Calling all mixologists - am I fooling myself?

[Honeytips]

Hey ladies,

I'm thinking of making myself a concoction but would like to check with you guys first in case I'm fooling myself and I should probably not do it.

I've heard so many good things about burdock root that I ended up buying some off of ebay (came in a pack and looked like chopped up tree bark). I'm thinking of putting the burdock root in the slow cooker and adding some coconut oil and letting it (hopefully) infused. A friend in work told me that the slow cooker might make it too hot and I'm better off doing it over a double boiler for a shorter space of time.

So here's my question - am I wasting my time trying to infuse burdock root into the coconut oil? Should I just stop being cheap and get something from Qhemet's (the postage to Australia kills me everytime!!) ? In addition, which one should I use? Slow cooker or double boiler.

Thanks for your help!!

 

[Seamonster]

if it is winter, you can just put a glass container near the heater for three hours, but if it is summer use the slow cooker on low, and watch it to make sure the oil doesn't get scotched.

 

[sweetome1]

It is important to make sure you don't overheat/burn the oil. So using an oil with a higher smoke point might help. Anyways,

Here are some methods I found:

1.Solar infusion: Using the 'simplers' measure, place the herbs and oil in a glass jar and cover tightly. Place in a warm,sunny window and let infuse for about 2 weeks. Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white wine to help break down the plant material. Strain and rebottle. For a stronger oil, add a fresh batch of herbs and let infuse for two more weeks.

2.Oven Extraction: Place the herbs and oil in a canning jar, or a container with a tight fitting lid. Put them in a pan with enough water to cover the bottom half of the jar. Turn the oven on the lowest temperature possible and heat for several hours. This is a good method for those days when you are going to be around the house all day. I have better luck with this than the faster double boiler method, because the oil doesn't tend to overheat, and you don't have to watch it so carefully.

3.Double boiler method. Place herbs and oil in a double boiler ,covered with a tightly fitting lid and bring to a slow simmer. SLOWLY heat for 1/2 hour to an hour, checking frequently to make sure oil is not overheating. The lower the heat and longer the infusion time the better quality of oil.

4.Crockpot method. Place herbs and oils in crockpot and set on lowest possible heat. You will have to experiment with your own crockpot as the strength of the heating element can vary quite a bit, but as a general rule 2 to 4 hours will do it. (my crockpot is just too hot for this method) Electric roasters have an even lower heat source and herbal oils can be left to steep for 2 weeks.

 

[Honeytips]

Thanks very much for the replies. It's summer right now so I will definitely try the slow cooker method but just for a few hours (instead of leaving it on overnight as I originally planned). Is there a ratio I should be using or can I just judge for myself as I go along? Thinking I might also include some castor oil in my mixture.

 

[southerncitygirl]

Fyi the double boiler method needs to be more than 30minutes especially when its stems, root, and bark. I would do it overnight. I fill the bottom pot to top with water so that its only a 3-4 inch gap from the top. I let the water come to a boil first then let it simmer on low overnight. I use a stockpot for my bottom pot so it can hold tons of water. I've never had any issues with the water boiling out.

Solar infusion is awesome as well i've never added vinegar or wine, I just make sure the herbs are completely submerged in the oil and shake several times a week. I've done this method and let it sit in a window for weeks in the winter, in the summer I would do a a little less time.