If you can’t find extra virgin olive oil, you can also buy “virgin” olive oil, which is slightly lower quality, but still has a very good flavor and can be used for infusions. Be sure to check the “best by” date to ensure that the expiration date gives you enough time to make and use the oil.
For example, if you make Italian food frequently, you can make a garlic olive oil to use while cooking. If you like to use olive oil on salads, try infusing a lemon or ginger olive oil.
As a general rule, try to stick with creating infusions that have no more than 2 ingredients. More ingredients can sometimes result in muddled flavors and conflicting tastes. If you want to experiment with multiple-flavor infusions that have more than 2 ingredients, try making smaller batches of the infused oils to taste test. This will prevent waste and ensure that the flavors work together.
If you’re unsure of whether your ingredient should be cold or hot infused, try a cold infusion first. This method works well with most ingredients and creates a mild flavor profile.
For woody herbs, including rosemary, sage, and thyme, you’ll need only a few sprigs of the herb for your infusion, since they tend to be stronger and the hot oil will draw out the flavor.
While bacteria won’t grow in olive oil, it can grow on wet ingredients that have been added to an infusion.
This helps the herbs begin to release their flavors to infuse into the oil and will speed up the infusion process.
Make sure the lid is on as tightly as possible to prevent air from entering the bottle while it infuses.
Cold-infusion oils should be refrigerated at all times to prevent them from becoming rancid.
Cold-infused oils will last 2-3 weeks when stored in the refrigerator. If you notice a change in the flavor of your oil, throw it away immediately and infuse a new batch.
Heating the oil over 150 °F (66 °C) can change the flavor profile. Try to keep the heat at or just below this temperature for best results. Don’t begin to add ingredients to the oil as it’s heating. This can cook the ingredients and change the overall flavor of the oil.
After your initial mixing, try not to disturb the ingredients as they infuse into the oil. This can change the flavor of the oil and cause it to cool too quickly.
Keep in mind that the longer the ingredients sit in the oil, the stronger the flavor will be. If you want a stronger flavor, let the oil sit for an extra 1-2 hours before straining and bottling.
Heat-infused oil will be fresh for 1 month after bottling. If you notice a change in the flavor of the oil, throw away the oil and infuse a new batch.
