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…”
PLEASE NOTE: There can be a risk of botulism in infused oils if they are not made/stored properly. For more information on this, here is a link to an article from the University of Maine that you may find useful: http://umaine.edu/publications/4385e/. There is also some information in the comments section below.
- 2 whole lemons
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
- 3-4 sprigs rosemary
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
- 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.)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 4-oz glass bottle with cork
- ½ to ¾ cup whole, peeled garlic cloves *
- Juice from ¼ lime
- 1 to 2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 4-oz glass bottles with cork
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- Scoop zest from second lemon into the warm olive oil. Let it steep for about 30 minutes.
- 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.
- Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
- Serve drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking. (Use and/or throw out within 10-14 days.)
- Stuff rosemary sprigs into your glass bottle. Set aside.
- 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.)
- Carefully pour warm oil into the bottle over rosemary. Don't overfill.
- Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
- Serve with bread, drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking. (Use and/or throw out within 10-14 days.)
- Pour chili flakes into your glass bottle. Set aside.
- 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.)
- Carefully pour warm oil into the bottle over the chili flakes. Don't overfill.
- Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
- Serve with bread, drizzled over salads, or in everyday cooking.
- Put the cloves in a bowl with the lime juice. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Reserving the juice for later, drain the lime juice from the cloves.
- Spread out the garlic cloves in one layer in a small baking dish.
- Pour enough olive oil over the garlic so that the cloves are completely immersed.
- Roast in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Cloves will darken as they cool. Scoop the cloves from the oil into a bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Pour the reserved lime juice over the cloves with ½ cup your oil and stir to combine.
- Pack garlic cloves in an airtight container. Pour enough of the oil over the roasted cloves to cover. Refrigerate until you need to use roasted garlic in other recipes. (I like it smeared on bread)
- Strain the remaining oil into your (clean, sterilized) glass bottle and use as garlic infused olive oil.
(Lemon-Infused Olive Oil adapted from Simply Gluten Free’s recipe; Garlic-Infused Olive Oil from MJ’s Kitchen)
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.
For the herbs, is it ok to used dried herbs or do they need to be fresh?
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! 🙂
You can avoid this by roasting the garlic in the oven BEFORE adding the oil. This does alter flavor but i think its a much nicer and more mellow taste.
Thank you!
I wonder if roasting the garlic cloves first would make a difference…
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.
You can get the bottles at HOBBY LOBBY … and glassware goes on sale every so often.
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!
Yes love lemon oil on pasta and top with parmigiano cheese
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 🙂
Hi! Thanks for this, I had no idea about the risk of raw olive oil with raw garlics. I cant eat garlic and I read about garlic infused oil so I just put some cloves in a glass olive oil bottle. I kept them 6 days at room temperature and mostly cooked with it (so I guess heat reduced risks?) but also used it raw a couple of times. After reading this of course I’ve thrown it away, but do you think it might have been harmful? Thank you.
I can’t say for sure if your batch was harmful or not, but there are definitely risks any time you have raw vegetation hanging out for extended periods of time, you know? Degradation, mold, etc. are all issues to be aware of. I think throwing your oil away was probably a good call!
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 http://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.
NO! the risk comes the minute the herbs/garlic leave moisture behind in the oil.
Thanks! I appreciate the comment 🙂
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.
Cloudy is a bacterial infection. Throw them away
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 long will the oil last done the italian way?
Unfortunately, I’m not sure, as I’ve never done it that way before. Sorry 🙁
How would you make mustard oil?
Hmm, I’m not sure! Have you tried searching for recipes online? I always find good stuff at http://www.foodgawker.com
mustard seeds
I noticed the comment about using within 10-14 days for the first recipe but not the rest. Is the lemon oil the only one that needs to be used quickly or should they all be used within that timeframe?
Ps. love this ides, very cute and practical!
Thanks! They should all be used in that time frame. I think basically any time you have live plant matter inside your oil (and will eventually decay), it doesn’t keep long.
HI,I have just been reading your site and I need to know, was Dan’s cousin pleased with your gift ? I am off to try some now .thanks for great ideas.
Yup, she really liked them!
