Mouthwatering Boat Recipes (mainly plant based)

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by weavis

Garlic in oil is a problem?



Here is Spain, every cafe has garlic in oil for the customers. Same bottle is used over and over... Doesnt seem to be an issue.

Weavis, is it roasted/cooked garlic or raw garlic in oil - I am presuming olive oil?

I have been "preserving", if that is the correct word, lightly roasted garlic in olive oil for years. This is then bottled and kept in the fridge. I think the correct words to replace "preserving" is "short term storage" as it is used so fast that I doubt any "lurgies" have time to grow and multiply. As in Spain, we at the bottom pointy end of Africa tend to do the same. I have never in all the years heard of anybody getting sick from garlic stored in oil.

The above said, I do see that all the preserved garlic now available in the supermarkets is no longer raw garlic in oil - it is now labelled as "reconstituted dehydrated garlic" in oil - looks like garlic, smells like garlic and tastes like garlic! Maybe it is the dehydration process that kills off any of the nasties - or they nuke the stuff after dehydration to ensure any nasty micro-organisms are killed before it passes the lips of us unsuspecting humans.

[NornaBiron]

[QUOTE=weavis;2402308]Ok.
Now I have a MAJOR problem with that paper. Here in Spain, Raw garlic is placed in Olive oil everywhere and used daily. I dont recall EVER reading of massive outbreaks of bacteria induced disease... The same for Greece and Italy...[/QUOT

How about this one then

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...6PAdbSCdY9-ukA

[weavis]

raw in olive oil

I am going to the cafe later today so will ask how they do it... to be sure for this discussion.

My garlic is raw...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by weavis

I myself have 2 litres of olive oil in a wide mouth glass jar on my counter with about 50 cloves of garlic in it and a few Jalapeno peppers.. It lasts me about 2 months. Used for flavouring everything from Pizzas to potatoes to omelettes..

Have done this for 20 some years.
My local Pizza place in the UK used to have a gallon of oil with garlic cloves in it and used it for his Pizzas.. takes about a week for the garlic to infuse the oil...

After my incident, if raw garlic is being left sitting in cold oil for two months unrefrigerated in hot weather I would call that playing Russian Roulette .

Weavis, this isn't an issue of "theoretically possible". It actually occured for me the very first time I tried this. I can't recall now how long the jar had sat for unused, but it was no more than a couple of months one summer. I had forgotten about it at the back of a cupboard. Never again! In cold weather I now often put a few cloves in a small amount of oil, but only enough that can be used within a few days.

SWL

[weavis]

[QUOTE=NornaBiron;2402316]

Originally Posted by weavis

Ok.
Now I have a MAJOR problem with that paper. Here in Spain, Raw garlic is placed in Olive oil everywhere and used daily. I dont recall EVER reading of massive outbreaks of bacteria induced disease... The same for Greece and Italy...[/QUOT

How about this one then

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...6PAdbSCdY9-ukA

It is not massive outbreaks, isolated incidents which blame the product as opposed to the freshness vs manufacture.. Here in the UK they said eating eggs were bad for you because of bacterial issues and the egg market suffered. The same advisors said butter is bad for you and promoted margarine.. years later they admitted it was for commercial reasons.

I have no doubt that insufficient care in food prep for ANY food can lead to issues.. My gut feeling tells me this is overkill. One day and the product is lethal?

naah. Keep it right and it will be fine.

Mayonnaise. I make it eggless and many restaurants here do to because of the weather issues.... now that is dangerous..

my opinion.

As a medic I have seen bacterial infections so I appreciate the dangers..

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by weavis

.....
Mayonnaise. I make it eggless and many restaurants here do to because of the weather issues.... now that is dangerous..

my opinion.

As a medic I have seen bacterial infections so I appreciate the dangers..

Weav, I think it was "before your time", but WWIII nearly broke out here on CF when discussions about the longevity of mayonnaise arose. It was worse than any gun thread . Some people sure are passionate about the way they store their mayo.

