Small Kitchen College » How To: Make Infused Olive Oil

How To: Make Infused Olive Oil

If I had to list my most commonly used kitchen ingredients, olive oil would top the list every time. When recipes call for canola or vegetable oil, I whip out the olive oil. If a cake recipe says to use butter, I’ll swap in olive oil. Olive oil is a staple in my house. I honestly don’t think I could live without it.

If I could, I would bathe in olive oil. I was more than happy to slather argan oil all over my body in Marrakech, so olive oil would be a natural progression. While I do love it, I tend to get a bit tired of the same old, same old. Kind of the way I do with hummus.

But it’s so easy to buy different flavors of hummus. Roasted red pepper. Caramelized onion. Jalapeño. I’ve even seen broad bean, asparagus, and mint. Olive oil, on the other hand, is generally sold in its plain, unadorned form. Luckily, though, you can jazz it up yourself. And it’s unbelievably simple.

Hayley Daen is a sophomore at the University of St Andrews, where she lives in a dinky apartment right across from Tesco, which makes throwing impromptu tea parties a snap.

**Recipe**

Infused Olive Oil
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients
1 cup herbs, spices, or garlic, finely chopped
4 cups olive oil

Put half the olive oil into a large saucepan. Add herbs or spices of your choice. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until spices start to sizzle and oil just begins to bubble. Simmer for 5 minutes. Strain into a large bowl. Add remaining oil. Store in an airtight container.