Photography and Recipe by Ndoema
Fresh herbs are short lived so I’ve been on a basil binge (pizza, salsa, pesto, you name it!) and on a mission to come up with quick and easy ways to give my basil a little extra shelf life.
Home Healthy Living Basil Extravaganza
16 thoughts on “Basil Extravaganza”
Great for people on the go who love to cook.
Taking your advice, I’ll try it when marinating mushrooms.
I wonder if this would work on other herbs as well.
Oh yes, you can infuse oil with fresh dill, rosemary, thyme or even dried herbs!
Great post! Sames me time since I don’t always have the time to go to the grocery.
Ndoema, you’re like a McGyver in the kitchen.
You’re awesome!
Haha! Thanks 😉
I can imagine the aroma of this after a week.
Mmmmm 🙂
It’s truly incredible ;))
Definitely saving this recipe to recreate in my kitchen.
I’ve tried doing this for butter and garlic, then I refrigerated it. Do I have to refrigerate this too? Or would it spoil the freshness?
No, refrigeration isn’t necessary in this case but it certainly can’t hurt! x
A new trick in the kitchen again!
How long does it usually last? Won’t it spoil?
#curious
It typically does’t spoil but it’s important to clean the basil meticulously to avoid bad bacteria growth. I’ve kept infused oil for as long as a couple of months. xo
You didn’t mention in your steps how you cleaned your basil, but later you mentioned cleaning it Meticulously. I’ve read that if there’s any moisture at all, you’ll have bacteria, and it should be refrigetated. I’m looking to make a bunch for a shower favor, and of course, can’t have bacteria or mold growing. If you can, please let me know how you cleaned it. I’ve sampled and the basil lost it’s pretty bright green color drying out over night and got all wilty.
Thanks for any help.
I wash the basil using equal part of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. I rinse well and gently shake the basil leaves to remove excess water. I don’t let the washed basil seat overnight though. That’s most likely the reason why it got wilted. I immediately submerge the basil leaves in oil.
I’ve found out that the most important element to avoid bacteria and mold issues is to make sure the basil leaves are completely submerge in oil (no air exposure), so make sure there’s at least 1 inch of oil above the leaves. And you can refrigerate the oil as well to stack the odds in your favor 😉
Good luck and enjoy!