Cooking with flavored oils will bring fresh, new flavors to your favorite dishes. Creating your own homemade cooking oils won't take much effort, and you will save money by making your own and not buying expensive, commercial products in fancy bottles. Preparing small amounts means you can change flavors frequently and experiment with new combinations of fresh herbs and spices. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Type of Oil
Choose your base oil. You can create homemade oils out of any type of cooking oil, but the most common base is a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is versatile in that it has a rich, clean taste that can be drizzled right onto salads or used as a dip for breads. It also can withstand high heat cooking so it works very well for sauteing vegetables. Olive oil will be complimented by any variety of flavorings you decide to include in your cooking oil. Other types of oils that will work for this project include safflower and sunflower oils. Vegetable oil is not recommended due to its lack of fresh taste.
Fresh Herbs
Homemade cooking oils can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be, but even the simplest flavored oil requires care in the preparation. Use fresh herbs as opposed to dry to enhance the quality of your cooking oil. Try standards such as basil, oregano and thyme but also experiment with lemon balm, fennel, chervil, cilantro or bay leaf.
Spices
Spices can also be added to your oil, but be careful not to add too many flavors or choose spices that will clash with one another. It may be best, if you're not sure, to try a little experiment by sauteing a combination of oil and your chosen herbs and spices to see if the combination works. Spices that will work well in your cooking oil include curry, cumin, peppercorn, clove, coriander seeds, chipotle, mustard seed or horseradish root.
Preparation
Making homemade cooking oil will involve more waiting than actual preparing. Gather the ingredients you want to use and one or more glass jars or bottles with well-fitting lids. You may want to make one large infusion, or try several flavors.
Prepare your herbs by cleaning them, patting them dry and crushing them very slightly, just enough to release a little scent. Put the herbs into the jar; you don't need to pack it tight. If you are using spices, add those to the jar as well. In a sturdy saucepan, heat the oil until it just begins to warm--it doesn't need to be very hot, lukewarm is fine. Pour the oil over the herbs and cover with a lid. Place the oil into a cupboard where it will remain cool and dark for at least 7 days. Once a week is up, remove the oil and place in the refrigerator. Flavored oils should be consumed within 4 weeks to prevent spoiling.
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