JAZZ UP YOUR OIL WITH FLAVOURFUL INFUSIONS

As several countries continue with the implementation of many forms of national lockdowns including our country (at the time of writing this article we were 14 days in) in an attempt to curb the spread of the corona virus pandemic, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on most of our habits when we eventually come out of it, including the way we eat.

Although these lockdowns have had most of us visiting our pantries and fridges more often than we’d like to admit; the one good thing about this situation is that it has also produced many gourmet chefs even in the most hopeless of us in ways we never thought possible, as we try to recreate those flavoursome dishes from our favourite restaurants we miss so much. One way of unleashing our creativity in the kitchen is with flavoured or infused cooking oils.

The trend of flavoured or herb infused oils has been around for quite some time, and allows any chef (and aspiring chefs) an opportunity to jazz up a somewhat boring kitchen essential, to a quirky go-to secret ingredient for anything from salad dressings to late night snacks dips.

Of course it all starts with a right, good quality oil - but which cooking oils are best suitable to use for those flavourful infusions? Technically, any oil that remains liquid at room temperature is good for infusing; for example, sunflower oil, olive oil, or canola oil. The oil has to be fresh with no lingering smell. It is also best to infuse your oil in a glass sealable container.

Take a look at our suggestion to the right and see if you can try perfect your own unique flavoured or herb-infused oil whilst trying to get through the national lockdown.

INGREDIENTS

1. Rosemary and thyme

2. Sage and lavender

3. Coriander and origanum

4. Ginger, sundried tomato and bay leave

5. Roasted almond nuts and rosemary

6. Origanum and lemon zest

7. Mint

8. Cappuccino and candy

9. Walnut and cinnamon

10. Pine nut and peppadew

METHOD

• In a saucepan, add 5 tbsp of Crispa Gold oil (depends on the amount of oil you want to flavour).

• Allow the oil to heat up with 1 tbsp of each flavoring, once the oil is fragrant remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool then strain.

• For flavourings that have nuts, roast the nuts before adding oil, add oil and leave for at least 5 minutes on medium heat to flavour the oil. Remove from heat and allow to cool then strain.

• For the cappuccino and candy flavour, you can use flavourings to infuse oil, one drop of each flavour is to flavour the oil.

Please note that the shelf life of an infused oil is drastically reduced. Ideally it should not be kept for longer than 2 months. Keeping the oil in the fridge and also straining the herbs before using the oil is recommended.

Brought to you by Crispa Gold Premium Sunflower Frying Oil - the king of cooking oils.