Infused Olive Oil

Olive oil is a multi-purpose oil. It can be used for moisturizing skin (excellent for dry skin type). You can smear loads of olive oil on your lips at night and don't have to worry about any side effects, as olive oil is a natural substance and even if you swallow it, there are no side effects. If you have dry frizzy hair, take few drops in your palm and evenly apply the oil on your hair, to have a more manageable and shiny mane. Apart from skin and hair care, olive oil is an excellent carrier oil for massaging, and blends with a huge range of essential oils that are used in aromatherapy. Another major use of olive oil is for cooking. Olive oil has been used for centuries for cooking, and is healthier than other oils used for cooking. Studies show that cooking with olive oil prevents many health related problems like heart diseases, high cholesterol levels, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, weight control and high blood pressure. Olive oil can be used for frying vegetables, or used as a yummy dressing on your salads.

How to Make Infused Olive Oil

Before I start explaining the steps involved, here are few tips for you to keep in mind. Always use extra virgin olive oil when infusing olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is of the finest quality, and has a great flavor and smell. This oil is more delicate in flavor, and is preferred for making salads, or served at table where infused olive oil for dipping bread is used, or for adding flavor to soups or stews.

Another important point to remember is never use any ingredient which has trace of moisture or water in it. Because this an unsafe way to infuse olive oil, and the water in the herbs will support bacterial growth which will lead to botulism bacteria poisoning that can occur even in a sealed bottle. Some ingredients that contain traces of moisture are garlic, fresh peppers, fresh herbs, fresh spices and lemon peel. So, keep in mind these two tips and follow the steps given below to infuse olive oil in a safe way.

• Pick the ingredients which you want to infuse with olive oil, and refrigerate them and use them within a week's period.
• Then fill a clean and dry glass 1 liter bottle with extra virgin olive oil, and add the ingredient you want to infuse and leave it to marinade for couple of days. You can add ingredients like a clean head of garlic, rosemary, ginger, lemon peel, dried peppers, etc. for making the infused olive oil recipes.
• Another safe way to infuse ingredients with olive oil to mix the herbs with salt and vinegar, and then infuse it with olive oil. You can also use essential spice oils, for infusing with olive oil.
• After you have poured olive oil on the flavored ingredients, seal the bottle with a cork, and keep in a dark place for about a week.
• Then strain out flavored olive oil to separate out the herbs, and store the oil in another clean bottle. Store the new bottle in a dark cool place. If you are using garlic infused olive oil, then refrigerate it before using.

So, follow the above steps, and remember the important tips to make your very own herb infused olive oil at home!