I’m really excited about Christmas this year. We’re going up to see Dan’s family again, which is always fun, but even more exciting — the cousins are doing a Kris Kringle gift swap! The only other time I’ve been part of a gift swap/Secret Santa exchange was freshman year of college, and I remember it being a lot of fun. There’s something really exhilarating about sneaking around behind someone’s back, gathering data and trying to figure out what they want for Christmas…
The only problem with being Secret Santa for Dan’s cousins is that I don’t know all of them that well. Over the years I’ve tended to have more interactions with some than others – nothing personal, just a timing/geography thing. And, wouldn’t you know it, I ended up picking one of the less familiar cousins out of the Kris Kringle hat. Shit. What do I get for someone I’ve met only a handful of times?
Obviously, my first reaction = panic, but after some further thought and a few deep breathing exercises, I realized that this was actually a great chance for me to get to know said cousin better. Plus, like I said: reconnaissance is fun. So, I reached out to Dan’s mom, who poked around for me and came back with a list of possible gifts that told me two important things: (1) the cousin likes to cook; and (2) he/she is into the whole “eco-friendly” thing. Awesome!
The first thing that came to mind was homemade infused olive oils. I’d infused alcohol before, but never cooking oil. Same concept, though. So, I headed to FoodGawker for some ideas, and came away with 4 flavors to try: garlic, rosemary, chili, and lemon. All simple to make, delicious, and incredibly versatile — any of the 4 infused oils can be used for salads, sandwiches or any other kind of cooking. And, the bottles came out really pretty, don’t you think? I can’t wait to see how Dan’s cousin reacts when he/she opens his/her present! Let’s just hope that no one in Dan’s extended family reads this blog.
“On the 8th day of Christmas, my kitchen gives to youuuuuu…”
Lemon-Infused Olive Oil (Adapted from Simply Gluten Free’s recipe)
Ingredients:
- 2 whole lemons
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
Steps:
(1) Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, carefully strip one lemon of its zest. Try to keep each strip long and wide, and avoid getting any of the bitter white pith underneath. Stuff zest strips into your bottle. Set aside.
(2) Zest your second lemon, and set aside.
** It’s not as important to make the zesting pretty with this lemon. Just make sure you’re only getting the zest, and not the pith.
(3) In a sauce pan, heat olive oil until a few small bubbles start forming .
** If your oil starts smoking, take it off the stove and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
(4) Scoop zest from second lemon into the warm olive oil. Let it steep for about 30 minutes.
(5) Carefully pour the lemony oil into your bottle over the uncooked strips of lemon zest, making sure not to get any of the cooked lemon zest get in. Don’t overfill.
(6) Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
(7) Serve drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking.
** Use and/or throw out within 10-14 days.
Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil
Ingredients:
- 3-4 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
Steps:
(1) Stuff rosemary sprigs into your glass bottle. Set aside.
(2) In a sauce pan, heat olive oil until a few small bubbles start forming .
** If your oil starts smoking, take it off the stove and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
(3) Carefully pour warm oil into the bottle over rosemary. Don’t overfill.
(4) Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
(5) Serve with bread, drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking.
Chili-Infused Olive Oil
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1 to 2 whole, dried Thai chilies (Optional — I wanted to add these for additional flavor/visual appeal, but my grocery store was out.)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
Steps:
(1) Pour chili flakes into your glass bottle. Set aside.
(2) In a sauce pan, heat olive oil until a few small bubbles start forming .
** If your oil starts smoking, take it off the stove and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
(3) Carefully pour warm oil into the bottle over the chili flakes. Don’t overfill.
(4) Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
(5) Serve with bread, drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking.
Garlic-Infused Olive Oil (Click here, for the recipe)
** It can be dangerous to infuse oil with raw garlic cloves, so be sure to follow the instructions at the link above and take all the necessary precautions for food safety!
I was browsing the web just for this!! Great idea, thanks for sharing!!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the recipes.
Where do you get the cute jars?
You can find all the bottles you need or want at http://www.specialtybottle.com/. Super cheap and no need to buy in bulk. I bought mine from here to make similar gift boxes for family with oils, vanilla, spice mixes and gift mixes like hot chocolate.
Thank you! Very helpful.
Looks delicious! Be careful with garlic-infused oil though. I don’t know if pouring warm oil over whole garlic cloves cooks the garlic enough to reduce the risk of botulism. Garlic stored in oil at room temperature (even in the fridge for long periods of time) can become unsafe to eat. Botulism is type of food poisoning that can be real serious (even fatal). Symptoms include blurred or double vision, speech and breathing difficulty and progressive paralysis.
