Essential oils are liquid and aromatic extracts of plants (leaves, flowers, fruits, roots, bark, etc.) most often obtained by steam distillation in a still or, in the case of citrus zest, by cold expression (by scraping the pockets containing the aromatic essences). For about ten years, with the attraction for alternative and natural medicines, they have been integrated into our pharmacy kits because they relieve many minor everyday ailments : bruises, stings, nausea, mycosis… DIY enthusiasts have also adopted them to make cosmetics and cleaning products. Their use in the kitchen is still timid, only a few rare chefs have slipped them into recipes. However, they offer an incomparable fragrance (aroma of fresh basil in all seasons for example) and provide various health benefits as a bonus. Find out how to use them to benefit.
Replace salt with essential oils
We consume too much salt (9 g on average whereas it should not exceed 6 g) or this one in excess promotes hypertension, a risk factor for many diseases. It’s not easy to change your habits without finding the dishes bland. The trick then is to use aromatic herbs, spices… and why not essential oils.
Basil, thyme, rosemary and tarragon essential oils spice up dressings and sauces. For example, 1 drop of basil essential oil in the vinaigrette of a tomato salad or 1 drop of tarragon essential oil in creamed chicken breasts.
Essential oils of ginger, cardamom, fennel and caraway enhance exotic dishes such as chicken curry, lamb tagine, lentil dhal…
Replace sugar in desserts with essential oils
It is recommended to limit your sugar consumption because, if it brings pleasure, it also contains a lot of calories and no interesting nutrients. Essential oils are then allies because they can bring a pleasant flavor to desserts other than sweetening.
To flavor dairy products naturally, you can put 1 drop of citrus essential oil (orange, grapefruit, mandarin, bergamot) in a pot of yogurt or a pot of fromage blanc.
To reduce the amount of sugar in cake, pancake and waffle batters, add 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil to 1 liter of batter. “It saturates the taste buds by giving a nice roundness in the mouth. In addition, at therapeutic doses, it is recognized for its hypoglycemic effect. “says Cécile Adant, pharmacist.
For chocolate preparations (mousse, fondant) that are less sweet, consider the essential oil of spearmint, which also has digestive properties.
More daring, slip 1 drop of flower essential oil (such as rose geranium with lychee-rose flavor) into the cream of a pastry.
To improve digestion
After a festive meal with hearty dishes and pastries or a barbecue rich in fatty meats and sauces, digestion is often long and difficult. Some essential oils can then support the digestive organs and in particular the liver.
“THE lemon essential oils and peppermint stimulate the secretion of liver enzymes and bile which contains acids that will emulsify fats to facilitate their digestion” explains Cécile Adant. One can take 1 drop of one or the other at the end of the meal on a piece of bread or a neutral tablet. If you make yourself a tea at the end of a meal, you can also put 1 drop on your tea bag because the tannins in the tea make it possible to solubilize the essential oil.
Ginger essential oil is also a digestive tonic and it activates peristalsis, that is to say the contraction of the digestive tract to advance the food bolus and facilitate the elimination of residues. Also to be taken at the end of a meal, 1 drop on a piece of bread or a neutral tablet.
To reduce bloating
The belly which swells after the meal is the sign of an excess of fermentation at the level of the colon: the bacteria which are there transform the remains of food by producing gases. To avoid this, it is important to chew well and avoid large quantities of foods rich in fermentable sugars (dried vegetables, cabbage, leek, onion, etc.). Certain essential oils can also help.
Laurel, caraway and cumin essential oils reduce intestinal fermentation and help eliminate gas, so as to find a flat stomach. You can take 1 drop of one of them on a piece of bread at the end of a meal or incorporate it directly into your preparation: in the vinaigrette of a lentil salad or the béchamel sauce of a cabbage gratin. flower for example.
“Star anise essential oil helps reduce abdominal cramps and pain associated with bloating.” adds the pharmacist. To slip into a chickpea curry with coconut milk.
To soothe the stress that makes you hungry
When we are stressed, we often crave fatty and sugary foods that make us secrete soothing neurotransmitters like dopamine (pleasure) and serotonin (well-being). The problem is that it doesn’t fix the cause of stress and that in the long run it promotes weight gain. It is more interesting to try to manage your stress (physical activity, relaxation), possibly with the help of an essential oil.
The essential oil of true lavender and that of petit grain de bigarade (with a citrus and green leaf flavor) stimulate the secretion of serotonin (neurotransmitter of well-being) and help fight stress and anxiety. “It is important to choose an oil whose smell you like. We can smell them or ingest them by putting 1 drop in a teaspoon of honey that we will let melt in the mouth so that the active ingredients penetrate into the blood vessels located under the tongue. says Cécile Adant.
