Herbs and olive oil

I'm new to the whole flavoring of olive oil with herbs and have a few questions about it all.

1. How long do you leave the herbs in the oil? (like rosemary ... does it stay in the oil the whole time?) Will they grow rancid if left for weeks?

2. How long do fresh herbs stay fresh?

3. Do you refrigerate the herbs or leave them room temp?

4. When you freeze them, do you take them off their stems or freeze them whole?

5. How much herbs should be added to a 1 pint bottle of olive oil for good flavoring?

6. What herbs mix together well, especially for flavored oil?


That's it for now. I know this may be very simplistic, but it is totally new for me and I'd rather have some expert advice before I ruin a bunch of olive oil (and herbs)!!!

Alton Brown's method looks pretty good. I haven't tried it, however.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html

On the show, if I remember correctly, after straining out the herbs he heated/left in overnight, he poured the strained oil into a container containing fresh herbs.

Remember to rinse the herbs in a very weak bleach solution to kill off things that can kill you if left in an air free enviroment like oil.

Remember to rinse the herbs in a very weak bleach solution to kill off things that can kill you if left in an air free enviroment like oil.

Yeah, definitely good advice. The Good Eats version above doesn't mention that, but I can almost swear AB did this --soaked them for a minute or two in a tub filled with weak bleach solution, and then for a few minutes in a tub of clean water.

Of course, I assume pouring the 200 degree hot oil also helps this a bit, but it wouldn't have any effect on the herbs added after the fact during storage.