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Produce => Recipes => Topic started by: Philbasford on September 08, 2008, 19:31:37

Title: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Philbasford on September 08, 2008, 19:31:37
Ive got some nice red chills on my plants so now i want to dry them and make some chill oil

Whats the best way of drying them?,the oven?

Secondly how do i do the chilli oil apart from putting the chilli in the oil

any advice appreciated
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: debster on September 08, 2008, 19:46:18
one of the easiest ways of drying chillies is to thread them using a needle and thread and hang them in the kitchen til they are dry.

when i make chilli oil i just add the chillis to the oil in the bottle and invert it regularly, i often add garlic cloves that i have peeled too
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: euronerd on September 08, 2008, 20:23:26
May I offer a tip? When you thread them and hang them up, don't put them by the window or the sun bleaches them and they all end up white, whatever colour they started off. Doesn't seem to affect the flavour though. But you'd probably have been safe this summer.  ;D

Geoff.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Hilary on September 08, 2008, 20:27:06
Hi, could i just ask if you have to dry the chillies before adding to the oil or not?

Hilary
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: debster on September 08, 2008, 21:18:52
no i just put fresh ones in be careful though the oil gets hotter the longer you keep it
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: star on September 08, 2008, 23:22:35
I tried putting ripe fresh chillies in oil last year, they went mouldy. I did wash the chillies too but it has put me off doing it again. I wasted a lot of good Olive oil :-\
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: ceres on September 08, 2008, 23:36:24
What a waste - that would have made me cross, Star!  In GW mag this month alongside the fab recipe for chilli jam, Sarah Raven gives her method for chilli oil.  Half a large red chilli lengthwise and remove the seeds (or leave in if you like it hot).  Drop the chilli into a sterilised bottle, pour in groundnut or light olive oil and seal.  Keeps in the fridge for 3 weeks.

3 weeks isn't long - perhaps they do go mouldy if kept longer.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Baccy Man on September 09, 2008, 00:04:30
Garlic & chillies can go mouldy from the inside out despite being covered in oil.

Another way to make flavoured oils is to gently heat the oil and the flavouring (chilli, garlic, herbs or whatever else you are using) in a saucepan. After about 5 minutes turn off the heat & strain into a sterilised bottle. The oil will already of taken on the flavour & aroma so there is no need to leave the flavouring in the bottle.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: star on September 09, 2008, 00:16:28
Oh brilliant.....thank you both. I will do that this year BC. Does the same apply to herb oils? I was thinking of doing Rosemary oil.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Baccy Man on September 09, 2008, 00:46:32
Herbs very rarely go mouldy as long as they remain covered with oil it tends to be ingredients with a higher water content that go mouldy. Of course you can use the heating method to eliminate all risk if you want to, just remember to keep the heat low you don't want to burn the oil.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: star on September 09, 2008, 00:59:19
Excellent Baccy Man thank you  :-*
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Philbasford on September 10, 2008, 09:46:56
well what i did yesterday was chop up 5 red chills. 3 cloves of garlic and black pepper corns, heated the oil on low for about 20 mins then let it cooled

sieved all the bits from the oil and tasted.

wow right powerful!!!
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: littlebabybird on September 10, 2008, 10:24:23
when you thread them to dry do you put the needle through the flesh or the stalk?

lbb
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Barnowl on September 10, 2008, 10:30:46
A possible alternative to infusing .....

At a farmers market I asked a woman with a stall selling flavoured oils how she avoided botulism / fungus etc when using fresh chillies. She said puncture the chillies and heat in an oven at 110 deg C for 10-20 minutes. They can then be popped into the sterilised container and covered with oil.

Theory being: heat to kill bacteria - puncture to stop air being trapped inside the chillies.

Haven't yet tried this myself yet  - waiting for some chillies to ripen! Previously I've  used dried chillies (punctured) since my early attempts with fresh ones occasionally went fungal.

Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: straush on September 10, 2008, 13:05:29
i put some fresh ones in oil and they have been in there for months - no mould.   the longer you leave them in the chillier it gets.   i leave my oil in cupboard - not sure if it gets exposed to sun if that promotes mould growth.
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Barnowl on September 10, 2008, 13:16:33
If it's clear glass sun will spoil the oil anyway  :)
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Duke Ellington on September 20, 2008, 16:11:57
I never use fresh chillies in oil any more !!! It went mouldy. I prefer the heat method for chillies and herbs etc. I sometimes put fresh chillies into a jar of ready made pickled onions makes the onions so firey!!! :o  Oh i blanch the fresh chilli in boiling water first! My rosemary oil went mouldy too! So I heat it and strain it :)

Duke
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: Georgie on September 20, 2008, 20:35:51
when you thread them to dry do you put the needle through the flesh or the stalk?

lbb

Through the stalk.   :)

G x
Title: Re: chilli oil and drying chillis
Post by: littlebabybird on September 20, 2008, 22:36:45
thank you Georgie


lbb
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