How to Infuse Oils and Vinegar: Basic Food Preservation

Dear World Market,

Why do you tempt me so?  I wish, oh how I wish I could browse your isles without feeling deprived of something delicious or exotic.  *sigh*  Unfortunately, you’re too expensive.  Unless you’re having a sale… no wait, even then you’re still too expensive.  Fortunately, not all is loss.  I have figured out how to make some of the items on your shelves for a fraction of the price.  Please come to the Crumbs kitchen to see how it’s done.  Maybe you’ll pick up a few pointers and pass the savings on to others who can’t afford you too. 😉

The last time I went to Cost Plus (World Market) was this shopping trip in March.  There was one item on my list that I couldn’t get at the normal grocery store – tahini.  Tahini is seasame seed paste, which is used most often in hummus (at least according to my current recipe collection).  Readers left me comments that tahini can be made at home pretty easily be made at home using sesame seeds and not much more than the same process to make peanut butter.  But it was the first time I had worked with the ingredient and really wasn’t sure what to expect, let alone make it from scratch, so I braved World Market instead.

That, my friends, is a feat in itself!  I still remember vividly texting a friend of mine who lived nearby an S.O.S. call to get me out of there.  Every.single.thing. on their shelves tempts me WAY beyond what my grocery budget allows.  It’s all so inviting and fun!  Exotic foods, fun kitchen tools, beautiful furniture… it’s a struggle to keep my eyes focused on the ONE thing I truly need.  Five months ago it was tahini.  Today, it’s flavored oils and vinegars.

Take a guess as to how much that bottle of oil and vinegar would cost me at Cost Plus (World Market).  $3?  $5 for both?  $8?!

Ha!  Keep going.

An 8oz bottle of flavored oil and an 8 1/2 oz bottle of flavored vinegar would EACH cost $6, for a total of $12 spent on something you could make at home for free, so long as you already had the ingredients on hand.

Once again, I give ode to the partial ton of produce my dad dropped on our doorstep a few weeks back.  Thanks to his generosity, the oil and vinegar you see above cost me zilch in dollar and only 5 minutes of time that was being spent in the kitchen cooking dinner anyway (part of the “work smarter” mentality).

Even if you don’t have tons of produce to sort through and figure out what to do with (besides freezing and dehydrating), you can create your own fancy schmancy oil and vinegar using literally, whatever you have on hand!  Leftover herbs from a recipe, rinds from citrus (especially if you’re well stocked on homemade all-purpose cleanser ) or fruit that’s passing prime before you can it or puree it into smoothies or pies or baked fruit for breakfast dishes.  The limit is your imagination!

How to Infuse Oil

These are the basic steps for infusing oil.  My creation is below, along with some other delicious oils for you to glean from and drool over.  Regardless of what you decide to infuse with – chilis, herbs, fruit, etc. – the steps are basically the same.  The only different would come if you want a cooked flavor like roasted garlic and tomato or toasted almond.  You’d have to roast or toast the solid ingredients first, and then infuse with the directions below.

One thing to remember:

Start with the best olive oil you can afford.  (I’m using Toscoano from Costco.)  This fridge test isn’t 100% reliable, but it’s good enough for my family when it comes to weeding out the really bad oils.  There’s a part two to that validity post too if you’ve got the time and interest to read more about olive oils (which you should, since you’re about to infuse them!).

In either case, this post is a must-read for cooking, storing and using olive oil correctly.  (Did you know you shouldn’t use it for high-heat stir-frying?)

1. Thoroughly wash solids with all-natural produce wash and dry completely.  Bacteria will not grow in the oil, but it can grow on the solids.
2. Wash and dry glass jar and lids.
3. Squish, bruise, crush or chop solids to expose the flavors.  This doesn’t mean mince or dice.  A few rough chops or squishes will do the trick.
4. Place solids in the jar and cover with oil.
5. Allow oil to sit in a dark, cool spot (i.e. pantry closet) for 2-4 weeks for the flavors to infuse.  Test the oil every 3-4 days to see how it’s coming.  Some like it strong, some not so much.
6. When the flavor is how you like it, strain the solids out, pour the oil into the jar and seal it.
7. Infused oils last approximately one month.  Keep refrigerated.

Other Helpful Tips:

• If possible, use pretty bottles if you’re giving the infused oil as a gift.  (Yes, two Starbucks latte’s were abused just for today’s post. 😉 ) Everyone likes pretty bottles, plus it gives you another reason to keep your old jars instead of recycling them.  Use this technique to remove the labels and ordinary cooking twine with a hand-written label to give the bottle a rustic and personal touch.
• Taste testing the oil allows you to stop infusing when the flavor is to your liking, but remember that the flavor can always be diluted after the fact.  Once you remove the solids, it cannot be made stronger.
• Infused oils are best for un-cooked purposes like homemade salad dressings or dipping freshly baked sourdough baguettes.  Mmmm…

How to Infuse Vinegar

Just like infusing oils, these are the basic steps for infusing vinegar.  Drool alert – I shared my concoction for this one too with even more ideas for you to use as a starting point.  The type of vinegar you used isn’t a make it / break it factor.  Preferably use white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine, champagne or even rice vinegar for a super mild taste.  The only vinegar I wouldn’t recommend is distilled white since it it’s the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality.  Plus it’s made from corn (which is likely GMO 🙁 ).

1. Thoroughly wash solids with all-natural produce wash and dry completely.  Bacteria will not grow in the oil, but it can grow on the solids.
2. Wash and dry glass jar and lids.
3. Squish, bruise, crush or chop solids to expose the flavors.  This doesn’t mean mince or dice.  A few rough chops or squishes will do the trick.
4. Place solids in the jar and cover with vinegar.
5. Allow vinegar to sit in a dark, cool spot (i.e. pantry closet) for 2-4 weeks for the flavors to infuse.  Test the vinegar every 3-4 days to see how it’s coming.  Some like it strong, some not so much.
6. When the flavor is how you like it, strain the solids out, pour the vinegar into the jar and seal it.
7. Infused vinegars can last up to six months.  Refrigeration is not necessary.

Other Helpful Tips:

• I may sound like a broken record here, but if possible, use pretty bottles if you’re giving the infused vinegar as a gift.  It’s the frugal way to say “I care,” even if it didn’t cost you anything.  Clean the jar, remove the icky sticky label and you’re good to go.
• Taste testing the vinegar allows you to stop infusing when the flavor is to your liking, but remember that the flavor can always be diluted after the fact.  Once you remove the solids, it cannot be made stronger.
• Infused vinegars can be substituted for any vinegar need, but would be very good in salad dressings or with your homemade infused oil for those sourdough baguettes again.  An herbed vinegar would be SO GOOD in insalata caprese, or over freshly picked strawberries!
• Some recipes call for heating the vinegar first.  This isn’t necessary, but helps to speed up infusion, and extract and blend the flavors.  On the other hand, not heating the vinegar preserves the probiotic benefits of raw vinegar.  If you aren’t in a rush, I say skip the heat.

The beauties above are Rosemary  & Thyme Infused Olive Oil and Blackberry & Mint Infused Vinegar (white wine).  Here are just a few more recipes and ideas to help you preserve the summer season through infusing!

• Lavender Vinegar from Creating Naturally
• Dandelion Aperitif from Commonsense Homesteading
• Herbal (any) Vinegar from GNOWFGLINS

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What flavors would you pick for your own oil and vinegars?  How would you use them?

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