Cooking with essential oils is fun, flavorful, economical and beneficial to your health! However, you do need to know a few simple tips to use them successfully in your kitchen.
Tips For Using Essential Oils In Your Cooking
Essential oils are 50-70 times more potent than their dried herb counterparts. You typically only need one drop of an essential oil in any recipe, and often, one drop is too much. I recommend the “toothpick” method. Place a toothpick at the top of your desired essential oil bottle, and then dip in your recipe. Stir and then taste your dish to see if enough flavor was added. If not, you can repeat until you get the desired outcome. Because essential oils are potent, they should only be used in glass or stainless steel containers. They can break down plastic, and should never be used with plastic dishes.
Essential Oil Cooking Reference
Essential Oils I Use In Cooking
The oils I tend to use most often in my kitchen are the citrus oils. I use lime, lemon and wild orange essential oils the most. Lime is great in salsa, guacamole and many drinks. Lemon is delicious in many dips and salads. I mainly use wild orange in drinks, such as hot tea. Citrus oils tend to be very inexpensive, so save me money. They are only pennies per drop, and one drop is all you need. It is much less expensive for me to use one bottle of lemon essential oil in multiple recipes over an extended period of time than to purchase, cut and use a lemon each time a recipe calls for lemon. Citrus oils from doTERRA are cold-pressed from the rind of the fruit, making them very flavorful.
Pink Pepper Kabobs
Rosemary, Pink Pepper, Lemongrass, Cilantro, Oregano and Basil are the most common. Rosemary is delicious in many potato and meat recipes. Pink pepper is an oil I use often in summer skewer/kabob recipes. I especially love that I always have what I need on hand, and that essential oils don’t spoil. While I love fresh cilantro, it doesn’t have a long-shelf life. I am a soup lover, and use many essential oils in soup recipes (lemongrass is a favorite). Oregano can be used in many of your favorite Italian dishes like spaghetti, pizza, lasagna, etc. Oregano is very potent, so you will definitely want to use the toothpick method with this oil!
Essential Oils For Baking
If you are a baker, cinnamon bark, cassia, ginger, clove, OnGuard and peppermint are great choices. A few of our favorite essential oil baking recipes are Peppermint brownies and OnGuard chocolate chip cookies. Another easy tip is to add a drop or two of OnGuard to your apple slices; nutritious and delicious! You can also dip them in Almond Butter to add some flavor and protein. The new Madagascar Vanilla is delightful in baking. Try a drop of two in your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie; you will LOVE it!! You can also use 1 drop of Madagascar Vanilla in place of a teaspoon of Vanilla in your recipes. I have posted recipes in previous blogs on my website.
Health Benefits Of Cooking With Essential Oils
Essential oils also offer health benefits in your recipes. When using them in heated dishes, it is best to add in the essential oil at the end or after cooling. Heat can damage the therapeutic benefits of your essential oils. When I add oils to soup, for example, I tend to add it in after the soup has finished cooking and cooled. Lemon oil can aid in digestion, for example, which is an added bonus to the lemon flavoring. Rosemary essential oil can also aid in digestion, as well as helping to reduce fatigue and nervous tension.
As you can see, cooking with essential oils has many benefits. I encourage you to experiment with essential oils in your kitchen. If you have a tip or favorite recipe, please share it in the comments!