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Looking for input on making hot pepper oil

BurninBob

BurninBob

Greetings, looking for some input on making some hot pepper oil. I'm thinking it would be used mostly for stir fry, so I was thinking of using sesame oil as the base. Some questions I have that I'm hoping others can provide input on are:

What types of oil have people used and how did it come out?(as mentioned I'm thinking of using sesame oil but would love to hear what others have used and how it turned out)

Did you use fresh or dried peppers?

What type of peppers did you use? (I'm thinking thai peppers for my "normal" hot oil, but interested to hear what others have used and how they came out. I'm considering doing a batch with Cumari for a hotter oil that has the unique flavor that Cumari has)

Did you heat the oil or just let it sit?

If you just let it sit, how long and did you strain out the peppers or just leave them in?

Shelf life?

Other ingreadients? (e.g., garlic, ginger, herbs, etc)

Besides stir fry, what have others used hot oil for?

Other suggestions?

I did do a search and came up with the following thread, which didn't have a lot of info, so went ahead and started this thread.

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/34345-hot-pepper-oil/?hl=%2Bpepper+%2Boil

BB
 
I use dried peppers exclusively - crumbled/flake but not powdered.  Warm the oil but don't scorch it.  Add flake and allow to cool.  I age it a week and then use when/as needed and rarely strain it unless I don't want visible particles in a dish.  I do not use anything besides peppers for 'hot' oil, but I do use flake in combination with fennel seed and coriander seed for use in giardiniera that I make.  I never use garlic in oil.   The hot oil can be used for stir fries of course, but also good in all kinds of things.  corn bread muffins, salad dressing, marinades, etc etc.   
 
Could this work with either pecan or macadamia oil? I've got a shrimp recipe that I could use either one of these oils with that a pepper infused version would make absolutely killer!
 
Use dried chiles and dried herbs for infusing oils.  Any combination will work.  Obviously, the hotter the dried chiles used, the hotter the infused oil will be.  Any oils can be used for infusing in this simple steeping method.  Just be aware of the various smoke points of the different oils and work within the ranges of the oil. 
 
salsalady said:
Use dried chiles and dried herbs for infusing oils.  Any combination will work.  Obviously, the hotter the dried chiles used, the hotter the infused oil will be.  Any oils can be used for infusing in this simple steeping method.  Just be aware of the various smoke points of the different oils and work within the ranges of the oil.
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Appreciate the info SL! Thinking a lemon drop or aji pineapple infused oil would add great flavour, plus a subtle enough heat for my wife to be able to enjoy.
 
I was thinking of doing a infused oil as well.  As asked in the OP, what is the shelf life for something like this.  I would think it would last a while.
 
I was thinking of doing a infused oil as well.  As asked in the OP, what is the shelf life for something like this.  I would think it would last a while.

If done properly, a very long time.
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Appreciate the info SL! Thinking a lemon drop or aji pineapple infused oil would add great flavour, plus a subtle enough heat for my wife to be able to enjoy.
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Wicked idea. Thanks, I'll be adding some baccys as well. What type of oil do you think would pair well?
 
salsalady said:
Use dried chiles and dried herbs for infusing oils.  Any combination will work.  Obviously, the hotter the dried chiles used, the hotter the infused oil will be.  Any oils can be used for infusing in this simple steeping method.  Just be aware of the various smoke points of the different oils and work within the ranges of the oil. 
Click to expand...
 
This
 
Thanks to the GhostOfWayright for posting that Linky~~~
 
 
::cool:
 
should I be storing my Kadoya Sesame Oil in the fridge? I have been keeping it on the counter next to me stove. Its at least 7 months old.......No butulism yet (although I did just use some tonight). I was planning on using some of this for my hot pepper oil.

BB
 
as far as I know and understand oils and infused oils...oil in and of itself won't get botulism or other nasties just by leaving it out on the counter.  Some oils will go rancid (off tasting) after months if not kept refrigerated, but rancid tasting is not necessarily dangerous.  I keep sesame oil in the fridge about half the time.  Sometimes it gets left out, then goes in the fridge...I think sesame oil is one of the oils that will go rancid after a while.  I also keep grapeseed and walnut oil in the refer just because they are expensive and I don't use them that often.  A quick bath in hot tap water is enough to "melt" the oil when I need to use it. 
 
The problem comes when other things are introduced into the oil.  Fresh produce has a lot of water content and when mixed with oil (as when trying to make an infused oil) can risk nasties growing.  Using dried peppers and herbs significantly reduces the risks.  And refrigerating the infused oil also helps reduce risks. 
 
PrimeTime said:
keep in mind nut oils go rancid fast if not kept cold
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^^^ couldn't remember which ones went fast~~~Thanks PrimeTime-
 
salsalady said:
^^^ couldn't remember which ones went fast~~~Thanks PrimeTime-
Click to expand...
 
No problem SL!  And sesame oil should definitely be in the fridge. Ive left grape seed oil in my pantry with no problems but better safe than nasty!
 
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