Aromatic top oil vs sediment layer, plus shelf life and the order of oil temperature for each addition.
Enter the total oil volume, the weight of your chili flakes, and the style you want. The card shows oil temperature, grams of oil to pour over the chili, expected sediment weight at the bottom of the jar, and shelf life.
Most home chili-oil recipes give vague "heat the oil and pour" instructions. The temperature, the two-pour schedule, and the order of additions change the result three-fold. Burning the chili at 200 degC instead of 170 degC turns it from bright red to brown and acrid; pouring it all at once burns the bottom while the top stays under-extracted.
What this tool doesn't solve is your specific chili flake variety. Korean gochugaru is finer and burns faster than Sichuan erjingtiao. Use the temperature as a starting point and adjust visually.
Home cooks who have tried making chili oil and got a bitter, dark result. People adjusting commercial chili crisp recipes (Laoganma, Momofuku Chili Crunch) for home scale. Restaurant owners developing house chili oil.
Oil temperature is the variable you cannot see. 170 degC is bright red and fragrant; 200 degC is brown and acrid; 150 degC is pale and under-extracted. The two-pour method prevents the chili at the bowl bottom from burning while the top gets enough heat. Sediment weight is what you see at the bottom after 24 h - it should be roughly one-third of your chili weight for Sichuan-style.
Chili flake variety matters. Korean gochugaru is finer and burns faster; Sichuan erjingtiao is coarser and tolerates higher heat. The numbers assume a medium-coarse flake. Humidity in your chili flakes will produce cloudier oil - dry them in a 100 degC oven for 10 minutes first if you want crystal-clear layers.
Why two pours? Single pour burns the bottom. Two pours blooms color then extracts aroma. The first 1/3 hits the chili and the second 2/3 finishes the extraction.
Can I reuse the infused oil? The first batch holds the most aroma; reserve for finishing only. A second batch of oil over the same chili will be milder.
Why is my chili oil cloudy? Water in the chili flakes. Dry them in a 100 degC oven for 10 minutes first, then cool before pouring oil.