Rosemary Garlic Infused Olive Oil

Rosemary garlic infused olive oil

I absolutely love infused oils. My favorite are, but not limited to, basil, rosemary, garlic, chili, citrus, and truffle. Who would have thought that infusing your own oil would be so easy! Well it is. Ridiculously easy. I just finished bottling some rosemary garlic olive oil two weeks ago and it looks and smells just the way I want it. The next on my list for bottling are a chipotle chili, and basil.

All you need to start out is a clean, sterile mason jar, olive oil, and a few sprigs of your favorite herb, or, garlic cloves, chili pods, whatever you want to enhance the flavor of your oil. For the next step, simply place the ingredients into your mason jar, fill it up with olive oil, seal tightly, and mark the top of your lid with the date it will be done, about 2 weeks. To ensure the best infusing, it is best to keep your oil jar in a dark, cool place, like your kitchen cupboard.

Infusing typically goes for 10-14 days, so make a note on your calendar. If you happen to forget about it, don’t worry, it will just be stronger in flavor.

Once your oil is done infusing, you will want to discard all of the solids that were used during the infusing process. You can use a metal strainer or just scoop them out. You can keep your newly infused oil in the same jar or put it in a cruet.

Infused oils are obviously perfect for sauteeing vegetables, but I personally love using the rosemary garlic oil in a salad dressing.

UPDATE

When infusing oils, please be aware of the dangers of botulism. Here are some helpful links with more information:

Common Foodborne Pathogens: Clostridium botulinum

Heating Kills Botulism for Infused Oils