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Today- Culinary Infused Oils with herb expert, Danielle at @edithandherbert

Danielle is a wealth of knowledge on herbs, their medicinal and beneficial properties. Today, she showed us two ways to infuse oil, a double-boiler method and a “warm infusion” method.

Danielle did a sweet one with lavender and vanilla she will put in her yogurt. I went the savoury route with rosemary, oregano and chili flakes. I used it for dipping tonight with some tomatoes for a quick bruschetta and it was heavenly.

My favorite part was the step of setting “positive intentions” while making the infusions. Danielle knows the infusions’ beneficial properties can open up even more by setting good intentions and engaging in a grateful attitude.

I know infusing oils can be a scare to some people who are concerned about bacteria. The most important thing to keep in mind is to keep any moisture out of your oil. This means not using and fresh herbs or things like garlic, unless they are dried.

Using dried herbs make it easy to do quick infusions. Below is a quick guide on how to do two infusions: double-boiler and warm infusion. See a link to a Google Doc Culinary Infused Oils by Danielle for particular herb benefits and more information.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A cooking oil- olive, avocado, or coconut oil 
• Dried herbs- 
• thyme, chili/cayenne, garlic (fresh or dried), sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, lavender
• Sterilized canning jars, wax paper/parchment paper, double boiler, bag for slow/ folk infusion

Double-boiler method: 

The first infusion we did, we heated oil with dried herbs over a double-boiler gently for 30 minutes. Then, strained it into a sterilized glass jar. The oil will last the same shelf life of the expiration date of the oil you used.

Warm Infusion method: 

The second method takes longer but gets a more intense infusion. It could take 2-6 weeks. It is the “warm infusion”. Not to be confused with using any heat.

What we did for the warm infusion was put dried herbs in a sterilized jar and covered it with olive oil. We used wax or parchment paper to cover the lid so the oil wouldn’t have contact with the lid.

Then, you store the jar in a cool dark spot, away from the light. Every day or so, you turn the jar, making positive intentions and do this for 2-6 weeks or the flavor is to your liking. That’s about it!

Summary

I love having the control to create my own oils and make it that special addition to my soups or salads. When I get my hands on vanilla beans and lavender, I’ll have to try the sweet infused oil.

Danielle used the warm infusion method for her vanilla-lavender oil, so it will take some weeks before we know how it came out.

I’ll come back and update this post when we know. 🙂

Please check out this comprehensive Google Doc that Danielle made that will answer ALL your herb and oil questions. Culinary Infused Oils.