Infused olive oil is made when an ingredient is added to it and allowed to infuse it with flavor. There are many, many varieties and flavors available commercially. These include: lemon, garlic, rosemary, basil, and just about any herb. Some have strong, hot peppers, such as habanero, chipotle, and jalapeno, used as the infusion ingredient. The flavor determines the use. Using Italian spices is great for pasta dishes. Hot pepper ones are great for Southwestern style cooking.
Citrus peels are often used as an infusion to make a universal flavor the is appropriate for many things, including desserts. The peel give it a strong flavor of citrus that is complementary to many dishes. The moisture content, however, does make it a higher risk for botulism and other bacteria. It should be carefully stored in the refrigerator and not used if any strange odor or color is noticed.
Due to their being processed with high temperatures and preservatives, commercial products are safer so far as botulism and other bacteria are concerned. They are guaranteed to be safe, but if it doesn't look or smell right, don't use it. At the beginning, the flavor intensifies rapidly, but soon becomes stable at a particular strength.
It is reasonably simple to make your own mixtures at home, using a few safety precautions and a choice of ingredients based on your tastes. One safety precaution that many claim give added protection against such things as botulism and other bacterial diseases is to heat the ingredient you plan to add to a very high temperature in either vinegar or brine to use as a preservative. You then add the cooled mixture to the bottle you plan to use before adding the oil.
Another way to insure a safe product is to press the olives with whatever moist ingredient you plan to add, such as garlic or lemon peels. Fresh peppers can be done this way as well. You then just bottle the combined oils and store safely until ready to use. They should be used within a week. Prepare only the amount you can use in that period of time.
Dehydration is another way to insure safety of the mixture. Using a food dehydrator, an oven, or just the sunshine, let the ingredients you want to add get completely dehydrated, then add them to the mixture. Dried ingredients are often stronger in flavor than the non-dried, so use sparingly. At some point, the flavor stabilizes, however, so adding extra oil if it gets too strong will make it the correct strength.
Use decorative, colored bottles, such as amber or cobalt, and you have excellent gifts for hostesses or holidays. The darker bottle keeps it fresh longer. Attach a pretty label and fancy bow, including directions to use withing the week, and you have a great gift of a hostess in lieu of that traditional bottle of wine.
Buying infused olive oil is a possibility, and may be the safest option. However, it can be made safely at home. Many prefer this, getting the exact flavor and strength they want. Bottling in fancy bottles and decorating with fancy labels make them excellent as gifts. This may make the homemade preferable to commercial varieties.
Citrus peels are often used as an infusion to make a universal flavor the is appropriate for many things, including desserts. The peel give it a strong flavor of citrus that is complementary to many dishes. The moisture content, however, does make it a higher risk for botulism and other bacteria. It should be carefully stored in the refrigerator and not used if any strange odor or color is noticed.
Due to their being processed with high temperatures and preservatives, commercial products are safer so far as botulism and other bacteria are concerned. They are guaranteed to be safe, but if it doesn't look or smell right, don't use it. At the beginning, the flavor intensifies rapidly, but soon becomes stable at a particular strength.
It is reasonably simple to make your own mixtures at home, using a few safety precautions and a choice of ingredients based on your tastes. One safety precaution that many claim give added protection against such things as botulism and other bacterial diseases is to heat the ingredient you plan to add to a very high temperature in either vinegar or brine to use as a preservative. You then add the cooled mixture to the bottle you plan to use before adding the oil.
Another way to insure a safe product is to press the olives with whatever moist ingredient you plan to add, such as garlic or lemon peels. Fresh peppers can be done this way as well. You then just bottle the combined oils and store safely until ready to use. They should be used within a week. Prepare only the amount you can use in that period of time.
Dehydration is another way to insure safety of the mixture. Using a food dehydrator, an oven, or just the sunshine, let the ingredients you want to add get completely dehydrated, then add them to the mixture. Dried ingredients are often stronger in flavor than the non-dried, so use sparingly. At some point, the flavor stabilizes, however, so adding extra oil if it gets too strong will make it the correct strength.
Use decorative, colored bottles, such as amber or cobalt, and you have excellent gifts for hostesses or holidays. The darker bottle keeps it fresh longer. Attach a pretty label and fancy bow, including directions to use withing the week, and you have a great gift of a hostess in lieu of that traditional bottle of wine.
Buying infused olive oil is a possibility, and may be the safest option. However, it can be made safely at home. Many prefer this, getting the exact flavor and strength they want. Bottling in fancy bottles and decorating with fancy labels make them excellent as gifts. This may make the homemade preferable to commercial varieties.
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