flavoured oils

[PurpleHeather]

I have been making garlic oil by adding several cloves of garlic to my favourite oils so that I can use it for cooking and salad dressings for years. I keep on thinking that I would like to try to make herb or chilli oils too.

Tonight on 'Ready steady cook' Ainsley announced that there might be health problems with home made herb oils 

I know the BBC have to take extra care with their advice and  realise that bunging a few herb leaves into olive oil may be asking for it  to become a bacteria breeding ground (I understand that garlic is a natural antibiotic).

Cooking will kill bacteria, but the question is salad oil.

Probably a camden tablet or milton in the washing water will do the job but I am not sure.

Is any one out there an expert who can advise?

Thank you in advance for comments which are fun but it is an expert I would like to hear from to advise on the exact precautions needed.

[PurpleHeather]

[Tulipa]

Purple Heather,  I am no expert but do remember a thread about this so have searched back and found this thread:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,21877.0.html

In it there is a link to the FDA which has information on the problems of preserving garlic in oil.

T.

[PurpleHeather]

How kind of you tulipa to go to so much trouble.

As I thought I had clearly stated it was not garlic oil which I have used for years and have had no problems with. It was herb/chilli  oils I wanted to know about

My fault I had not made it clear

[ceres]

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,45478.0.html
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,45766.0.html

[PurpleHeather]

Thanks ceres

I seem to now have chilli and garlic sorted.

Just  advice with herb oils and the job is complete.

You lot are making this too easy......

[Kea]

I tried putting garlic and also chillies in oil but both grew what appeared to be bacterial colonies so I threw them away. I did follow instructions from a book too.