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES.. THE OIL RECIPES ARE GREAT. I AM GOING TO ORDER
BOTTLES & MAKE THE OILS. GREAT GIFTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Where did you get tge glass bottles from
The Container Store!
Your bottles look great! This year for Christmas, I’m doing a vanilla theme. I’ve got extract in the making and I’m going to make vanilla sugar and salt. I was wondering if you ever tried making vanilla oil?
No, I’ve never tried that, but it sounds intriguing! What would you cook with it?
You can use vanilla oil in any baked good that calls for oil. You can use it with meats (vanilla and pork is really good), seafood, vegetables and fruits..from what I’ve read, it’s pretty versatile. Vanilla is really good in sweet food, but it’s really awesome in savory dishes as well. I just can’t seem to find a good recipe for it. Some say heat it up, some say don’t. I’m not sure what the “right” way of doing it is. I guess I’ll try it both ways and see which is better. Sorry for the novel I just wrote 🙂
If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
I will 🙂
Hi! I am planning on trying this soon. I was just wondering if the oil solidifies in the refrigerator. Awhile ago I made a pesto lemon dressing with olive oil and it solidified. Can these be left out of the fridge?
You should definitely keep the oils refrigerated for safety reasons. The oils will solidify in the cold, but if you take them out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you want to use them, they will being liquid again as they come to room temp. Hope that helps!
I thank you for taking the time to blog about these infused oils, I myself are making flavored oils this year as gifts but I am affraid of causing someone to get sick with Botulism so I altered my recipe. I am using all dry herbs, (No water in these) I know it is not as pretty but when you shake it it looks really tasty and it is. Remember if you use dry herbs it does not need to be refridgerated and will last longer. Or you could give the gift of oil and the Herbs on the side in a sachet so they can use it for Bread dipping.
Both of those are fabulous ideas! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I’d love to try it with Cilantro! I bet it would be awesome!!
Great idea! I bet that would make a really nice, brightly-favored oil 😀
I just made the rosemary infused oil and mine became cloudy. I saw someone else had the same problem
But no one responded to their post. I have a feeling it was because I used fresh rosemary instead of dry but the recipe sis not specify and I’m not well versed in all this DIY stuff. Ha! Is that what I did wrong?
Hmm I used fresh rosemary but that didn’t happen for me so I’m not sure what’s going on with that…Dried rosemary would probably be a perfectly good substitute if you want to give that a try instead, and may even allow the oil to last longer!
Have you ever tried to keep the whole lemon/s in the jar of olive oil ( same way as keeping garlic as a whole) ?
Hmm, I’ve never tried that. Let me know how it turns out if you do!
I’ve made infused oils before, mostly using light olive oil. It was something one of the chef masters at my culinary academy love doing.
Your recipes all call for 1-2 cups of oil and one 4 oz bottle. 1 cup is 8 oz, 2 is 16. You lose some oil in the process but not that much.
I also agree Ms. Bosoni regarding not heating the oil, using dark bottles and storing in a cool, dark place.
I do butters the same way: 8 oz butter, softened, blend with dry herbs to taste, save in a small dish, covered with plastic..
If you’re going to use in gravies add equal amount of flour and blend with your hands, roll into a log and slice crosswise in 8 pieces. Roll up in a log shape and pop in your freezer. Because each flour granule is surrounded by butter, your gravy is silky. I call them my magic gravy tablets.
.All the best to everyone!
This is great information – thanks so much for taking the time to share!
These look great, thanks for the useful post! I’m really curious: where did you get those cool-looking bottles? 🙂
The Container Store!
I wanted to make infused olive oils for so long, I thinks it’s time to do it. 🙂 I will use this post as a guide, thanks!
Hope you like them!
I made herb infused vinegars and olive oils for gifts in 2001. Everyone loved them and used them and no one died of Botulism! However I also entered them in the Los Alamos,N.M. COUNTY FAIR and the judges disqualified the oils, due to possible risk of Botulism! The Herbed Vinegars got Blue ribbons tho! So here it is 14 years later and the question still persists? Italian restaurants serve these all the time and the health departments don’t seem to object. I would like to hear an official, scientific answer. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment, Joanna! I’m not a scientist, so I can’t provide you with an official scientific answer to your question re: botulism. My understanding only extends as far as saying that there can be a risk of botulism in infused oils, etc. depending on how it is made/stored. Here is a link to an article from the University of Maine that you may find useful: http://umaine.edu/publications/4385e/
Hope this helps!
