Infused Oils

For herb-infused oils, Big-Pot Blanching is critical, as is shocking, or chilling, the leaves in ice water to stop the cooking—all those things that are fundamental to cooking a green vegetable are similarly important to making an herb-infused oil. It’s preferable to use herb oils right away, though they can be refrigerated. Spice oils, such as curry oil, don’t require refrigeration. “Hard” herbs, such as thyme and rosemary, don’t have a lot of color, so we add parsley to the mixture for color. Because of these herbs’ assertive flavors, the flavor of the parsley is not an issue.