One way of getting essential oils into your system internally (whether for health or for flavor) is by adding them to foods and beverages. Here are a few tips for using essential oils in the kitchen (be sure to use high-quality, therapeutic oils approved for ingestion):
- Essential oils can completely replace some or all of your fresh or dried spices or herbs in cooking.
- To keep the taste of the essential oils optimal, add them last.
- When adding essential oils to a dish, remove the dish from the heat first. If the dish was boiling, let the boiling stage wear off for 5 or so minutes before adding the essential oils. This is because high heat tends to weaken or destroy the beneficial properties of essential oils.
- Do not store the essential oils near light or near any heat sources as both of these can deplete them.
- Since most essential oils are highly concentrated, you’ll need MUCH less oil than you would the herb or spice it is replacing. For example, you would only need about 4 drops of rosemary essential oil to replace a full 1/2 cup of fresh rosemary. Experiment as you go and be sure to taste, taste, taste!
- To prevent putting too much essential oil into something, put the drops on your mixing utensil first. If you get too many drops, wipe a bit off.
- Essential oils can be added to beverages such as tea (make sure it’s not boiling) or water for easy internal consumption. It’s also a great way to add flavor to your beverages.
You can use just about any essential oil that is safe to take internally in your food or drinks. But in case you’re wondering, here are all of the Young Living brand of essential oils that most conveniently replace common ingredients:
- Basil
- Black Pepper
- Cardamom
- Carrot Seed
- Celery Seed
- Cinnamon Bark
- Clove
- Coriander
- Dill
- Fennel
- German Chamomile
- Ginger
- Grapefruit
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Lemongrass
- Lime
- Marjoram
- Nutmeg
- Orange
- Oregano
- Peppermint
- Roman Chamomile
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Spearmint
- Tangerine
- Tarragon
- Thyme
By the way, Young Living also sells Yacon Syrup and a few cookbooks to boost your use of essential oils in the kitchen!
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Hello, are the health benefits of using an oil just as good as when using the actual herb? For example, if I make beef broth could I put in black pepper oil rather than peppercorns? Whereas, replacing grated orange peel with orange oil will probably not be ideal? The only oil I’ve ever used in cooking is adding a drop of peppermint oil to our Chocolate French Silk pie……delicious!
It may be MORE beneficial, depending on how much you add. Essential oils are the condensed form of the most beneficial part of the plant (their “essence”). So they’re super charged with health benefits. 🙂 And using orange oil would be ideal because it comes from the zest portion of the orange (if you press against the peel of an orange with your fingernail, the tiny bit of aromatic orange fluid that squeezes out is essential oil). 🙂
I never thought of using essential oils in place of spices. I have used lavender in a calming evening drink though.
Interesting! I’ve never used essentials oils before, but I’ve heard a ton about them. I might just have to try the oregano and basil essential oils, I bet they would save me a ton of time in the kitchen!
I love cooking with essential oils. I use orange and peppermint most often. Will you please share this with my readers on Oil me Up Wednesdays at my lamp is full? A place for all essential oils enthusiasts to meet up and share.
Yea! Thanks for linking up at Oil me up Wednesdays. I hope you will join us again and share all you have learned about these gifts of the earth!