You and your readers should take a careful look at the issue of botulism with regard to olive oil infused with garlic. From what I have read from the comments and replies, some have little understanding of the danger involved. Most of the commercial products are made by chemically flavoured products, produced by labs specializing in this stuff. Take care.
Thanks for your comment!
i read somewhere it is dangerous to leave garlic cloves in olive oil for any length of time. Apparently this can cause the oil to spontaneously combust. Please check this is safe, my understanding is that you should infuse the oil and remove the garlic cloves before storing.
I’m not sure about spontaneous combustion, but botulism definitely can be a concern. I think if you treat/handle the garlic appropriately before infusion it’s OK to leave the cloves in the oil for a few days (making sure to refrigerate the infused oil during that time, of course).
i made these oils but mine are so cloudy when i put them in the fridge why ?
I’m not sure, but it might just be the oils congealing a little in the cold. Mine did that too, but when I left them out on the counter to warm to room temperature (about 15-20 minutes before I used them), they cleared back up.
cloudy is not necessarily bacteria! if you heat the oil with the rosemary in it, then this is natural…
http://liveseasoned.com/rosemary-infused-olive-oil/
So as long as u infuse the oil for a few days and take the item out ur using to infuse the oil with Botulism is no longer a likely threat?
Thanks for reaching out, Chris! I’m not a food safety expert, but in addition to those two steps you will also need to make sure your bottles are sterile/clean prior to filling with oil, keep the oils refrigerated, and use them within 2 weeks. I don’t know if risk of botulism can be completely eliminated, but proper treatment and storage should definitely help reduce the risk. Hope this helps!
Hi.
I love these recipes and have done my own version of chilli and lemon for presents this year.
I am really confused however as I made them in advance of Christmas but now have realised they need to be eaten in 2weeks. This does not seem like a realistic time for them to be consumed and also means you need to make them like the day before you give them as a present which is also very tricky. I thought the point of the line in the garlic was to ph balance them so they could last longer?
If I remove the lemon and chilli flakes from the oil will they be ok for longer? It’s all so confusing and with these points being raised I’m not sure if it even seems like a viable option for gifts anymore? I was planning on making quite a lot. Do you know anywhere where someone would have a scientific tested recipe or guidelines in relation to this. I read the link about botulisum but in all honesty it really just says don’t do it all lol so I am really really confused. I also thought you couldn’t use oil again once you’ve heated it so how is that ok in this sense?
I’ll be so sad if I can’t make these gifts anymore.
Thanks
Lorna.
Thanks for reaching out, Lorna. I’m not a food safety expert, so I can’t answer your questions with 100% confidence/accuracy. All I know from what I’ve read online is that homemade infused oils run a higher risk of botulism and simply don’t last as long b/c there aren’t any preservatives, etc. Even with proper treatment/handling/storage, it’s not a good idea to use them too long b/c of the potential for spoilage. I don’t know of any clinical research studies on this topic, but most of the stuff I’ve seen limits use at 2 weeks, max, particularly if you use fresh herbs and stuff (something to do with moisture in the plants and degradation, I think). I know it doesn’t seem like a realistic timeline, but at least with my recipes the volume of oil isn’t super significant, and the oils can be used in a ton of things (salad dressings, cooking, as dip for bread, etc.) so you could conceivably use it all quickly. I will say, however, that if you use dried herbs or dried chili flakes, the oils can last much longer. I always keep a bottle of olive oils infused with dried chili flakes in my kitchen – the current batch is going on 6 months, and no health problems yet. I also read an article that mentioned freezing the oils as a way to keep it fresh longer. Haven’t tried that myself, but that’s another option. Hope this helps!
Love the idea and am going to do it for gifts… where did you get the box you put them in? I’m finding the bottles just fine but nothing to put them in. Thanks!!
