[Jilly]

I recently bought some delicious garlic in olive oil and as I have an abundance of home grown garlic I would like to bottle some myself.  Any tips?   :?:

[Ice]

My tip is DON'T DO IT you will be at risk from botulism.  Commercially bought ones are treated to prevent this happening.  If you really want to then get as much info as possible.

[Moosey]

I thought it was ok so long as you heated the oil before bottling?  Now i'm worried.  Off to find out more about this!  :shock:  :?  :shock:

[Val H]

John covers this in his diary When we had some well meaning people email about the garlic in oil gives you botulism, actually I think it was chilli peppers but that’s neither here nor there, we looked on the web and found some references.

However, we didn’t leave it there. First we spoke to my brother in law who is a trained chef and well up on hygiene and food safety. He wasn’t certain so we got onto the health people. Now the truth is that bottling damp garlic or chilli in cold oil presents a tiny theoretical risk raised by someone in that bastion of sense and calmness the USA. You are far more likely to die from making a sandwich with dirty hands. But, we thought it best to bow to the panic and provide recipes that safely sterilise by heating the oil.

And we still get emails saying "Did you know that you will die from eating chilli peppers bottled in oil?" I resist the urge to reply "But that’s all we’ve got here in our bunker that we cannot leave in case the sky falls on us".

[Val H]

I also cover it in this article: Flavoured Oils & Vinegars.

I will add that I've been sticking them in cold oil for quarter of a century or more and I've yet to die of botulism!

[Trillium]

I think what needs to be addressed, Val, is that some folk aren't overly careful about which oil they use, and, how long they've had that oil before they use it for something like garlic in oil. And also how they handle the garlic itself during preparation......eg very clean counters, clean hands, not sneezing etc in the area, no pet dander floating in the air, sterilized jars, followup storage, cleanlieness of utensils used to scoop out the garlic, personal health sensitivities and such. I've met some well dressed folk who have the filthiest kitchens and cooking habits so we can't assume we're all prepping food the same. Best to err on the side of caution when dealing with the general public although the 'you'll die!' bit is somewhat extreme.

[Val H]

I know. Had a bloke who'd made chutney, said he's followed the instructions, but it had mould on the top.  Was it safe to eat? It must have been either the preparation, under-cooking, or incorrect sterilization. Just this one area drives us mad! Thinking of taking everything to do with oils off the site. :cry:  :cry:

[Ice]

I think what needs to be addressed, Val, is that some folk aren't overly careful about which oil they use, and, how long they've had that oil before they use it for something like garlic in oil. And also how they handle the garlic itself during preparation......eg very clean counters, clean hands, not sneezing etc in the area, no pet dander floating in the air, sterilized jars, followup storage, cleanlieness of utensils used to scoop out the garlic, personal health sensitivities and such. I've met some well dressed folk who have the filthiest kitchens and cooking habits so we can't assume we're all prepping food the same. Best to err on the side of caution when dealing with the general public although the 'you'll die!' bit is somewhat extreme.

I agree Trillium.  I didn't say you'll die, I said look into it carefully if you want to do it.

[Trillium]

I didn't mean you'd said it, Ice, but I have read on other sites where people insist 'you'll die!'. If anything, a person can get very ill unless the eater is allergic to nut oils and that is what was used but not mentioned.