Quick Essential Oil Cooking Tips
More in depth Guidelines below
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It is easy and fun to substitute Essential Oils into your own favorite recipes in place of spices, flavoring extracts and fresh or dried herbs. There are a few tips to keep in mind when substituting essential oils in recipes.
AMOUNT TO USE: Essential Oils are extremely concentrated, so you won't use as much oil as you would dried spices or extracts. Start with a drop or two instead of a teaspoon; then adjust the amount according to taste.
WHEN TO ADD: The preferred time to add essential oils is at the end of cooking or when the food has cooled a bit. This is so the volatile oils don't evaporate out and also so the heat of cooking doesn't affect the oil's natural constituents. If you need to add the oils sooner in the recipe, you may need to add a bit more oil to account for any oil that will evaporate during cooking.
Essential Oils recommended for cooking:
Sweet Spice Oils (for sweet dishes and desserts):
cassia, cinnamon, clove, fennel, ginger, peppermint.
Savory Spice Oils (for savory dishes, main courses and appetizers): basil, black pepper, cilantro, coriander, fennel, ginger, lavender, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme.
Citrus Oils (add a tangy citrus zip to main dishes, desserts, drinks, fruit salads and more): bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, lime and wild orange.
Recipes
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| Quick Crock Pot Orange Chicken |
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| Homemade Ice Cream in Ziploc Bags |
Guidelines for Cooking with Essential Oils
Essential oils are different from common vegetable oils such as olive, flax, sesame, or canola oils. While both have benefits, cooking with essential oils can be a healthy alternative in flavoring foods and beverages.
Key differences between essential oils and vegetable oils:
Vegetable oils contain glycerol, which leaves a greasy residue when applied to the skin and creates a slippery
surface (i.e. in the pan); essentials oils do not create a slippery surface (unless mixed with vegetable oil)
surface (i.e. in the pan); essentials oils do not create a slippery surface (unless mixed with vegetable oil)
Vegetable oils are 100% fat; essential oils contain no fat.
Vegetable oils are primarily pressed from seeds and nuts, like avocados, olives or the bran of grains
Pure essential oils are steam distilled from plants (with the exception of citrus oils which are cold-pressed)
Many people believe that using essential oils in cooking is a relatively new idea; in fact there are thousands of food products that use essential oils for aroma and flavor such as chewing gum, chocolates, candies, and many more.
The difference between those oils for flavoring food and dōTERRAs essential oils is that dōTERRA’s essential oils are superior in quality, which simply means you will be getting the healthful benefits of the plant when you use them, and not just the ‘flavor.’
Moderate use as flavoring (a few drops per person) is not only safe but delicious!
Using Essential Oils in Cooking
Food grade essential oils can be used in cooking and beverages – enhancing flavor and providing a boost to health. All of essential oils are high quality and those essential oils which come from edible plants (such as lemon, basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, wild orange, etc.) are safe to use internally.
The easiest way to begin cooking with aromatherapy oils is to substitute the essential oils in recipes that call for dried herbs, spices or fruit juices. Simply replace these ingredients with the companion essential oil.
At first glance, using Essential Oils in cooking may seem complex, on the contrary, it is very easy once you learn the basics. The most important thing you need to remember is that these are undiluted and super pure essential oils, as such they are extremely potent – far more potent than any other ingredient you’ve ever used in the kitchen before. And particularly more potent than any other brand of essential oil you have used before.
For instance, 1/2 a drop or one drop may be enough to adequately flavor a big pot or bowl of your favorite recipe. With that in mind, continue reading the basics…
Essential Oils are More Potent than Dried and Fresh Herbs
Because our essential oils are concentrated, Essential Oils are from 50 to 70 times more therapeutically potent than the herbs or plants they are derived from. Unlike dried herbs, which lose up to 90% of their healing nutrients and oxygen molecules, essential oils do not. Best of all, 100% pure, food grade Essential Oils are freely available and safe for cooking and home use.
There are approximately 60 drops of essential oil per teaspoon while this may not seem like much it is important to remember this example – just “one” drop of peppermint oil equals about 28 cups of peppermint tea.
