Cooking with Essential Oils

Cooking with essential oils opens a whole new frontier in the kitchen.

Essential oils can be incredibly useful in cooking by adding concentrated flavors derived from the natural oils of plants. When processed correctly, these food-grade oils are safe to use. Many oils are extracted from flowers, herbs, barks, roots, leaves, and seeds. For example, vanilla and almond extracts are popular choices.

Usage of Essential Oils: They can be applied topically for massages and rubs, used aromatically in diffusers, or incorporated internally in juices, smoothies, cocktails, savory dishes, and salads.

Today, a wide range of essential oils is available online, in health shops, and pharmacies. You’ll find therapeutic options like peppermint, oregano, lavender, and clary sage. Exploring further reveals the vast potential of essential oils—not just for spas or bathtubs, but also in the kitchen, bedroom, and beyond. Oils such as wild orange, lemon, basil, rosemary, cinnamon, and clove offer exciting culinary possibilities.

Before We Begin: Not all essential oils are suitable for consumption. Always ensure that the oil is food grade before using it in recipes.

Common Essential Oils for Cooking:

• Basil – ideal for salads, teas, and sauces
• Black pepper – great for salads, sauces, and cooking
• Cardamom – suited for salads, desserts, teas, and juices
• Cassia – used from the inner bark of cinnamon in desserts and juices
• Cilantro – perfect for salads and cooking
• Cinnamon – excellent in desserts, cooking, and juices
• Clary sage – used in desserts, cooking, and teas
• Clove – adds flavor to desserts, cooking, and juices
• Coriander – works well in cooking, dips, and sauces
• Fennel – suitable for desserts, cooking, salads, and juices
• Ginger – a wonderful addition to cooking, salads, desserts, and juices
• Grapefruit – ideal for juices and desserts
• Helichrysum – noted for its potent therapeutic properties
• Lavender – versatile in salads, cooking, and desserts
• Lemon – great for desserts, salads, cooking, and teas
• Lime – perfect for desserts, salads, cooking, and teas
• Marjoram – ideal for salads, dips, and cooking
• Oregano – works well in salads, dips, and cooking
• Patchouli – suited for salads, sauces, and cooking
• Peppermint – used in salads, cooking, desserts, and juices
• Rosemary – perfect for salads and cooking
• Spearmint – excellent in desserts and salads
• Tangerine – suitable for desserts, salads, cooking, and juices
• Thyme – great for salads, juices, and cooking
• Wild orange – a delightful addition to desserts, juices, and cooking

Print Recipe

Pineapple & Nectarine Salsa with Lime and Cilantro Essential Oils

Salsa – Fusion

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: N/A – Total Time: 30 minutes

A vibrant and refreshing salsa that blends tropical pineapple with the sweet tang of nectarine, accented by subtle hints of lime and cilantro essential oils. Perfect as a topping for tacos or enjoyed on its own as a tangy fruit salad.

Ingredients

• 1 pineapple
• 2 small nectarines, diced (optional: add more to taste)
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida
• 5 drops lime essential oil
• 2 drops cilantro essential oil
• 3 teaspoons Marian salt

Instructions

1

Mix all ingredients together.

2

Allow the salsa to sit and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

3

Serve with tacos or enjoy as a tangy fruit salad on its own.

Nutrition

• 92.5 Calories
• 22.8g Carbohydrates
• 0.0mg Cholesterol
• 0.2g Fat
• 2.6g Fiber
• 1.2g Protein
• 1150.0mg Sodium
• 0.0g Trans fat