Ylang-ylang oil is also known to calm the thoughts that jostle and promote letting go. You can put 1 drop on your wrist, rub with the other wrist and breathe in to calm down.
To boost your immune system
Many plants are known to support immune defenses and reduce the frequency of winter ailments (colds, coughs, sore throats, flu, etc.). Essential oils being plant concentrates, they are powerful allies.
“Ihe most interesting essential oils for fighting microbes are those of noble laurel, ravintsara,eucalyptus radiate and rosemary to cineole. They contain eucalyptol, a molecule that stimulates natural defenses and supports respiratory function. It can be interesting at the start of winter, to slip a drop of one of these oils into your yogurt or the honey of your sandwiches every morning. Invigorating and fresh feeling of good morning” says Cécile Adant.
To avoid snacking
The smell of a bakery, the sight of a chocolate bar in the vending machine or even the packet of biscuits lying around on a colleague’s desk, and now a furious desire to snack manifests itself, without necessarily being hungry. . Here again essential oils can help, not by ingesting them but by smelling them.
“I’grapefruit essential oil stimulates an area of the brain that releases dopamine that will bring pleasure without the need to eat. It contains limonene with anxiolytic effect” explains the pharmacist. When you feel the cravings rising, you inhale the bottle once through the right nostril, once through the left nostril.
Cinnamon essential oil is also interesting because it saturates the olfactory receptors and induces a message of satiety. We pour a few drops into an inhaler stick that we breathe. It also works before eating, to make a smaller meal.
The rules to follow
- Check that the essential oil can be taken orallyby consulting the laboratory’s website or by asking the pharmacist.
- As they are not soluble in water, they must be diluted in a fatty substance (oil, melted butter, cream, egg yolk, coconut milk, etc.) or a liquid sugar (honey, agave syrup, ‘maple…) before incorporating them into recipes.
- We count on average 1 drop for 4 people to have a subtle and pleasant flavor. More if it is a citrus essential oil, softer. Less if it is a very powerful oil such as cinnamon, oregano or clove.
- As the drops sometimes fall quickly, to avoid errors, the drop is not poured directly into the dish. Pour it into a spoon before mixing it with fat or sugar.
- If you get it on your hands, pour vegetable oil (olive, sunflower, etc.) to dilute, then wash well with soap and water.
- Essential oils are not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under 6, people with epilepsy and allergies.
- Keep essential oil bottles out of the reach of children!
Good to know
Alternatives to oils, there are essential oil crystals (based on agave syrup) or preparations where they are already diluted (in neutral vegetable oil), easier to add to your plate.
Keep them well
Essential oils are kept in their tightly closed tinted glass bottles, protected from air and light. They keep relatively well: 5 years on average3 years for those of citrus fruits which can oxidize more quickly.
Which essential oils with which dishes?
- HE lemon: mayonnaise, fish tartare
- HE of basil: tomato-mozzarella, strawberry salad
- HE of mint: chocolate mousse, tabbouleh
- EO of thyme: ratatouille, lemon tart
- HE of bergamot: madeleines, crème brûlée
- HE of lavender: apricot tart, pannacotta
- HE of dill: fish papillote, tzatziki
- HE of cinnamon: pancake batter, apple compote
- HE of orange: fromage blanc, financiers
- HE of verbena: strawberry sorbet, apricot jam
Essential oils bring a lot of flavors
What essential oils can be used in cooking?
Those that are extracted from plants that we usually include in our recipes: spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, caraway…), herbs (basil, mint, rosemary, tarragon…) and citrus (lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit…). more original, flower essential oils (rose, lavender, rose geranium, etc.) can also flavor pastries. As they are very concentrated aromatic extracts, they are not easy to dose, you have to put very little, around 1 drop for 1 l or 1 kg of preparation. Otherwise, you can dilute 1 drop in 100 ml of vegetable oil, pour 1 tbsp. tablespoon of this scented oil and add more according to the desired intensity.
What are the benefits on the plate?
Essential oils bring many flavors and they contain active substances that give them various properties: soothing, antibacterial, digestive, laxative, tonic, vermifuge… Nevertheless, watch out for too high cooking temperatures which can degrade their molecules, it is better to add them to a cold preparation or at the end of cooking. Finally, if you only put a drop from time to time on your plate, there will not necessarily be any health effect. For a therapeutic effect orally, 1 drop 3 times a day, 5 days out of 7 or 3 weeks is recommended with a break of one week.
Thanks to Cécile Adant, pharmacist and director of the training department at Pranarôm.
Read also :
⋙ Essential oils in the kitchen: instructions for use
⋙ The guide to using essential oils in the kitchen
⋙ 10 recipes for cooking with essential oils… and enjoying yourself