Flavored Olive Oil


 

Clint

TVWBB Olympian
the grocery stores I shop at the most has a bunch of flavored oils and chunks of bread to dip in them........ basil, lemon, habanero, rosemary, basil, jalapeno... the oils I think cost nearly $20 bottle for probably only 20 ounces....

A few weeks ago I chopped up a habanero and soaked it in oil - after a few days I poured some into a misto sprayer (avoiding any solids) and topped off the container. It's good sprayed!

I picked up a baguette and tore it into pieces & dipped into my oil (very good!)---the only thing that concerns me is I think I might see a little oxidation (I'll try to post a pic tomorrow) and I'm wondering about food safety, preservation, and traditional technique....as in how is this normally done?
 
I make rosemary and basil oil all the time. The former I cook for a few minutes to drive out the moisture but the basil I merely toss in a blender with oil and strain through a fine sieve (saving the filters bits for other use). For chili oil depends on whether dried peppers or fresh. Same deal.
 
that's a good idea thanks! I have a nice colander that'd work just fine for this - I think I'll try a small quantity of rosemary, basil, and maybe jalapeno (fresh peppers - I hadn't thought to try dried :) )
 
Timely question, and one I thought of when making hot sauce. The proper acidity and PH is a key for safety and that's why I steered clear of trying to make my own, cause it kind of freaked me out.
Good link Bob!

Tim
 
Down the drain - thanks again for the save Bob. It was REALLY good though!! I'll try it again, safely next time.

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I recall my early efforts in making flavoured oils. Threw a bunch out. Luckily it seems (thanks for the science lesson Bob!). However if you cook them you are essentially driving out the moisture and killing any bacteria. Been doing this for years and I am still here. Non-cooked ones I keep in the fridge (who here hasn't made pesto??) And of course the ones made with dried (hot) peppers or other spices would be safe as per the science. Gonna do some potato wedges in the convection oven drizzled with rosemary oil tonight. Wish me luck! :)

BTW, I always find this food science stuff interesting. Like no one makes their own pickles or salumi anymore...
 
Pickled eggs are remarkably safe, IIRC..... only one case of botulism I've read about but I think the conclusion was that the guy pierced his eggs with a wooden skewer or something that introduced the C. bot... I think it's the acidity here----so I was thinking I (Peter Piper) could pickle some peppers and then try making the oils..........??? or maybe just use dried and refrigerate...
 

 

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