Sweet basil is the most common kind of basil in the United States. It’s perfect for use in Italian dishes and soups. Sweet Thai basil is often used in Asian cooking; it is slightly spicier with hints of licorice and cloves. Lemon basil has hints of lemon along with the typical sweet basil flavors. Purple basil types, such as dark opal basil or purple ruffles basil, are also spicier than sweet basil.
Quickly boiling fresh herbs is called blanching. Blanching helps the basil maintain its color. [6] X Research source
To prevent botulism poisoning, never store your oil at room temperature.
This method tends to bring out a stronger flavor in the oil, as the basil is cooked in the oil rather than in the water.
Do not let the oil boil. It should stay at a light simmer, so turn down the heat if the oil is getting too hot. [17] X Research source
To prevent botulism, sanitize your airtight containers and lids first. Sanitizing is easy! Put the containers and lids in a pot of water and boil them for 10 minutes to kill any bacteria. [19] X Research source
Never store herb-infused oils at room temperature! This could lead to botulism poisoning which can be fatal.
