Garlic infused oil?

[OverWyreGrower]

I've got lots of garlic all ready and want to make some garlic infused oil...

I know that you can't "store" the garlic in the oil, as there is a high risk of botulism, but how would I go about making garlic "infused" oil?

If I peeled and top and tailed the garlic, and put it in some olive oil on a low heat, then strained the cloves out, and put the oil in sterilised bottles, would that work?

I'm also going to be mincing some of the garlic and freezing it....

[lynda66]

i always just chop the garlic in half and stick it in the bottle, haven't died yet

[FionaH]

I know that you can't "store" the garlic in the oil, as there is a high risk of botulism,

really? I've always just chucked em in

[wellie]

You see, I'm with you OverWyreGrower on this one.....

.....as I'm not keen on being accused of killing off my loved ones
until they REALLY piss me off! No, just kidding Trousers!

And I would LOVE someone to help us out here for real, once and for all?

Surely we could have a Garlic Guru join us on this thread from either the GYO Magazine or a Garlic Farm somewhere to answer our question good and proper?
Pretty Please?

[zazen999]

Me too, I would love to know.

*types 'google' into pagefinder

[zazen999]

Googled it, and loads of pages but this one seems to explain it best...

Storing Garlic in Oil - Warning! - Not Safe.

It's important to keep food safety in mind when storing garlic in oil. Low-acid foods like garlic can be a source of Clostridium botulinum bacteria which are found in soil, water, and air. Oil's oxygen-free environment is perfect for growth of this anaerobic bacteria. Garlic in oil, therefore, must be stored correctly to prevent botulism food poisoning.

Commercial garlic-in-oil mixtures are acidified to prevent bacterial growth. These products can be stored safely at room temperature. Unfortunately, acidification of garlic in homemade oil mixtures can't be recommended because no research exists to support proper procedures. Different people recommend different methods and time to acidify and it is hard to know who is right. Instead, it's best to store these hazardous oils in the refrigerator, but for a limited time only. This conflicts with the desire for long term storage.

When raw garlic is stored in oil, Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow. These mixtures must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. After 3 weeks of refrigeration, the increased number of bacteria will become a food safety hazard. Therefore, these mixtures should not be refrigerated longer than 3 weeks.

When garlic is immediately removed after flavoring oil, the bacteria will not have a "food source" for growth. The flavored oil can be stored safely at room temperature.

When vegetables or herbs are dried, water will not be available for bacterial growth. Therefore, DRIED vegetables or dried herbs (including garlic) in oil can be stored safely at room temperature. Note. Tomatoes are high in acid. Therefore, plain dried tomatoes in oil can be safely stored at room temperature.

Storage Recommendations: (According to Oregon State University Extension Service).

Raw or cooked garlic and/or herbs in oil:
These mixtures MUST be refrigerated. Do not store them longer than 3 weeks in the refrigerator. (Note. Raw garlic MAY be safely stored in vinegar at room temperature.)

Dried garlic and/or herbs in oil: If oil is seasoned with dried garlic and/or dried herbs, the mixture may be safely stored at room temperature. (Refrigeration may delay rancidity, however.)

[kentvegplot]

I have an old recipe book that suggests a tablespoon of vinegar added to the oil after the final 'decanting' (although this was specifically for herb oils). Maybe stick to drying garlic for safety?

[zazen999]

I just separate the cloves, take the best for replanting [if they got big enough], and put the rest in a jar with some silica gel sachets. Seems to work.

[Curvy Vixen]

Hmmm...I'm obviously with the garlic killing off gang! I have a bottle of olive oil with some smashed up garlic in and another with some smashed up chilli's in to use as garlic and chilli oil.

I also had the brainwave of chopping up the garlic that I buy in Tesco that keeps 'growing' in the veg rack and keeping it in oil in the fridge to use as we go along....

Must get hubby insured

[crazy_red]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums, so this is my first post! Please be gentle with me...

I've discovered that if you use sunflower oil, which has very little natural flavour, and use the hot infusion method, it takes up the flavour from whole garlic cloves really strongly.

I only realised this because I had run out of olive oil and my first efforts with this method turned out a tad strong - my OH swears he was still oozing garlic from his pores three weeks later......

If you strain the cloves out before bottling the oil, remove excess oil on kitchen paper you can them put them up in white wine vinegar - still plenty of garlicky taste going on and you don't waste the 'used' cloves.

[MaureenHall]

That's a great tip crazy red! Thanks for that, will try it for sure.

Welcome to the vine

[CarolineW]

If acidity is the key to making it safe, does anyone know if adding lemon juice would do the trick? And if so - any idea how much we should add?

[coreopsis]

What about the other oils?Herb infused(rosemary,basil)?Is it safe to leave the herbs inside?I wanted to make some as ready ones are quite expensive.

[Hilary B]

What about the other oils?Herb infused(rosemary,basil)?Is it safe to leave the herbs inside?I wanted to make some as ready ones are quite expensive.

If you use dried herbs, should be safe. Some herbs will be safe whether used dried or fresh...... I haven't gone into it enough to be sure about whether any 'fresh' herbs might carry the same risk as garlic, but I would think probably OK for most, if not all....

[Two_Sheds]

I knew I'd read this thread before: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ism_24521.html