How to Infuse Olive Oil With Dried Rosemary

Place a sprig of rosemary in olive oil to infuse the flavors.

Olive oil imparts a marginal amount of flavor on the foods you cook or serve with it. You can increase the flavor of the oil by infusing it with an herb. The flavors in herbs are also oil-based. When the herb's oils blend with the olive oil, their flavors meld and increase in strength. Aromatic herbs, like rosemary, are among the best ingredients to add to olive oil. You can infuse the ingredients two ways.

Things You'll Need

• Clean, empty bottle with cap
• Funnel
• Olive oil
• Dried rosemary sprigs or leaves
• Knife or measuring cup
• Skillet
• Wooden spoon

Instructions

Infusion Over Time

1. Insert the tip of a funnel in the opening of an empty bottle. Pour olive oil into the bottle until it is 80 to 90 percent full.

2. Place dried rosemary on a cutting board. Leave an entire sprig of rosemary leaves intact or remove the leaves from the stem. Remove the leaves from the stem only if you are comfortable with leaves coming out of the bottle with the oil, when you use the product.

3. Press the broad side of a knife or the bottom of a measuring cup gently on top of the rosemary leaves to bruise them. Bruising the leaves opens them slightly, allowing their oil to seep into the olive oil with ease.

4. Place the stem or leaves in the bottle of olive oil you just poured. Wash the funnel and add rosemary leaves through the funnel, if necessary. The amount of rosemary you add is relative to how much oil you are infusing. For example, in a standard 16-ounce bottle of olive oil, 2 sprigs of rosemary or 1 tablespoon of leaves is suitable for infusing the oil. Add more rosemary to flavor the oil intensely.

5. Place the cap on the bottle tightly. Store the bottle for 2 weeks before using the oil.

Rapid Infusion

1. Place a medium skillet on the stove. Set the burner to medium, to warm the skillet.

2. Place dried rosemary sprigs or leaves on the cutting board. Press the broad side of a knife or the bottom of a measuring cup on top of the rosemary leaves gently to bruise them.

3. Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into the skillet. Add 1 sprig of rosemary or 1 teaspoon of rosemary leaves.

4. Cook the oil and rosemary for approximately 5 minutes, until the scent of both ingredients is strong. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon intermittently The rosemary should appear to be cooking in the oil. If the mixture pops or splatters, turn the heat down slightly.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature.

6. Insert the tip of a funnel into the mouth of an empty bottle. Pour olive oil from the pan into the bottle. Prepare more batches of the mixture until you fill the bottle to the desired level. Use the oil immediately or store it for later use.

Tips & Warnings

• The bottle should have a tight-fitting cap, preferably a cork or screwed lid cap. Select a tall, narrow bottle similar to a standard olive oil bottle, or use an empty oil bottle.

• You can add spices to a full, newly purchased bottle of olive oil, as long as there is enough room in the bottle for the rosemary.