Turns Out We've Been Pouring Oil Wrong This Entire Time
Once in a while, we stumble upon a TikTok kitchen hack that makes us wonder where it's been all our lives. Many of these tips provide upgrades to tasks that can be a little frustrating, like pouring oil out of a bottle. When you only mean to dispense a drizzle and the oil comes gushing out, making your pan look like you intend to deep fry your food instead of lightly sauteeing it, you might count your losses and move on – not realizing that most oil bottles are designed to help us avoid this very problem.
You don't necessarily have to resort to pouring your oil into a decanter to create the dainty drizzles you desire. If your new jug of oil comes with a little plastic tab on the cap, to be torn off when you open it, don't throw it away. Instead, turn the tab upside-down and press it back (gently) into the opening of your bottle. Once you go to pour, the tab will act as a filter for your oil, allowing only a thin stream to come through instead of a huge glug. Next time you want to fry up some eggs, or drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over caprese salad, tomato soup, or cheesy eggplant parmesan pizza, you won't accidentally soak your dish in grease.
Other options for the perfect oil drizzle
As ingenious as this hack is, it may not work for every oil bottle. Some brands come with foil tabs that don't work as a filter, or you may have a glass bottle instead of a plastic jug. Luckily, you have a few other options. The easiest requires no extra tools — only your thumb. Simply press the pad of your thumb over the opening of your bottle, leaving a sliver of space, and pour, which should allow a thin drizzle to come through.
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If you don't want to get your thumb greasy, try decanting oil into a cruet. These bottles come with thin spouts that produce the slow trickle you're looking for, but there are both good olive oil pourers and bad ones out there. The best cruets are dark and opaque to protect the contents. The quality of olive oil (and many other oils) quickly goes downhill when in contact with light, warmth, and outside air, so you want a cruet that will keep these elements out.
If you don't want to purchase a whole separate container, feel free to instead buy a pour spout, which is an affordable little tool that attaches to the neck of your bottle. Once you find a stopper that works for you, you'll have to never worry about massive glugs of oil ruining your tasty creations.