Members of my family have been using fresh and dried herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes for decades and when I discovered this information about essential oils an entire world opened its door to me. This also explained why our herbal preparations and herbal supplements for healing purposes would take so long before we would see results – it’s because there is so little essential oil in the dried herb, or I would have to consume enormous amounts of a fresh herb to equal one drop of dōTERRAs essential oil.
So while this was great news and music to my ears, I still needed to spend a little time understanding how to substitute the essential oil for the dried or fresh herb.
Interesting Fact
Essential oils have a chemical structure that is similar to human cells and tissues. This makes essential oils compatible with human protein and enables them to be readily identified and accepted by the body.
How Not to Waste Your Essential Oils or Ruin your Recipe
Always, start off using a single drop so as to not waste your essential oil, you can always add another drop if needed.
Dried Herb / Essential Oil Measurement Guideline
When a recipe calls for less than a teaspoon of an herb or spice, dip a toothpick in the center of the dripper cap and then swirl the toothpick in your recipe or beverage.
Always use the “Toothpick Method” for cinnamon bark oil, clove oil, ginger oil and oregano oil because the aromatherapy oils are much stronger that their companion spices.
Citrus Zest or Juice Measurement Guidelines
When using a essential oil in place of the zest of “one” lemon, orange or tangerine – you can use 8 to 14 drops of its companion essential oil. Example: Zest of “one” lemon, orange or tangerine = 8 to 14 drops of its companion essential oil.
Spices / Essential Oil Measurement Guidelines
One Tablespoon dried spice/spicy herb = 1/2 to ‘one’ drop of essential oil.
Hot or spicy herbs are: marjoram, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, or coriander.
Always use the “Toothpick Method” for cinnamon bark oil, clove oil, ginger oil and oregano oil because the aromatherapy oils are much stronger than their companion spices.
Essential Oil Cooking Tips
Which oils are safe to use for cooking?
Rule # 1 – Only use therapeutic-grade / food grade essential oils, we only recommend Essential Oils.
Rule # 2 – Read the list of GRAS & FA List (Generally Regarded As Safe and Food Additive) as not all plants and their essential oils are for internal or cooking purposes.
GRAS and FA Certified Essential Oils List GRAS: Generally regarded as safe FA: Food Additives
A list of Essential Oils Certified as GRAS and Food Additives by the FDA:
Basil
Bergamot
Cassia
Cinnamon Bark
Clary Sage
Clove
Coriander
Frankincense
Geranium
Ginger
Grapefruit
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Melissa
Melaleuca
Marjoram
Myrrh
Oregano
Patchouli
Peppermint
Rosemary
Sandalwood
Thyme
Vertiver
White Fir
Wild Orange
Ylang Ylang
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For stronger spice oils – such as basil, cassia, cinnamon, marjoram, oregano and thyme – dip a toothpick in a bottle of essential oil and stir it in the recipe after cooking. It is an excellent way to flavor food. Remember, only 2 drops of an essential oil is equivalent to a full bottle (2 oz size) of dried herbs.
Diluting Essential Oils before Cooking (recommended)
Essential oils should be diluted/mixed in vegetable oil, almond, rice, or coconut milk prior to ingestion and/or in recipes as this helps to disperse the essential oil more effectively. As a general rule, dilute 1 drop of essential oil in 1 teaspoon of honey, or in 2 ounces of a beverage. (Honey should not be given to children under 2 years of age.)
Essential Oils and High Heat
Essential oils used in recipes: Add the essential oil right before serving. The heat will evaporate essential oils with the steam. With a few oils that are too strong – such as basil, oregano and rosemary – simmering will produce a wonderfully subtle bouquet that is wonderful.
Essential Oils for Weight Control: The sense of smell is responsible for 90% of our taste. Research has found that by inhaling a culinary scent, such as an essential oil regularly throughout the day, especially when hungry, can help suppress our desire to taste and therefore eat. By inhaling an aroma 6 times in each nostril, the epistat in our brain that controls hunger gets switched off. For best results, change oils daily for variety. Warning: If a culinary aroma is inhaled only briefly, the reverse effect can occur; appetite can be stimulated.
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