Best Way to Make Herb-Flavoured Oils and Vinegars

Herbs added to oils or vinegars infuse them with their flavours; these flavours in turn are imparted to any dish made with the herbed oil or vinegar. Making a vinaigrette with such oils and vinegars brings a greater depth of flavours to a salad. Herb vinegars also offer convenience. They are handy for supplying the flavour of fresh herbs in the middle of the winter, and for adding herb flavours to salads and similar foods without any chopping. Flavoured vinegars can also be used in pickling. The addition of spices such as dried chilli peppers, plus celery, coriander, fennel, mustard, and other seeds adds visually as well as to the taste.

The acidity of vinegars helps to preserve them, so there is no need to worry about herbal vinegars spoiling, but it is possible that harmful organisms may develop in herbal oils. Extremely rarely, deaths have resulted from consuming herb-infused oils kept in warm conditions tot prolonged periods. In herbal oils that are commercially bottled, this risk is removed by acidification of the oil.

Acidification can be done at home by putting a small amount of vinegar into the oil (2 or 3 parts vinegar to 100 parts oil) and shaking, before adding the herbs. The concoction initially emulsifies but, after the flavoured oil is allowed to sit, it will clear. Keep herbal oils without acidification at room temperature for only a couple of days, and with refrigeration for no longer than a week.

Herb-flavoured oil

Herbs that infuse oil well include thyme, basil, chervil, fennel (leaves and seeds), dill (leaves and seeds), rosemary, and marjoram. Adding garlic cloves produces a great flavour – even stronger if you crush the cloves lightly before adding them to the oil.

Making herb-flavoured oil

• Clean, attractive bottle with stopper
• Extra-virgin olive oil to nearly fill chosen bottle
• 1 to 4 sprigs chosen herbs
• 1 to 4 garlic cloves, crushed lightly
• 1 to 5 dried chilli peppers (wear gloves when handling; chillies burn)
• Small handful spice seeds

Pour the oil into the bottle. Add herb sprigs, garlic cloves, chillies, and spice seeds, to taste. Screw on a lid or cork the bottle. Use within a couple of days.

Herb-flavoured vinegar

Many herbs combine well with vinegar, adding a delicious flavour. Tarragon is the one most commonly used, but bay, thyme, fennel (leaves and seeds), dill (leaves and seeds), rosemary, basil, and marjoram are also good. Cranberries and elderberries will add colour, as well as flavour, to red- or white-wine vinegar.

Putting bottles of vinegar containing herbs and spices on a sunny windowsill or outside in the sun for the first month after bottling will bring out mote of the flavours. However, be aware that most herbs will turn pale and look less lively if left in bright light too long.

Making herb-flavoured vinegar

• Clean, attractive bottle with stopper
• White- or red-wine vinegar to nearly fill chosen bottle
• 1 to 4 sprigs chosen herb
• 1 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed lightly
• Small handful spice seeds

Pour the vinegar into the bottle. Add herb sprigs, garlic, and spices, to taste. Alternatively, if you prefer a stronger flavour, you can pour warm – not boiling – vinegar over the herbs first, then funnel all into the bottle. Screw on a plastic cap or cork the bottle. Do not use a bottle with a metal cap, as the vinegar will react against it and turn black.