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Chilli oil & botulism

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  • #1

    Chilli oil & botulism

    I made some chilli oil last year with olive oil and dried chillis. I read that it needs heating very high to kill bacteria which I did not do. So I don't feel safe drizzing it over pizza but do you think it will be ok for cooking, such as frying onions at high temp? Maybe I could heat it now in a pan to kill anything off?

    Any advice welcomed

    Chris
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  • #2
    Did you do anything to the Chillies before you put them in the oil?

    If not, personally I wouldn't risk it.
    There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.

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    • #3
      They were air dried then chopped in food processor, a couple were not fully dried. I did heat oil & chillis a bit to get flavour out. But didn't realise how hot it needed to be.

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      • #4
        Some recipes for Chilli oil suggest cooking the Chillies in vinegar first to reduce the PH and kill any lurking nasties. The thing is, botulism thrives where there is a lack of Oxygen and olive oil is great for that.

        Yoiu might be OK, but if you do a cost/risk analysis is it really worth it?
        Last edited by HotStuff; 20-08-2010, 11:38 PM.
        There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.

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        • #5
          Have you left the chillies in the oil since you made it or did you filter it after a couple of weeks?

          Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

          Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

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          • #6
            I'm no expect but if you bought the oil from a shop already prepared you may be all right. I've been reading about the botulism bacteria too and they don't get killed at anything below 115 degrees C. So cooking onions with it may not get it hot enough. My book goes on to say that bacteria are not active in acid food - anything with a PH of less than 4.5 is safe. I have no idea what oil or chillies rate on the scale. I have no further info, sorry
            KR
            Ruth
            Last edited by Ruth M C; 21-08-2010, 06:08 PM.

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            • #7
              If the chillies had been fully dried, I doubt there would be a problem. With some only semi-dried, I'd reserve the stuff for when it will get really hot (ie frying temps) to be on the safe side.
              Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

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              • #8
                I recall there were a few slightly moist ones, I will bin it to be safe. Thanks for all the advice.

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                • #9
                  I made a litre of chilli oil last night with completely fresh chillies. I hadn't thought about treating the veg beforehand at all, and now I'm worried.

                  I used about 3/4 litre of unrefined olive oil and 100ml of walnut oil, and two large packets of birdseye chillies - sliced down the middle.

                  Can I save this by tipping the whole lot into a pan, heating, cooling and putting back in the bottle? Thanks.

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                  • #10
                    You can't make chilli oil with fresh chillies, it will only be ok for a couple of days.....

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Scarlet View Post
                      You can't make chilli oil with fresh chillies, it will only be ok for a couple of days.....
                      Never bothered with making chilli oil before, but fancy a try this year Any tips Scarlet ???
                      I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives....


                      ...utterly nutterly
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