How long will garlic keep in olive oil in the fridge? I had some in there for a year, but the cloves got translucent so I worried that they had gone south and threw them out. Must I now go perform hara-kiri?

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), March 22, 2002

Answers

According to my copy of "Keeping Food Fresh" pistou, which is a basil/garlic condiment packed in oil, will keep "very well for over a year if kept in a cool place". Infer what you will, but I would guess that garlic in oil would keep for a year in the fridge. I am going to try another jar and leave it out at room temp and see how long it will keep- not sure if I would know when it goes bad, though.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), March 22, 2002.

I would think a year would be the best. I forgot to mention on another post of the same subject, that garlic can be minced and frozen in zippy bags for a long time also. ( I keep mine no longer than 1 year, as I use it up before I can find out how long it will last. We are real garlic lovers....).

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 22, 2002.

When I came into a garlic windfall I tossed the cloves with olive oil, roasted it at 250 degrees on a sheet pan; packed it while still hot in pint & 1/2 pint jars & covered with good olive oil. The jars even "pinged" although I didn't process them (jars & lids were still hot from sterialization). They've been stored with the other canned goods in the root cellar & we eat the garlic on an almost daily basis & have given some away. too. No ill effects reported. Any one know if processing in a water bath would be of any benefit? The cloves are very soft & spreadable but not mushy & the flavor is great.

-- Jenny Malone (doggarden@msn.com), March 22, 2002.

I read somewhere that the oil does nothing to prevent botulism and that they still have to be processed to be safe.

-- Rod Perrino (redjouster@aol.com), March 22, 2002.

If you want to store them in oil, it would be safer to pickle them in vinegar first. Garlic stored in oil has been known to have botulism spores in it. botulism grows in an airless, low acid environment. Pickled and stored in oil, garlic should keep quite awhile.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), March 22, 2002.

On a cooking show the host, who was using garlic, said that if garlic in olive oil reaches room temperature it must be THROWN OUT. Also, I read of a couple of people in the newspaper who got botulism poisening from warm garlic in oil. I always refridgerate mine and have never had a problem.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 23, 2002.

Terri,

When you refrigerate it doesn't the oil tend to solidify? How do you use the oil and/or get the individual cloves out of it? Mine solidified when I put it in the fridge, which is great for storage but not so good for daily use.

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), March 23, 2002.

When I did the minced garlic, I only put about an inch of oil over the top, and placed the jar in the fridge door (right next to the baking soda!!! :)--which I think is somewhat warmer than the rest of the fridge. The oil did not solidify.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), March 23, 2002.

I just put a spoon in and take out what I want! I don't mind if a little olive oil comes with it.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 23, 2002.

Garlic in olive oil can harbor botulism. If you do it, even if it's been refrigerated, you need to heat both the oil and/or the garlic before eating it.

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), March 23, 2002.

That's why I'm fine--I'm taking it out to cook with, not eating it straight from the jar.... :)

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), March 23, 2002.

My microbiologist friend went absolutely ballistic when I told her I was keeping garlic cloves in olive oil in the refreigerator. Yes, it is botulism that is the problem, and you have to make sure that the garlic/oil is thoroughly heated before use -- I don't know how hot or for how long it takes to do the job, though. On another note: if you use canola oil instead of olive oil (canola is very similar in its properties to olive), it won't solidify in the 'fridge.

-- Marcia in MT (marciabundi@myexcel.com), March 24, 2002.