h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Is it safe to store chopped up but uncooked garlic in olive oil? We use this not only for the garlic itself but also to get flavoured oil.

After an item in Saturday Morning Live I checked the internet and found a predominently American forum where the concept of storing any allium in olive oil was roundly condemned as being liable to cause food poisoning.

Has anyone else seen this, had any experience or found any official source comment?

DB

It's true that if you make flavoured oils and store them for longer than about two weeks, you run the risk of contracting something nasty. If you keep them for less time than this, and make sure the garlic/chilli/rosemary/whatever is _clean_, there should be no problems.

B

Thanks for that, Best Ram.

I now remember that the poison refered to originally was Botulism. However, today and by chance I saw in the Marks & Spencer (St Michael) book called Herbs a recipe wherein crushed garlic, washed rosemary, chives and chillis are left in olive oil for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Apart from washing and crushing there was no prior or subsequent treatment. Stranger and stranger.

DB