Preserving garlic in oil is not safe

[raweater]

I had read somewhere on these forums that it was fine to preserve garlic in oil but I was about to make a flavored olive oil infusion and wanted to read about garlic in oil. I read that the oxygen free environment of oil is perfect for botulism to grow from the garlic and even refrigerated would only be kept 3 weeks and not at all at room temperature. It however said it was fine if the garlic was dehydrated first so there's no water to allow life.

I just wanted to post this in case others thought it was safe to store raw fresh garlic in oil.

[juliebove]

That's very true. Some years ago, it was popular to make flavored oils to give as gifts. They were making people sick.

[Dimond]

Suppose to use lemon juice or vinegar instead. It also makes it healthier to consume comparable to aged garlic.

[mousebandit]

And remember, botulism won't just make you sick, it will make you dead, and it is a pretty horrible way to go. We had to listen to a 911 call on a botulism case in my food preservation certification class a couple of summers ago and it was horrifying to say the very least (the the audio, no video, and it was that bad). I am pretty freaking cautious about botulism, although I'm pretty casual about other food germs, LOL!

Tracey R.

[raweater]

Bacteria and viruses will only affect you if you are unhealthy and your immune system is not functioning. There are bacteria and viruses everywhere in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat. It's well proven that they can only make you sick if you are unhealthy and your immune system isn't working.

I myself have eaten fresh garlic "preserved" in oil after reading a post on here that said it was perfectly safe. The oil was stored at room temperature for months so it surely had botulism and/or other bacteria and it didn't do anything to me, but had I given it to my aunt or uncle who neglect their health incredibly they likely would have died.

Anyway, as a precaution after reading that it was not safe I through out what was left.

[klomasius]

Firstly, botulism is extremely rare. And any anaerobic environment will be a perfect breeding place for it and other potentially harmful bacteria (don't try making saurkraut if you are afraid of anaerobic bacteria).

I've never had any problems with the garlic I've put in with my semi dried tomatoes in oil (which are also more likely to be susceptible to bacterial growth as they don't contain the natural anti-bacterials that garlic does).

It's cool if you want to be cautious, but getting afraid about all different sorts of things that might not be very likely is just cause for undue stress.

Here's another one for ya to be worried about!

Listeria monocyogenes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listeria_monocytogenes

Can often be found in raw vegetables (fresh) THE most common cause of food poisoning. If pregnant women are infected, it can often cause them to spontaneously abort.

Want more? I got heaps! Let me know.

[T-Bird]

Garlic can be pickled in brine....

[raweater]

klomasius: As I said in the post before yours our immune system can handle most bacteria. I likely ingested botulism with my raw tomatoes/fresh garlic that had been at room temp for months before I ate some. However in my latest flavored oil I dehydrated slices of garlic to be safer and in case an unhealthy person without a properly working immune system has some.