***Vinegars***
You can use herbal vinegars in most recipes that call for vinegar, including sauces, marinades, and stews. Make your own and experiment with flavors.
Simply pack a bottle with fresh herbs then fill with vinegar, or heat the vinegar to almost boiling--warm vinegar releases the herbs' essential oils faster. Try combining serval herbs to create your own special blend. Garlic and chives work well with most of the strongly flavored herbs, such as basil, dill, and thyme. Mix equal parts of parsley, thyme, and rosemary for a special concoction.
For ease of identification, label your homemade vinegars. Recycled wine or ketchup bottles make good containers.
Add fresh herbs to vinegar for flavor and visual appeal.
BEAUTY BOTTLER:
As well as experimenting with various herbs in your vinegar, try bottles of different shapes and sizes. Add an unusual seal to cap-off your creation.
***Oils And Dressings***
Grab a handful of herbs from your garden and create homemade oils and dressings whenever you want to add extra flavor to your cooking.
Use flavored oils whenever a recipe calls for oil in marinades and sauces, or make your salad dressings and halve the oil content to limit calories. Add any single herb or combination that suits your menu. Extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil are best, but other oils such as safflower, macadamia, and walnut work well too. be sure to label your bottles.
For a simple dressing with extra tang, combine minced herbs, Greek yoghurt, and lemon juice.
Garlic gives oil a rich flavor, add a whole clove for extra punch. Try it on pasta, vegetables, or red meat.
SALTING HERBS:
Herb salt--a mix of sea salt and fresh or dried herbs--can add instant flavor to food, and has the associated health benefit of reducing your pure-salt intake.