SWL

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

After my incident, if raw garlic is being left sitting in cold oil for two months unrefrigerated in hot weather I would call that playing Russian Roulette .

Weavis, this isn't an issue of "theoretically possible". It actually occured for me the very first time I tried this. I can't recall now how long the jar had sat for unused, but it was no more than a couple of months one summer. I had forgotten about it at the back of a cupboard. Never again! In cold weather I now often put a few cloves in a small amount of oil, but only enough that can be used within a few days.

SWL

Ok. Now.. my home kitchen is about 65F winter and summer. I like it. I stir the garlic oil every day. If it goes in the least cloudy, it gets binned. The last batch I made was.. er.. beginning of April.. about 20% left and mainly the cloves. It will be binned next weekend and a new batch made.

Im not surprised your experience. leaving ANY made substance in heat will cause problems... store bought chillies in oil after unsealing will go off in a week here if not refrigerated... pickled eggs get a funny taste etc... That is basic food hygiene to not do that...

To say is "not safe" after a day is overkill... look at the circumstances surrounding your experience... I wont leave ANY food out in heat...

My disclaimer is that is my opinion and dont eat my oil..

[NornaBiron]

[QUOTE=weavis;2402319]

Originally Posted by NornaBiron

It is not massive outbreaks, isolated incidents which blame the product as opposed to the freshness vs manufacture.. Here in the UK they said eating eggs were bad for you because of bacterial issues and the egg market suffered. The same advisors said butter is bad for you and promoted margarine.. years later they admitted it was for commercial reasons.

I have no doubt that insufficient care in food prep for ANY food can lead to issues.. My gut feeling tells me this is overkill. One day and the product is lethal?

naah. Keep it right and it will be fine.

Mayonnaise. I make it eggless and many restaurants here do to because of the weather issues.... now that is dangerous..

my opinion.

As a medic I have seen bacterial infections so I appreciate the dangers..

I don't agree, and it is very easy to make it safe. I simmer chillies/garlic in vinegar, drain them and put them in warmed olive oil. Or, as SWL does, make it as I want it. A chopped clove of garlic or a chopped chilli added to warmed oil will infuse in a couple of hours. So easy to do that it's a risk not worth taking as far as I'm concerned (and I have a medical background too)

[weavis]

We all agree that garlic in oil tastes wonderful.

[NornaBiron]

Originally Posted by weavis

We all agree that garlic in oil tastes wonderful.

Absolutely - especially freshly pressed olive oil from friends' trees!

[weavis]

this is the best oil ever..

A local co op..

I buy it in 5 litres... this is one I take to my clinic...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by weavis

We all agree that garlic in oil tastes wonderful.

Mmmmmm yes .

I have some bought olives recently that had been marinated with chillies and garlic. The garlic was thinly sliced and did not have a bite to it, just a beautifully mellow flavour, a little like roasted garlic, but the texture was very firm. Anyway, it was an excellent mix and I have been wondering how to reproduce it. Reading the last few posts makes me think maybe the garlic was boiled beforehand in vinegar? It was very moreish.

SWL

[weavis]

one other thing I do, is put garlic in a blender with a light oil and blend till a smooth paste. I fill 2 freezer cube trays and freeze. Then remove and put in a plastic bag in the freezer.

Some of the paste I put in a small jar, cover the top with oil to keep sealed and place in fridge. I use that in cooking till gone... about a week or 2.

For larger meals, I place one of the frozen cubes in the dish as preparing..

[weavis]

As with Greece, here wars are fought over olives.

I go to one bar for lunch because of the olives, and another at night because they have Queen olives which go better with dinner..

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Mmmmmm yes .

I have some bought olives recently that had been marinated with chillies and garlic. The garlic was thinly sliced and did not have a bite to it, just a beautifully mellow flavour, a little like roasted garlic, but the texture was very firm. Anyway, it was an excellent mix and I have been wondering how to reproduce it. Reading the last few posts makes me think maybe the garlic was boiled beforehand in vinegar? It was very moreish.

SWL

if you can tell me the name of the product or look at the ingredient list and see it contains vinegar... then that is the answer..