Chris wrote:
> "Bob (this one)" > wrote
>
>>Rehydrated tomatoes could be carrying botulinus spores. Likewise the basil
>>and garlic. The oil provides an anaerobic environment for the spores to
>>germinate and grow and produce their toxin.
>>
>
> Hey Bob, I have always wondered about the commercial garlic-infused olive
> oils, such as Boyajian. How do they achieve the garlicky taste without
> killing anybody? I'm not asking this in a challenging sense, I just truly
> wonder. Is it because they remove the whole garlic and simply sell the oil?
> The Boyajian oil has a delicious real garlic flavor to it (tried it from a
> little sample-sized bottle that they were giving away at Whole Foods once).
>
> I usually just smash up a garlic clove and let it steep in a bit of regular
> olive oil for half an hour when I want garlic oil. But I wonder....

Commercially, garlic oil is made in two different ways. In one, the
garlic is crushed and steamed to release the oil. The other way is
infusion where the garlic is minced very finely and infused in some
vegetable oil for 24 hours, after which all solids are removed.

A fast way to infuse garlic flavor into oil is to "sweat" the garlic in
olive oil. You don't want to brown it, just heat it so it releases it
juices - both water based and oil based. For the classic pasta "oglio e
aglio" (garlic and oil) that's how it's done. If all you want is the
oil, then filter our the garlic. Heating the oil accelerates
rancidification, so you don't want to keep this on your counter for a month.

In no approach is the whole clove used. You want what's inside it.

Pastorio