Infused Olive Oil {+ Infinity Jars Review}

It’s that time of year again, ya’ll.

The time when there is actually no time. Every project seems to take waaay longer than it’s supposed to, the to-do list grows by leaps and bounds every hour, and there’s never anything for dinner.

I like to think I’m an organized person. I like to think I can handle whatever life throws at me. I like to think I’m strong.

Ya’ll I’m not.

(Cue the sappy country song about the dog dying and the wife cheating)

…..

Ok. But in all seriousness there is a lot happening and not happening all at the same time. I had hoped that by now I could come to you with a post titled “We Bought The Farm”, but in reality it’s looking like “We Were So Close To The Farm And Then We Lost It” (That sounds like another sappy country song doesn’t it?).

So as we push full speed ahead into the great unknown, cooking has taken the back burner. Dinner is simple around these parts: scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, pork chops and potatoes. Anything that is either really fast, or doesn’t require a lot of attention. My meal prep day is out the window, my written meal plans are long gone. It’s a sad world I live in.

In the midst of all this chaos there is something wonderful. It is called infused olive oil. And it has saved my butt.

How?

By being a source of flavour that takes very little effort. Didn’t have time to make salad dressing? Infused olive oil to the rescue! Want something new to fry potatoes in? Infused oil to the rescue! Literally only have a loaf of bread for dinner? Infused olive oil for dipping!

…..

Aww, you thought I was joking with the last one.

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There is a catch to infused oils, and it is called botulism.

Is everyone officially scared now?

Well don’t be. To be safe use dried ingredients, or if you must use fresh, use up the oil within 2 days. For me that’s a lot of oil, so we went with dried.  See there’s these little spores called Clostridium botulinum found in certain foods. They thrive in environments where there is no oxygen. Olive oil is one such enviroment, so to be safe use dried. The risk with using an infused olive oil made with dried herbs is no higher than there is with sushi or soft cheeses, so have no fear, but be mindful.

Ok! Now that the hard part is over let’s make some oil.

You Will Need:

2 cups of top quality olive oil (I used extra virigin)

2 – 3 tablespoons of dried herbs of choice (thyme, rosemary, bay, oregano, savoury, whatever your little heart wants! I used dried oregano for ours)

Directions

Gently warm the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. The idea here isn’t to “cook” the herbs but to let them soak in a warm olive oily bath (sounds kinda nice, doesn’t it?). If you have a thermometer the temperature you’re looking for is about 180°F.

Pour the oil over the herbs and allow to cool.

Once cooled strain out the herbs and pour into an Infinity Jar, and store in a cool dark place (you can also store in the refrigerator just be sure to take it out about 20 minutes before you want to cook with it).

Use it for topping meat, potatoes, salads, popcorn, pasta, dipping bread, whatever your heart desires.

But wait….what’s an Infinity Jar?

Well, I’m glad you asked. They’re only the best glass jar on the market.

*I received these jars from Infinity Jars in exchange for a blog post. All opinions are 100% mine. 

The secret to these jars is the pigmented glass which blocks out harmful visible light rays while still allowing 2 beneficial light rays that have been proven to preserve and extend the shelf life of goods. They are darker and use thicker glass than most ultraviolet glass jars currently available, and Infinity Jars has the largest selection on the market. They are light proof, scent proof, air tight, have a freshness guarantee (for as long as 2 years!) and are pretty much impossible to see through (don’t worry they send you labels to use on the jars).

The jars are excellent for storing and preserving products especially dried goods (like coffee beans, nuts, seeds, granola, yummy stuff like that), spices, essential oils and lotions. I am all for glass storage over plastic, and Lord knows I love mason jars (yet another good sounding country song) but sometimes they just aren’t the best fit. Infinity jars offers a better glass jar solution for storing and preserving homemade goodies.

And also look how pretty:

Oooh ahh!

My kitchen may be a disaster right now, but these jars sure do dress up the place.

And that’s all a girl can hope for at this time.

Here’s what I got:

1 500 mL square glass bottle with oil spout (which you’ve seen me using)
1 15 mL glass cosmetic style jar (perfect for on the go lotion, creams, or salves. Stay tuned!)

I could tell right away that they were made to last just by the weight of them. These are not your average glass jar, these are made to work. Mine arrived in 3 business days (that’s international shipping!) and were packaged well enough to handle even the worst shipping experience. They also came with a cleaning cloth (to keep that gorgeous dark glass smudge free), and labels so you know what you have in each jar.

So go ahead and check out the Infinity Jars website. I promise you’ll drool.

(And not to be the devil on your shoulder or anything but they’re currently running a sale….)

And amen.

*I received these jars from Infinity Jars in exchange for a blog post. All opinions are 100% mine.