Topic: Garlic, Oil & BOTULISM

[mickdabass]

Hi Guys
Been talking to a friend of mine about using garlic in curries. Told him that I have recently started to puree garlic with a little oil and keep it in a jar in the fridge. He looked horrified and told me about the danger of Botulism  (or more accurately Clostridium Botulinum) Apparently this type of food poisoning can prove fatal...so beware!

of course I have binned my jar of garlic puree now

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail-eng.php#botu

Mick

[976bar]

I mince my garlic, add a little lemon juice and bag it in vacuum seal bags. It lasts for around 10 days in the fridge.

[CurryCrazy]

This is bad (moderate understatement!)

Vacuum bags are no good for this...its the air that stops the spores growing. Although the acid in the lemon apparently reduces the chances of growth!

Maybe this is why that awful "cheats garlic" is in vinegar...the acid kills the spores??

Make fresh from now on I think..it only takes a minute.

[haldi]

I blend garlic and ginger with oil and salt
I keep it in the fridge for about six weeks, in a jam jar.
I've done this for years and never had a problem
I always smell it before use
If it seems a little "off", I chuck it and make more

[JerryM]

for me garlic/ginger paste has to be fresh. i'd say BIR's probably make daily (if there any good).

i don't keep mine longer than 5 days (in the fridge and under oil) as i feel the taste starts to deteriorate after 3 days.

[qprbob]

I've just made a batch of Garlic/Ginger paste and frozen it in an Ice cube tray. If it's the air stopping the spores growing, is frozen any good?.Once thawed would it be alright or do you just put it in  the pan frozen?.
Thanks in advance.

[CurryOnRegardless]

Here we go, so someone once got ill in Canada does not a health threat make. It does explain why all the commercial stuff has additives and leaves a nasty after taste though. I'm gonna stick to making my own G/G paste and keeping it in the fridge in oil, very often the fear of a thing is worse than the thing itself.
                             

: : :

CoR

[mickdabass]

Think I will make mine fresh each time now. Ive got this garlic crushing rolling pin thing the missus bought me for christmas. You just roll it over the garlic and it sort of pulverises it. Its quick but quite messy. I once had food poisoning and I was still feeling the effects 3 months down the road so Im gonna play it safe from now on

[billycat]

for me garlic/ginger paste has to be fresh. i'd say BIR's probably make daily (if there any good).

i don't keep mine longer than 5 days (in the fridge and under oil) as i feel the taste starts to deteriorate after 3 days.

Do you honestly believe Jerry that a restaurant /takeaway would make fresh daily batches of anything

[Secret Santa]

I make my GG paste with a small amount of added water only, and this only to get it to blend properly. I remember reading that it's the oil that encourages the growth of the botulism beastie.

Also I rarely get through it all before a week and a half has gone by and by then it is often a nice green colour, just like the BIRs!