Spice Up Your Vegetable Oil With One Dried Ingredient

Vegetable oil can sound bland, but with the right tweak you can turn that store-bought bottle of grease into a flavorful companion for your culinary projects. Whether you use vegetable oil for frying or drop the ingredient into a biscuit batter to bake, vegetable oil is a reliable go-to for chefs around the world. Professional chefs, however, understand that just because an item is packaged one way doesn't mean that this is how it must be used in the kitchen.

You can create flavorful infusions with standard vegetable oil and spices and herbs to impart a different taste to your recipes. For lovers of heat, a few sprinkles of dried peppers are all you need to turn a blank canvas ingredient into a more interesting addition. If you don't have pepper flakes stocked in your cupboards or chile pieces to crush, ground cayenne can also add a bit of heat to your soon-to-be oil infusion. We also love these Korean chile threads if you're building a grocery list. 

Whatever your chosen inclusion, the extra ingredient couldn't be easier to add to a batch of standard cooking oil. Simply heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat until it smokes, and allow it to cool slightly before combining the oil with the spice in a glass bowl or jar. Let the two mingle, keeping in mind that the longer the ingredients are left to get to know each other, the more flavorful the end result will be.

Taste the oil periodically once it has cooled to make decisions on whether you'd like to strain the peppers or leave them rest for longer. If the oil is to your liking, strain it, store it, and place it for safekeeping. Your homemade chili oil can be used to boost an oven-baked BBQ chicken recipe, be swirled into a baked mac and cheese casserole, or be used to draw delicate ribbons on top of your next bowl of pork and chive dumplings in garlic-miso broth.