Thanks for reaching out! It’s been a while, but I believe I got the box and tissue paper stuffing from The Container Store.
These look great! I’ve put a link to your work on my blog (http://www.soulfulserenity.com) because they looked so pretty! Such a fan of home-made presents like these!
Thanks so much! 😀
Why cork lids instead of regular?
When I made these for Christmas, it was mostly for aesthetic reasons – the corks just look so cute! But lidded jars/bottles are probably even better for storage. Hope this helps!
One more thing, when I store bottles in the fridge, the oil turns into a solid. Does this spoil it or help preserve it?
I think that’s just because oil congeals when cold. If you take the bottle(s) out 10-15 minutes before use, they should thaw and become clear again at room temperature.
I combined chillies, garlic and rosemary in a pan and heated for a few minutes to really release the flavours. I now have a cloudy bottle of oil though. What would you put that down to?
Hmm, I’m really not sure. Since the oil is fresh, it’s probably not a sign of spoilage. I would guess maybe that the ingredients excreted something during the cooking process? Let it sit for a while and see if it clears up. When I made my first batch, that happened too. When I tried again a second time, the oil stayed clear. Not sure why that happens!
I have bought garlic infused oil before. Now that I can see how easy it is to do myself, perhaps I will go with that option. Thanks!
Hope you like it!
Love this idea!! For the garlic infused oil, do you put a few of the roasted garlic cloves in the bottle with the oil or did you place new, fresh cloves that have not yet been roasted?
For the pictures, I used fresh cloves b/c they looked nicer, but I took those out when gifting 🙂
hi, my fiancé and I are looking at making olive oil jars with an olive leaf inside it (mainly for decoration) to use as our bonboniere for our upcoming wedding. Can you advise the best method for this? Will the leaf stay green in the oil? Do we store the bottles in the refrigerator? How long before the wedding should we be doing this? Is this safe to offer as a gift? We don’t want to risk “botulising” our guests at the wedding either.
Hmm, I’m not an expert in this area so I can’t give you a good answer – maybe one of the other commenters can help? But, my gut reaction is that an actual leaf inside the oil may have the same problems as fresh herbs – i.e., it’s plant matter and will degrade over time (which could lead to funky oils/botulism). Maybe instead of a decorative leaf inside the bottles, you could use labels with a picture of a leaf on it just to be safe? Hope this helps.
Can you do the infusion process in the refrigerator, remove the rosemary and substitute an artificial rosemary stick in its place?
Excellent post and people around the world will certainly get much through reading it. I’ll come back again and again to read such articles. Thanks
Do they all need to be used/thrown out after 10-14 days or just the lemon?
I would say that the lemon and chili oils could keep the longest. The garlic and rosemary really should be thrown out after 2 weeks.
What garlic did you put in your bottles? Was it raw garlic or the roasted garlic?
For the pictures I used raw, but when gifting I used the roasted.
This is absolute genius! I love the finished product! I have featured it in my DIY Christmas Gift round up. You can see the feature here – https://adollarearned.com/quick-easy-diy-christmas-gifts-family-will-love/ Feel free to share!
There are only TWO places that have regulations on their EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Those two places are California and the country of Chile. Everywhere else that you are getting your olive oil from could have other oils adulterating and spoiling the heart healthy affects of the EVOO. There are things that are detrimental to the EVOO – Time, Heat, and Light. Keep your EVOO in a cool, dark place and use it up. Hints from the largest producer of olive oil in South America that imports to the USA.
Hey, help!
With the garlic oil do I have to soak it in lime juice or can I use lemon juice? I’m making these for my bestie who has severe asthma and his medication reacts with lime (but not lemon for some reason?! Lol)
Or any other ideas instead of lime juice, thanks!
Sorry for making two comments I totally didn’t wait until I finished the whole article before posting my first question. Regarding the garlic oil, again, the last of the instructions is a little bit confusing.
So do I put the roasted garlic cloves in bottle or not? Because the image of the infused oils has garlic cloves in it.
After doing the whole process with the juice and roasting and everything can I not just pour the cooked garlic and oil in the cork container? Does it have to sit in the fridge in a container until I use the garlic?