Herbal Cooking Oils

You can easily make herb-infused cooking oils at home. The only hard to come by ingredient is thyme (er, time). Infused cooking oils take two weeks or more to create.

To infuse the oil, you will need some wide mouth canning jars, your favorite herbs and spices, and a suitable cooking oil. We recommend extra-virgin olive oil, but there are other cooking oils with a light taste you may choose too (like sunflower or safflower oil). If you want to transfer your oil into a more decorative bottle later, make sure the decorative bottle seals tightly.

Choose your herbs. Wash and dry the herbs, then lightly bruise them (this helps to release the herb's flavor). Put the herbs in clean glass jars, cover with warmed oil, and seal tightly.

Place the jar in a cool dark place to infuse about two weeks.

Taste the oil. If it needs more flavor, add some more fresh herbs. Let the oil stand for another week.

When your oil is ready to use or give, you must decide if you want to leave the herbs in the oil or strain them out. If you choose to leave the herbs in the oil, then the oil will become stronger in flavor over time.

Remember: Monounsaturated oils should be refrigerated because they go bad relatively quickly. If you use garlic, remove it from the oil after a couple of days so it doesn't overpower the other herbs in your blend. And finally, use your oil within two months, just in case.

Credit: Cooking Oils Adapted from Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, and Flavorings by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (Dorling Kindersley, Inc.)