Infused Garlic Oil (2 Ingredients)

When I was attending culinary school in Italy, there was always a bottle of garlic oil located right next to the extra virgin olive oil. 

This is the perfect ingredient to enhance the flavor in countless dishes such as a bread dipping sauce, salad dressing, pasta, or even drizzled on top of anything you wish to have garlic flavor. 

I can almost guarantee you will never want to buy an infused olive oil from the store after seeing how easy and flavorful this one is.

If you love this recipe, don't forget to check out rosemary infused olive oil too.

• How to add flavor to an olive oil through cold infusion.
• The best way to achieve a strong and delicious garlic flavor that is bound to replace both jarred garlic and garlic powder in your kitchen. 
• Ideas on how to use infused garlic oil in your home kitchen.

If you're interested in learning more about how to purchase, taste, and cook with extra virgin olive oil, sign up for my four-day email series to become an expert.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil you can buy. What makes extra virgin olive oil unique is that it is made from the first press of olives, and it has an acidity level of less than 1%. The best extra virgin olive oil comes from olives that were crushed within the same day of being picked.

While I recommend using a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe, a lower-quality extra virgin olive oil will still work. The garlic flavor will mask most of the unappealing features that a lower-quality oil might have. This is a great option to avoid wasting a lower quality extra virgin olive oil.

Garlic Cloves: It is essential to use fresh garlic for this recipe. The fresh garlic provides the strong and delicious garlic flavor that you'll want for this infusion.

Do not substitute the fresh garlic for jarred garlic. The ending flavor result will not be the same. 

1. The first part of the garlic infusion is to take your peeled garlic cloves and add them to a food processor. Once all the garlic is in, pulse until roughly chopped. 

A really handy trick for peeling garlic cloves in large amounts is to place all the garlic you need to be cleaned in a bag. Then, while holding the opening of the bag closed in your hand, swing and bang the cloves against the counter. This will help the skins easily release.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a sharp chef's knife to chop your garlic. This step of chopping up your garlic is done to release the garlic flavors and aromas.

2. Once the garlic is chopped, add it to a mason jar, and combine it with the extra virgin olive oil.

When selecting the mason jar or container of your choice for your garlic olive oil, make sure you have thoroughly sterilized it.

3. Cover the mason jar with a coffee filter that is held in place with a rubber band. Let the garlic and oil sit in a dark, cool place for 48 hours.

It is crucial that you do not cover the mason jar with a sealed lid or plastic wrap. During this part of the process, the garlic is fermenting and releasing gasses, so it needs a breathable cover for the gasses to release safely.

While it may be tempting to check on and use your infused oil with garlic before the 48-hour mark, you will not have as potent of a garlic flavor if you cut the time short.

This method of infusion is known as cold infusion. The two main types of infusion are cold and hot. Hot infusion requires heating and cooling the oil to extract flavors out of an ingredient. Contrarily, a cold infusion (no heat) is a slower process of releasing the flavors from an ingredient, but it still allows for a strong flavor without any risk of burning the garlic. 

4. After you’ve waited patiently for two days, it is time to strain the infusion. Discard the garlic after straining. While you may be hopeful to use the garlic again, the flavors and nutrients have just been extracted and infused into the extra virgin olive oil.

5. Once strained, you can now seal your container well and store it away from light and heat. 

My recommendation for the least amount of waste possible is to reuse the bottle that your extra virgin olive oil came in. 

Light, temperature fluctuations, and time are the 3 enemies of olive oil. Because of this, find a place that’s cool and dark to keep your garlic oil when you aren’t using it.

Here are some of the many ways you can use garlic olive oil:

• Add it to a salad dressing. It's perfect for elevating an easy vinegarette.
• Olive oil infused with garlic is great for making a dipping sauce for homemade bread. 
• This is the perfect ingredient for a garlic-inspired focaccia bread.
• Top homemade hummus with this infusion.
• This is delicious drizzled over homemade pizza.
• Add a little to some roasted vegetables or potatoes before throwing them in the oven.  
• This is a super convenient way to add flavor to a chicken marinade.
• Turn this oil infused with garlic into a garlic aioli or dipping sauce for fries and burgers.