Where can I buy rosé Otto oil for cooking? And rose syrup ?

sasher1
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8 Comments

cookbookchick July 3, 2013
Some Greek and Italian markets also sell rose petal jam.
 
Rebecca V. July 3, 2013
kalustyan's is great and also sahadi's on atlantic ave in brooklyn has a very wide variety of gourmet ingredients, particularly middle eastern ones. i know they have rosewater, you could ask about syrup and the rose otto oil. if you're not in nyc, try a middle eastern specialty store or ordering online from one.
 
Maedl July 3, 2013
HalfPint, I think you could use rosewater. In fact, the recipe from the link I posted calls for both rose water and rose petals. If I were making it, though, I would try to find fresh petals because that adds some fresh essential oils. You need an old rose variety for this--there is no point in using the newer hybrids--most of the scent has been bred out of them. What you are looking for here is the old 'apothecary rose'. I made a rose petal jelly a few years ago with a local variety that goes 'way back and was quite delighted with the results, both taste-and scent-wise.
 
Droplet July 3, 2013
True Rose Otto is very expensive (about 50$ for 10 ml). In general it is not advisable to ingest essential oils (even in miniscule amounts), so any rose oil you buy at a price lower than above should be used for cosmetic purpose only. Homemade rose syrup, as Maedl mentioned, works very well, especially this time of the year.
 
beejay45 July 4, 2013
Actually, many essential oils and other scent products are food safe. However, you must be sure they are labelled FCC (Food Chemical Codex), GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) for food or in some other way that indicates they are safe for human consumption. You not only have to worry about solvents that may have been used in extracting the scent materials, but also how the stuff was handled -- were the standards up to those required for food processing and packing? I buy mine from Lebermuth dot com, a US company that makes a lot of their own products. They have everything they sell tagged for the various uses, including food. I feel much safer using oils straight from the manufacturer rather than having to rely on a clerk in a shop who's wanting to make a sale and will tell you they're food safe just to close the deal. You don't have much recourse if you run into problems using oils you buy from a shop, but the manufacturer has a big stake in keeping their customers safe and happy.

Essential oils pack a flavor-aroma wallop, so it's necessary to use only a drop or two or you'll ruin what you're preparing. Also, they are very volatile, in most cases, so can't be added until the end in cooked foods or you lose all that scenty goodness. ;) I used to use several essential oils to aromatize sugar and salt and used them in cooking/baking. The syrup idea is a good one, but remembering the volatility, wait until the simple syrup has cooled a fair bit before adding the oil. They are oils, though, so maybe try mixing some into oils (or butter/cream???) to use another way.

Rose otto is hideously expensive. And if I remember correctly, it is very thick and not wildly soluble. A nice idea, but very hard to work with. Pretty much only experienced professional perfumers even attempt to blend with it. And possibly/probably not food safe.

Hope this helps. Sorry for the brain dump. ;)
 
Maedl July 3, 2013
You can make your own rose syrup if you have access to strongly scented roses that are not sprayed. Basically, you make a simple syrup, add the petals, and let sit for a while. I make elderflower and meadow sweet syrups this way. If you want a recipe, see http://theviewfromthegreatisland.blogspot.de/2013/04/how-to-make-homemade-lavender-and-rose.html
 
HalfPint July 3, 2013
Maedl, could you possibly make the rose syrup with a simple syrup and rose water?
 
Monita July 3, 2013
If you live in NYC you should go to Kalustyan's (http://www.kalustyans.com/) on 28th and Lexington Ave in Manhattan
 
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