Have you ever wondered if you could just collect the earthy flavours of your herbs and bottle them up? Well, the good news is that you can. Since you’ll always require some amount of oil to saute the vegetables, fry them, or maybe just grease the food, you cannot skip having a bottle of oil in your kitchen.
If you like the rich flavour of herbs, you can now bottle up some herb-infused oils to get the most out of them. Not only will these concentrated flavours add taste to your food, but they will also add more depth to your culinary creations. And the best part is you can even make herb oils at home and take your day-to-day dishes to the next level. Explore more about some of the best herb oils.
Basil Oil
Basil oil can just capture the essence of summer, and you can enjoy the flavours all year long. You can make basil oil by adding some fresh basil leaves to a little olive oil on low to medium heat. Let the leaves sit in the oil till you get the same basil fragrance from the pan. Then, sieve the oil to get rid of the remaining left mesh and store it in an air-tight container. Your freshly made basil oil will complement tomato-based dishes and Italian delicacies like pasta, pizza, salads, etc, the best.
Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil is a beautiful golden-coloured oil that has the capability to transport you to the Mediterranean region with just a few teaspoons drizzled on your food. The process of making this woody, pine-scented oil is almost similar to that of basil oil; just remember to pick up organic rosemary leaves over any market-bought ones. You can then add it to potato-based dishes and roasted meat and relish them.
Garlic Oil
Even though you might already be adding chopped garlic or a garlic paste to your food, but garlic oil can enhance the taste even further. Garlic oil is especially liked by people who don’t like the taste and smell of eating raw garlic. So, if you want to make garlic oil at home, you can take some peeled garlic cloves and crush them. Then, heat up some olive oil, add the crushed garlic and let them cook till they release their flavour. After straining the oil, you can use it to roast vegetables, use it as salad dressings, or even in soups.
Lemon Oil
If you want to add a touch of tangy flavour to your food, there’s nothing better than using lemon oil. Once you make or buy lemon oil, you can add a refreshing touch to your dishes by adding just a few drops to your food. Lemon oil is known to complement seafood the best. So, you can just garnish your grilled fish with lemon oil. Apart from that, you can also sprinkle a few drops on your baked goods for a zesty taste.
Mint Oil
Who doesn’t like the cool and breezy mint garnished on top of their food and icy cool beverages? If you love the flavour, you will surely appreciate the impact made by mint oil on your food. After making the concentrated oil with the help of mint leaves of olive oil, you can its note to summer salads. It also pairs well with cocktails and mocktails, and for the best flavour, you can even mix it with some lemon oil.