[Suzyq2909]

Decided to make rosemary & garlic oil but having googled recipes I'm now totally confused - some say cold oil is ok & just drop in the herbs & garlic cloves. Some say DO NOT use cold oil or risk botulism. Some say even using the hot oil method you must remove the garlic cloves.

Please can someone tell me if it's ok to use fresh garlic cloves & Leave them in the bottled oil? And how big is the risk of botulism if using cold oil method. I tried heating the oil but it turned cloudy

Thanks for any help
Sue

[Val H]

I'm afraid that this sites official view on storing in oil is here:

https://www.allotment-garden.org/recipe/oils-vinegar/storing-in-oil/

I personally think the risk is of botulism is minimal (and have extensively researched this subject).

https://www.allotment-garden.org/recipe/oils-vinegar/storing-in-cold-oil-botulism-risk/

[Suzyq2909]

Thank you very much for your reply. Do you leave whole cloves of garlic in the oil, or do you chop/mince it?.  Similarly chilli oil - I have a glut of chillis this year - do you chop, slice, deseed or put whole chillis in your oil

[Val H]

Recipes for Oils and Vinegars, including garlic oil and chilli oil.

http://www.allotment-garden.org/recipe/category/chutney-jam-val/oils-vinegars/

[sunshineband]

Not that my opinion is as well researched as Val's or my experience as extensive, but I'd like to add that when putting small whole chillies in jars of peppers in oil etc, I always slit them open so allow the air inside to escape and the oil to seep in quickly.

Thanks for all the links Val...always good to remind ourselves of the wide range of option we have for preserving 

[snowdrops]

I've made Rosemary oil many times, I dried the Rosemary in sprigs, then heated the oil before pouring it in to a sterilised bottle that had the dried rosemary pushed in.