DIY Garlic Oil
By Eric HaesslerPublished on August 6, 2024
Time
20 minutes, plus 24½ hours soaking and cooling
Yield
4 cups
Ingredients
Before You Begin
This garlic oil is safe to store due to the acidification of the garlic from the overnight soak. It does not need to be refrigerated. It is important to chop the garlic before soaking to increase the surface area for acid penetration, but wait to finely mince the chopped garlic until after soaking to help preserve its flavor. Citric acid is available in the canning section of supermarkets or online.
Instructions
- Stir water and citric acid in medium bowl until citric acid dissolves.
- Chop garlic into ¼-inch pieces (you should have about 1½ cups). (Do not mince.) Add to citric acid solution, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours.
- Drain garlic in colander, rinse under cool running water, and pat dry. Using food processor or garlic press, mince garlic.
- Place oil in medium saucepan, add minced garlic, and cook over medium heat until oil registers 200 degrees, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely in saucepan, about 30 minutes.
- Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer, discarding garlic, and pour into gift bottles or Mason jars. (Oil can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 months.)
Time
20 minutes, plus 24½ hours soaking and coolingYield
4 cupsIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Garlic oil is great to keep on hand but storing a low-acid ingredient such as garlic in oil is a known botulism risk. We worked around that by adding some citric acid to the mix. The bacteria that cause botulism can't grow at a low pH, making the oil food-safe. Citric acid acidifies the garlic without adding any disruptive flavors (as lemon juice and vinegar do). Mincing the garlic after soaking it in the citric acid solution ensures that the allicin is preserved.
Before You Begin
This garlic oil is safe to store due to the acidification of the garlic from the overnight soak. It does not need to be refrigerated. It is important to chop the garlic before soaking to increase the surface area for acid penetration, but wait to finely mince the chopped garlic until after soaking to help preserve its flavor. Citric acid is available in the canning section of supermarkets or online.
Instructions
- Stir water and citric acid in medium bowl until citric acid dissolves.
- Chop garlic into ¼-inch pieces (you should have about 1½ cups). (Do not mince.) Add to citric acid solution, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours.
- Drain garlic in colander, rinse under cool running water, and pat dry. Using food processor or garlic press, mince garlic.
- Place oil in medium saucepan, add minced garlic, and cook over medium heat until oil registers 200 degrees, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely in saucepan, about 30 minutes.
- Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer, discarding garlic, and pour into gift bottles or Mason jars. (Oil can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 months.)
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