This Simple Tip Gives Your Olive Oil More Flavor

Olive oil, on its own, is a beautiful ingredient. It has a floral aroma and grassy undertones, which can elevate an array of recipes. However, many home cooks often forget that they have the option to step beyond traditional olive oil flavor by infusing it with other flavors. When you infuse the oil, it'll take on the profile of the ingredient — be it garlic, paprika, or herbs — but still retain its grassy profile, making it a worthwhile culinary project to take on.

Although it might seem simple to pop your flavoring of choice and oil into a jar and let it sit, the truth is that infusing olive oil can be more dangerous than you think. Botulism, a foodborne illness, can make you very sick, and its spores can be present on garlic and herbs. When you add the flavorings to your bottle — resulting in a low-acid, anaerobic, room-temperature environment — those spores can multiply. As such, you'll want to submerge the garlic or herbs in an acidic mixture. 

Once the ingredients have been properly acidified, you can infuse them into your oil over the course of about a week or heat them with the oil to get a more rapid infusion. Infused olive oil doesn't last as long as you may think, so you'll want to prepare it in small batches and never store it in the pantry to ensure you can use it all before it needs to be tossed. 

There are endless ingredients that you can infuse into your oil, and even more ways to put it to use in your kitchen. A citrus-infused oil, for example, is a great way to give seafood a tasty kick. If you normally like to grill or bake your salmon with a few slices of lemon on top, you're going to love how the lemon-infused oil seeps into the fillet and flavors it. You should wash the fruit well, but avoid using soap, as you don't want to inadvertently flavor your oil or make it unsafe to use. 

You can also employ Geoffrey Zakarian's tip for more flavorful meatballs by cooking them in rosemary-infused olive oil. The olive oil will give your meatballs a perfectly crispy exterior, while the rosemary infusion will highlight any Italian seasonings you add to your recipe, including dried parsley, oregano, and basil. Rosemary-infused oil, as well as garlic-infused oil, can also be incorporated into salad dressings, where it'll add a more complementary flavor to each bite. Drizzle a little on a plate and wipe it up with sourdough, too: It's just that good.