and dry your aromatics, even after you've peeled them, to remove all traces of dirt and impurities. Larger items like onions can be cut into rings or halved, while smaller ones, such as garlic cloves, can be left whole. Help release their flavors and fragrances by roasting aromatics before heating them in oil; cook them at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Then, in a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the aromatics in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Remove from heat, and let the oil cool completely before funneling it into vessels.
Unlike herbs, leaving the aromatics in the oil after bottling will not result in cloudiness; however, the aromatics will continue infusing the oil, and their flavors will grow stronger over time.
Aromatics to Try:
• Garlic
• Onion
• Lemongrass
• Scallion
• Shallot
• Ginger
Infusing Oil with Citrus
Oil can be flavored with different kinds of citrus zest to create a bright, tangy flavor. The easiest way to remove zest is with a vegetable peeler. Be sure to wash and dry the fruit before you start, and when possible, choose organic citrus fruits to prevent introducing any pesticides into the infused oil. Do your best to remove only the zest, not the white pith. Once the citrus is zested, in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm up the strips of zest in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
For a delicate flavor and clearer oil, use a slotted spoon to fish out the strips of zest while the oil is cooling. For a stronger flavor—but cloudier oil—leave the zest in the oil while it cools and strain the pieces before channeling it into bottles.
Citrus Fruits to Try:
• Lemon
• Orange
• Lime
• Yuzu
• Tangerine
• Clementine
• Grapefruit
• Blood orange
• Meyer lemon
• Kumquat
Infusing Oil with Nuts
To make a nut-infused oil, start with nuts that are raw and unsalted. Save time by buying nuts that have already been skinned or blanched. Cooking the nuts in oil will impart a rich, savory, roasted flavor, but keep in mind that the resulting infused oil will taste different from actual nut oils, which are created by pressing oils out of crushed nuts.
Heat the nuts with the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Remove from heat and let the oil cool completely before funneling it into vessels. Leaving the nuts in the oil will not result in any cloudiness and will add a lovely texture and contrast of colors to the finished product.
Nuts to Try:
• Almond
• Hazelnut
• Pine nut
• Walnut
• Cashew
• Pistachio
• Pecan
• Peanut
Creating Infused-Oil Blends
Mix and match your favorite spices, herbs, aromatics, citrus, and nuts for a truly unique oil blend. Or try some of our favorite combinations, below. Infuse ingredients that use the same technique at the same time. For example, if you are making an oil with lemon and thyme, you can heat the herbs and citrus zest in the oil together to save time. If you are making an oil that involves a variety of techniques, you will need to do it in stages. For example, for oil with cilantro and garlic, you will need to blanch, shock, drain, and blend the cilantro with the oil before heating it with the garlic.
Blends to Try:
• Cilantro, scallion, chile, and garlic
• Basil and mint
• Rosemary and orange
• Star anise, lemongrass, and blood orange
• Ginger, yuzu, and Sichuan peppercorns
• Basil and garlic
• Dill and caraway
• Hazelnut, thyme, and lemon
• Cardamom, onion, and cashews
• Cilantro, dried red pepper flakes, lime, and onion
Photos: Sara Bonisteel
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/hanukkah/flavored-oils#ixzz2m4VZImEZ