Garlic + Oil, Why is this recipe safe?

[larubbio]

I've read other questions here and elsewhere that talk about the danger of garlic in oil. I'm trying to figure out why this recipe is safe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ja...

The basic recipe calls for a pickling liquid of vinegar, water and salt. The vegetables are boiled for three minutes and then scooped out and placed in a pickling marinade of oil, sliced raw garlic and a chili. The vegetables and marinade (but not the vinegar solution) are placed in jars and stored for up to three months.

As far as I can tell shouldn't this recipe be at a high risk for botulism contamination?

[meatn3]

I saw this recipe several months ago and was surprised.

Just a thought - could it be safely made using the jarred garlic you can purchase? Istr reading that this garlic has been treated in some fashion to eliminate the risk of botulism.

Hoping someone with more knowledge will address this!

[sunshine842]

No -- once you open the jar, you then expose it to *whatever* is in the air, including botulinum spores....plus the additional potential contamination from the chili, herbs, etc., etc., etc.

[Bacardi1]

NOT SAFE. Food Network nothwithstanding - NOT SAFE.

No recipe is worth risking your life or the lives of others.

And Jamie Oliver is an idiot. He's the LAST person I'd trust re: knowing anything about food safety.

If you're bent on trying the recipe, refrigerate the jars IMMEDIATELY & plan on using them up in a week or less. After that, toss 'em.

[smaki]

+1, Bacardi1. OP, larubbio, recipe link posted from Jamie Oliver at Food Network above is NOT SAFE.

For those who have further questions please read: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail-eng.php from ChiliDude at: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849289

Wise people will skip the OP recipe as is not worth the risk of sickness or death. For those who insist do realize if you eat garlic-in-oil kept wrong that contains the toxins, you can get botulism, a potentially fatal food poisoning that could cause the following symptoms:

Dizziness
Blurred or double vision
Difficulty in swallowing, breathing and speaking
Paralysis that gets worse with time

Commercially prepared garlic-in-oil products for sale use salt or acids in the list of ingredients and consumers once open must follow directions for storing left over product. Is pre-made garlic-in-oil worth the risk when fresh tastes great and is simple to make as need in small quantity (then toss what does not get used to avoid all risk)?

[chefj]

You could add the garlic to the brine and all would be well.

[sunshine842]

So long as there's no oil, yep.

[chefj]

After the garlic is is cooked in the brine you can add the chili and oil mix safely.

[DiningDiva]

And that, really, is all you have to do to make the posted recipe safer. I was surprised to see that the garlic was not cooked with the brine, but was, instead, put in the canning jar raw with the oil. It is, frankly, more logical to me to put the garlic in the brine for a better flavor hit, and a better chance of the garlic marrying well with the rest of the ingredients, not to mention the whole garlic-in-oil safety issue.

Anerobic organisms like neither acid nor salt and the brine has both. Cooking the garlic in the brine would certainly saturate it with acid and salt making it an unsatisfactory host.

[smaki]

Maybe in reply to: "Cooking the garlic in the brine would certainly saturate it with acid and salt making it an unsatisfactory host."

To store garlic in oil, if someone does "place the sliced vegetables in the boiling pickling liquid and leave for around 3 minutes" per OP recipe is it really long enough?

Possibly if garlic is sliced see-through thin.

Next question to consider - What is the risk for the other non-acidic vegetable with herb combinations if used? For example, onions and bay leaves? Or any of the suggested possibilities?

It is best to be cautious here. Particularly if give such a 'present' to others as OP recipe suggests.

[sunshine842]

Not one I'm going to try.

Pressure canning would reduce the risk, but still doesn't move it into a must-have in my pantry.

[DiningDiva]

The vegetables are first cooked in a pickling liquid containing both acid and salt. My guess is that they will absorb enough of both, or have some residual pickling liquid still clinging to them to add enough acidity or salinity to the marinade to reduce the risk that the garlic has to develop botulism.

[chefj]

Oil and water do not mix(in this case anyway).
The garlic is mixed with the oil first which would keep it protected from the acid and salt and provide the Anaerobic Environment that the Clostridium Botulinum grows in.

[hsk]

It's not really garlic-in-oil, it's a little bit of garlic in mostly water/vinegar with some oil. Looks pretty safe to me, especially if you refrigerate it after you put it together.

[larubbio]

The garlic is added to the oil. The water/vinegar is used to boil the vegetables, but then it is discarded. The bulk of the liquid in the jars is oil. (But yes there are only about 5 cloves total) The only vinegar is the residual that is left on the vegetables after straining them.

[Chowrin]

if you must do the recipe, seal the jars in the pressure cooker (someone's got a recipe online). Thats apparently safe.

[C. Hamster]

How is that safer ?

[sunshine842]

because pressure canning renders low-acid foods safer in long-term storage.

[smaki]

And pressure canning can turn many things into mush (due to overheating, overcooking, pressure, ...). Is best to start with a proven from trusted source very specific pressure canning recipe with exact measurements, times, etc. Especially with low-acid foods. Making up a pressure canning recipe from scratch is not recommended for average home cooks.

[Chowrin]

true. but someone posted about garlic infused oil with pressure canning. So the recipe does exist.

[smaki]

Chowrin, a link would be useful - what recipe are you talking about?

Regarding:
"someone posted about garlic infused oil with pressure canning. So the recipe does exist."

[C. Hamster]

Why, though?

Heat?

[tastesgoodwhatisit]

The big danger in canning is botulism. It's deadly, and it thrives in low oxygen environments (like in a canning jar).

High acid kills botulism - so high acid canning like pickles is pretty safe. Jams are often cooked in a hot water bath, which, combined with the high sugar level sugar and acidity of fruit, kills anything in there, and keeps it sterile.

High heat kills botulism too, *but* you need a temperature higher than that of boiling water. So pressure canning lets it get to a higher temperature than boiling water, which kills any botulism bacteria present, rendering the contents safe for long term storage.

[Chowrin]

pressurizing it is akin to keeping it at a higher temperature.

[sunshine842]

sorta-kinda.

[chefj]

Yes, it is high risk for botulism. It is not safe.

[smaki]

+1, chefj is right on. NOT SAFE.

Food Network chefs prepare food to eat immediately for a TV show then share recipes online at http://www.foodnetwork.com to support their TV shows (so viewers can watch and not frantically write it down for later).

Be careful with websites when online rumors spread faster than facts. Especially without total accountability.

Long-term food storage is when there is a potential DEADLY problem. Get more-specific recipes from reliable well-proven sources. A must when can and preserve. Putting yourself, friends, and family in the position to be a 'tester' is a DANGEROUS game where you do not need to roll the dice.

Good information in a similar recent thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/883913