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Making flavored oils is easy, and the end product can add a lot
to your cooking. Use them instead of spices and herbs, and you can
add flavor to vegetables and meats. Infused oils make great bases
for salad dressings, marinades, and sauces. Bottles of infused oils
look great on kitchen shelves, and are always an impressive gift.
There are two simple methods for doing an infusion—hot and
cold. Be sure to begin with a light, tasteless oil, like safflower
or canola. Olive oil makes a good infusion base for some herbs,
but tends to go rancid more quickly than other oils. Keep your infused
oils refrigerated. Olive oil will last about a month; other oils
will stay fresh for about two months.
For herb oils, use whole, fresh leaves. For spiced oils, either
whole or ground will do. If you choose ground spices, strain the
oil through a cheesecloth before bottling it. Whole spices and herbs
can be left in the oil for decoration. They will keep strengthening
the flavor over time.
Recipe
Conversions
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What
Do I Need?
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1
cup of a spice like cardamom, cumin, star anise, cinnamon, cloves,
or strong-scented herbs like rosemary, tarragon, chives, dill, mint,
or oregano. You can use one herb or spice, or mix two of them.
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Did
You Know?
Herbs
and spices get their flavors from aromatic oils. Herbs tend to have
much less of these oils than spices do, and so their flavors are
more subtle.
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4
or 4 1/2 cups canola, safflower, or other flavorless oil
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a
bottle with an airtight seal
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a
heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan to heat spices
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What
Do I Do?
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For
a hot infusion
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Tip
Store spices in airtight containers away from light. Whole spices
will keep for about a year; ground spices last only a few months.
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This
method infuses the oil quickly, so you can use it soon after you've
made it. By only heating half the oil initially, you won't waste the
whole lot if you accidentally burn it.
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1.
Put about half the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat it, stirring
constantly, over medium heat, until the spices start to sizzle and
the oil bubbles a bit. If you have a candy thermometer, heat the
oil to 140° F.
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2.
Cook
for about 5 minutes. The oil should be very aromatic at this point.
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3.
Remove
the pan from heat, transfer the oil and flavorings to a bowl, and
allow to cool.
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4.
Taste
the oil to make sure that it hasn't burned, and that it tastes strongly
of the spices and herbs. If it doesn't, add more flavorings, and
heat again.
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5.
Add
the remaining plain oil to the flavored oil, strain through a cheesecloth
if necessary, put the oil in bottles and store them in the refrigerator.
It will keep up to 2 months (if made with olive oil, 1 month).
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What's
Going On?
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Herbs
and spices get their flavors from the essential oils in them. Most
of these oils are aromatic compounds that you smell as you eat, and
these aromas create much of the flavor you experience. Because these
compounds are oils, they're soluble in the cooking oils you use. When
you soak herbs and spices in those oils, some of the fine-smelling
compounds will infuse into the oil, lending their scents and flavors.
On the other hand, trying to infuse water with the same herbs and
spices won't get you far. Think of the phrase "oil and water
don't mix." What will dissolve in oil won't dissolve in water,
and vice versa.
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What
Else Can I Try?
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For
a cold oil infusion
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This
method is easier, but takes a couple of weeks. Again, use fresh herbs
and whole spices.
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What
Do I Need?
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several teaspoons of herbs and spices
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oil to fill one bottle
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What
Do I Do?
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1.
Bruise the herbs and spices a bit to release their flavors.
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2.
Place them in the bottle.
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3.
Add warm oil.
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4.
Cover and let stand for 2 weeks.
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5.
Taste the oil. If the flavor isn't strong enough, add more flavorings.
Once the oil is infused, keep it in the refrigerator. It may get cloudy
from the cold, but should clear up when it reaches room temperature.
The oil should last, refrigerated, for up to 2 months.
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