5 Flavoured Oils To Add Excitement To Any Meal
Oils have come a long way and boy are we glad. Although we are not sure anything will truly ever beat a high quality olive oil lovingly soaked into a fresh chunk of warm bread before shovelling into our mouths, we are super excited for the fancy new flavours hitting the shelves. Oils are more than just something to start off the cooking process - they can enhance the flavour every step of the way - from marinating meat, to that finishing swirl on top a soup or salad; with these different bottles the possibilities are endless. We tasked our culinary home cook aficionado Adam with finding 5 of the most creative flavoured oils on the market today and he delivered.
There is far more to oil than just something you pan fry or deep fry your food in. It should be central to any flavour profile you want to create in whatever dish you're putting together. So here's five special flavoured oils that I've tried over the last few months, and if you love them like I do, I can guarantee you'll be using them with almost every meal… like we are.
Broighter Gold
BROIGHTER GOLD RAPESEED OIL BLACK TRUFFLE INFUSED
I know I shouldn't have favourites when writing pieces like this, but this is… without a doubt… my most-used and most-loved of every oil I have ever tried. Black truffle roast potatoes have become a favourite in the Cailler household, and I’m even dreaming about them just writing this piece! Although this oil is strong and punchy, it creates a truly wonderful flavour in whatever you're using it for. As you know I have a new found love for black truffle potatoes but have also used (and loved) it on salmon and chicken. It's versatile and a definite must-have for any kitchen - and especially any truffle lover.
£5.99, 250ml from Broighter Gold
Belazu
BELAZU WHITE TRUFFLE EXTRA VIRGIN OIL
Continuing on the truffle train - this white truffle infused oil was divine. And, ok, some of you may get annoyed with my basic usage of this oil - but I simply roasted a chicken in it and it was bloody good. While not as strong as one would expect, it actually doesn't need that strength to give you the right amount of umami flavour you're looking for. This would also really lend itself to a home made mayonnaise, which would work well with almost every kind of meat and fish dish or, as it recommends, using it in a mushroom risotto or cheese tart would also work very well. This oil won a Great Taste award in 2016, and I can see why.
£9, 250ml from Belazu
Broighter Gold
BROIGHTER GOLD RAPESEED OIL THAI INSPIRED
Yes, this is the second appearance for the BGRO brand, and it's well earned - what can I say, the brand know their oils; their Thai Inspired oil is flavoured with chilli, ginger, garlic and lemongrass - the perfect quartet for virtually any Thai dish you could possibly want to make. The flavours, which are all-natural, are so punchy that you don't actually need to add the whole ingredients to your dishes, as you normally would, saving you time, effort and money! Using this oil in any stir-fry will instantly enhance your dish from a run-of-the-mill attempt, to something that'll give your friends food envy - yes, this oil is that good! I'd also drizzle this over a simple autumnal soup to give it an exotic flavoured twist, such as a sweet potato or pumpkin soup.
£3.99, 250ml from Broighter Gold
Belazu
BELAZU EXTRA VIRGIN FIG LEAF AND OLIVE OIL
Now, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a fan of leaf-based oils, so I was quite skeptical about this one. I often find them either far too floral or far too subtle. But this stone-crushed oil turned my opinion right around. It has just the right amount of flavour, all from natural ingredients that works especially well with fish based dishes. It has that subtly sweet and sticky fig-like flavour you are looking for with a palm-tree kind-of aroma (yes, I have smelled a palm tree before...) This works really well on delicate fish, such as sea bass. It adds that extra little zing of flavour that those fishes so often need. It would also add a nice pop to a home made tartare sauce, if you wanted to get all fancy.
£18.70, 500ml, from Belazu
OliveOlive
OLIVEOLIVE BASIL FUSED OLIVE OIL
I'm ending on a simple suggestion here - this basil fused oil is not like any others I've mentioned or even tried, but it’s worthy of a spot purely based on its utter simplicity. Cold pressed and 100 per cent natural, this oil lends itself to a simple salad dressing, or even drizzled over a stone-baked pizza. It's imported from Cyprus, so you know the oil is good quality and is ‘fused’ not infused like most flavoured oils. The process is done by pressing the natural ingredients together with the oils at the mill - it's simple, yet effective and 100% worth a try.
£6.00, 250ml from OliveOlive