How to make your own flavoured vinegars and oils

Flavoured vinegars and oils add pizzazz to everyday foods. Olive oil with a citrus flavour subtly enhances fried fish, while herbal vinegars provide a nice finishing touch to salad dressings. Here's how to make your own.

• Bottles, tops, pots and other utensils must be clean, and the herbs or other ingredients must be fresh.
• Use tops made of cork, plastic or glass to seal bottles used for oil and vinegar. Metal deteriorates because of the acid in vinegar.

• Put lightly-crushed herbs loosely into a canning jar and pour oil over them. You need about 150 grams (five ounces) herbs per litre/quart of oil. You can get nearly the same results with dried herbs as from fresh.
• Let the oil steep for two weeks in the closed jar, stirring it once a day.
• Garlic, chili peppers or citrus peels can also be used for flavouring oils.
• Make a basil oil by heating the oil to 40°C (104°F) before pouring it over basil.
• Use peanut or refined sesame oil as a base for flavoured oils with Asian flavours.
• Strain the oil through a cheesecloth and pour it into bottles.
• Oils can be kept for a year if unopened and stored in a cool, dark place. A smell and taste test will clearly show if they're still fresh.

• Heat the vinegar until it bubbles (you need about 150 grams/five ounces of herbs per litre/quart of vinegar). Once it cools to 40°C (104°F), pour it over the crushed herbs in a canning jar. Make sure the jar is tightly-closed.
• Let steep for two to three weeks and shake from time to time. Then strain and pour into bottles.
• In addition to herbs, you can flavour vinegar with numerous spices. Thyme and tarragon go well with garlic, chili flakes and peppercorns.
• Put the spices into a small cloth bag, add it to the boiling vinegar and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
• For a hint of sweetness, dissolve 25 to 60 millilitres (two to four tablespoons) of sugar or honey in one litre/quart of hot vinegar.
• Spiced vinegars can be kept for several years unopened, but with time they will mature and become milder.

What you need:

• 1 L (1 qt) vinegar
• 2 large mild chili peppers
• 3 dried hot chili peppers
• 5 ml (1 tsp) peppercorns
• 1 scallion, cut into stripsBring the vinegar to a boil, then pour it over all ingredients and let steep in a closed jar for two weeks. Shake daily. Strain and pour into glass bottles.Remember: The best oils for flavouring are those that have no taste of their own, such as mild, refined olive, sunflower or canola oil. Good, clear wine vinegars or cider vinegars with at least 5 per cent acid are the best base for flavoured vinegars.

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