[CH] chillies (and garlic) in oil
Jim Weller (jweller@ssimicro.com)
Wed, 22 Jan 2003 22:15:47 -0700
> Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 00:24:15 +0800
> From: "Marc Winterburn" <marcw@iinet.net.au>
> Subject: [CH] Chilli in oil
> Similar thread, I have seen on the list differing arguments for and
> against Chillies bottled in oil. Over here in Oz it is pretty
> common to see these for sale. Is it dangerous or not?
It's dangerous to do at home. Commercially prepared is different. Botulism
can grow in an anaerobic (oil) environment, in the presence of moisture, at
temperatures above 40 F ( 4 C) unless the growing medium is quite acidic
( I forget the exact Ph.)
Commercially prepared chilies in oil have been acidified with citric acid or
other agents to a safe Ph level. Just soaking your fresh chilies in vinegar
or lemon juice for a while before storing them in oil at home is iffy.
You can do chilies in oil if you keep them refrigerated below 4 C. It is
generally advised to consume them with in two weeks or less anyway and check
your fridge's temperature for accuracy.
You can do dried chilies in oil safely (no moisture).
And you can do fresh chilies in vinegar safely (acid environment).
Botulism poisoning is admittedly rare but its so deadly that caution is
wise.
> From: "George & Anna Goslowsky" <goslowsky4@earthlink.com>
> Subject: Re: [CH] Chilli in oil
> Now garlic oil I am unsure of still. My method for making garlic
> oil is that I peel and crush about 3-4 heads of garlic, put them in
> a oven safe pan and baking it for about 55 minutes at 325F.
> This is the same time/temp I use to roast garlic. I then strain all
> the garlic particles from the oil and bottle it. This makes a very
> strong, but velvety smooth, not bitter, garlic oil. What I still
> have a question about is since I have removed the
> garlic from the oil, is it safe now from Botulism?
It is my understanding that botulism germs are destroyed by boiling
temperatures but the hardy spores only at 240 F. (Which is why pressure
canning rather than a hot water bath is safer for canning/bottling non acid
foods.) At that temperature, for that length of time I would think the
internal temperature of your garlic bulbs would exceed 240 F. So I *think*
your method is sound. Please don't rely solely on my opinion though... do
some research at .edu and .gov food preservation sites. (It sounds
delicious.)
> From: "The NorthEast ChileMan" <thenortheastchileman@attbi.com>
> Subject: Re: [CH] Chilli in oil
> I have used this recipe many times & am still alive. Go to this URL:
> http://www.pepperfool.com/recipe_home.html
> the 4th recipe down, "Canning Hot Peppers"
That technique sounds good to me; I'd eat your peppers. There are some guys
on rfp who would argue that the sauteing plus hot oil doesn't guarantee that
single every molecule of pepper (and glass) didn't get up to 240 F so that
you should still acidify or process under pressure. But then those guys
pressure can their jam too.
> From: "Marc Winterburn" <marcw@iinet.net.au>
> Subject: Re: [CH] Chilli in oil
> What do you consider the right dried chilli for the red color? Do the
> flavors of individual chillies come through in the oil or just the
> heat?
I find that the heat comes through wonderfully. The flavour imparted by
dried peppers is different than that of fresh but nice in its own way.
> From: "George & Anna Goslowsky" <goslowsky4@earthlink.com>
> Subject: Re: [CH] Chilli in oil
> It is wonder to drizzle on Greek black olives or a little proscuitto.
Ummm. Hot olives. Ummmmm!
Cheers
YK Jim