I couldn’t find any lemon oil yesterday, which is an essential ingredient for a salad I make, so I ended up making my own by steeping the peel of one lemon in hot sunflower oil for roughly 30 min. The flavor was mild, but it was detectable & enough for its purpose.
I’m sure many a HO has flavored their cooking oils with herbs like rosemary or thyme, RPF or garlic cloves for pasta sauces or other dishes (then removed the solids to be left with the seasoned oil) — but what are some other flavors or METHODS you’ve used, and is botulism your concern for seasoned oils you want to keep around for longer?
I like to make red pepper flake oil. Pretty much mimic your technique. But I make small amounts and use within a week. I put it in a squirt bottle and use it up quickly.
I do worry about botulism, especially when I infuse garlic. My brother almost died from botulism he got from a buffet in Louisiana. He thinks the tomatoes in the etouffee must have been from a bubble can . But that’s just a guess.
The Washington State University Extension has some specific recommendations WRT flavored oils. In short, they recommend acidification or low temperature storage (refrigeration) to control bacterial growth. It reads in part:
“…Unless prepared according to a [laboratory] tested recipe, fresh vegetables, herbs, or garlic added to oil should never be stored at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze for longer storage. The four-day recommendation was changed from three weeks in 2011, due to concerns about the ability of botulism to grow with extended storage at refrigerator temperatures…”
