Cheesecloth eh? I was thinking I may use some of that for the current garlic challenge - to make wild garlic oil. May or may not get round to it...
Making flavoured oils (and safety)
- Thread starter Morning Glory
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It’ll last me for a long, long time. I don’t use it very often. I just used some yesterday when I was squeezing the beejeezus out of some grated cucumber.
medtran49
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I bought a large, fine mesh, tea infuser type thingy, with a chain on it for things like thar.
In fact I have a jam strainer and some cheese cloth bags which hang from it. Is the mesh in your tea infuser fine enough for herb oil?
msmofet
🌹 🍉 Still trying to get it right.
I know that infused oil will last a couple of weeks in the fridge. Can I freeze it in ice cubes trays and keep in the freezer for a long time?
I think you can - though I haven't tried it. If I make herb oil, the quantity is so small I don't need to. Other oils infused with spices or herbs (where you simply put the herbs or spices in the oil bottle) will last for ages and no fridge needed.
msmofet
🌹 🍉 Still trying to get it right.
Really? There is always been someone warning about botulism with infused/ingredients added to oils. I always used to add basil and salt to oil, and was warned over and over on forums about botulism.
medtran49
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Yes, it reminds me of super fine chain maille.
medtran49
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When I used to freeze homemade truffle oil, it never totally froze, though I never tried in something as small as ice cube trays.
medtran49
Forum GOD!
Anything that has been in the ground or exposed to soil has the potential to carry the botulinum bacteria. The plant may have it or may not, it's a crap (the game with dice) shoot.
I was going by watching food programnes in the UK. In fact I saw Jamie Oliver doing just that yesterday. I've added chillies and hard herbs to oil in the past to no detriment but maybe I was lucky.
It takes time to develop, so garlic in oil is absolutely safe for a short while.
If you want to keep it longer, you could deep or dry fry the garlic to kill of any spores.
If memory serves me right, they get killed around 120 oC
If you want to keep it longer, you could deep or dry fry the garlic to kill of any spores.
If memory serves me right, they get killed around 120 oC
medtran49
Forum GOD!
Botulinum bacteria grow in anaerobic conditions, i.e. without or with very, very low oxygen. Things submerged in oil are in an anaerobic environment.
Water has to reach a temp of 240 F to kill the spores, not sure about oil.
Refrigeration will greatly retard growth. I believe soaking veges in highly salted water for several hours will also kill a lot of bacteria. My home recipe for giardineria call for a brine soak prior to using oil, but I still don't keep it for longer than a couple of months.
Water has to reach a temp of 240 F to kill the spores, not sure about oil.
Refrigeration will greatly retard growth. I believe soaking veges in highly salted water for several hours will also kill a lot of bacteria. My home recipe for giardineria call for a brine soak prior to using oil, but I still don't keep it for longer than a couple of months.
I've got no authority (medical or otherwise) to pooh-pooh the hysteria created online about botulism, and I'm certainly not going to diminish the seriousness of a botulism infection, but I will say this.
There are about 110 cases of botulism in the US every year , of which only 25% are food-related (CDC statistics). That means you have a 0.000000003% chance of getting infected. In other words, it is extremely, extremely rare. You are far more likely to be shot (40,000 cases per year), get bitten by a snake (7-8,000), injured by a kitchen knife (350,000) or involved in a car accident (40,000). Someone, somewhere decided to enter into panic mode and spread a conspiracy theory which, unfortunately, a lot of people fell for.
If you're not observing simple cooking hygiene ( which is undoubtedly untrue) then obviously, the chances of an infection (which are very remote) are higher, but as I said, 110 cases a year is a very small number.