Thank you for letting me know! I’m actually going to re-do the garlic and rosemary-infused oils just to be safe. And, I’m definitely going to store them in the fridge this time!
Where did you purchase the bottle/cork combination?
I got the bottles at The Container Store — they each came with their own corks, but you can also buy a bag of replacement corks.
Is there another name for the Container Store? Can you get them at like a craft store or Target?
I think “the Container Store” is the official name of the store. I didn’t check Target or craft stores, but I bet you could find similar bottles from those places. I think I saw some on Crate&Barrel’s website. You can also order the bottles online from The Container Store’s website.
I looked at the Container store website…what exactly is the name of the bottle with the cork for gifting flavored oils? I could not find any pictures of what you are showing here.
thanks,
The bottles are called “4 oz Glass Cork-Top Bottle,” and can be found at this link – http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10019593&N=&Ns=p_sort_default%7C0&Ntt=glass+bottle
What a fantastic idea for holiday gifts and definitely something I would LOVE to receive! Your bottle, bottling and packaging look wonderful. Thanks for linking back to my garlic infused olive oil!!! I’m going to give your lemon infused oil a try. I’ve never had that nor even heard of it for that matter, so it appeals to me. Great post!!!
Thanks! I’ve never tried lemon-infused olive oil either before this post, but if it tastes as amazing as it smells, it’s definitely going to be a hit!
Where do you get the cute oil pourer?
Please be careful with your oils, not only garlic. Botulism can grow where any water is present. Garlic (more common) lemon peel, and any fresh herbs are at risk. To avoid any chance, refrigerate and use within a week. Other methods are using dried OR preserved herbs/garlic (vinegar or brine) and just adding oil (or heating oil) together.
Thank you! That is excellent advice
Quick question, what if you were to do this with Coconut oil? Would it have the same effect? or would there be a difference? would you know by any chance?
I’m sorry, but I never work with coconut oil so I really don’t know. If I had to guess, I would say that it should be the same, but I’m not sure. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Thank you for this! Another excellent place where you can find bottles is at www.specialtybottle.com I get all of my bottles to infuse olive oil from there.
Awesome, I’ll have to check that out!
Do you think you could do this with other things? Like Lavender or rose petals? For your skin? I know you can use olive oil on your skin but maybe something lighter like avocado or apricot oil? (I wouldnt use coconut oil – because im aware of the forests it comes from and the death and destruction caused (not trying to get all activist on you all) and im allergic to coconut ). Perhaps something to look at trying too?
You know, I’m not sure but I think it’s a great idea. I bet rose petal-infused oils could be kind of amazing. I would try avocado or apricot oil…I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around putting the stuff I use to cook with on my skin!
I would like to do this as a gift, but I am possitive the recipiant wouldn’t use all of it within a week.
Is it possible to infuse the oil for a couple of days then remove the garlic or rosemary so you are able to store the oil in the pantry for an extended amount of time normally? Or would you still be at risk of becoming unsafe to consume?
I think if you infuse the oil, keep it refrigerated, and then remove the herbs/garlic you should be fine. I believe the risk comes from the possibility of the plants/vegetables decomposing.
I think I did something wrong. I made the rosemary olive oil like you said but my olive oil
Is cloudy. Do you have any idea what happen.
Thanks for sharing. Thank you
Thanks for reading!
You said to use or throw out the lemon infused olive oil within 10-14 days. How long do you suggest the others will keep?
Thanks!
-R
Anything with actual plant matter in it won’t keep too long. I can’t give you an exact date, but I think if you refrigerate all the oils, they will last longer. They will prob last even longer if you take the rosemary/garlic/whatever out of the oil after a day or two of infusing. The link to the originating garlic-infused oil recipe might have a more exact time frame for that one.
Hey i am making the lemon infused oil, but the lemon is burning and it smells really bad… What can i do about this?
Hmmm. Try taking out the burnt lemon bits, lowering your heat, and adding fresh lemon peels.
OMG Why do you heat the oil!? This is so wrong. It just alters the good properties of the oil.
In Italy we just infuse things in the oil using dark glass bottles and storing them in a cool and dark place like a cupboard.
Good to know, thanks! Always fun to learn something about how things are done in another country.
How would you make mustard oil?
Hmm, I’m not sure! Have you tried searching for recipes online? I always find good stuff at www.foodgawker.com