Reasons for cloudy olive oil?!
Answers: We're trying to infused olive oil with garlic cloves, red chilli's & rosemary but the olive oil keeps going cloudy, we've seen it done in shops etc - how do they keep the olive oil so clear? Any ideas would be great, thank you in advance!!!
That used to be popular to do at home, but the it was discovered that it poses a DANGEROUS botulism risk. Now when they do it in commercial products, the garlic is processed to eliminate any chance of botulism, or acids or other antimicrobial prodicts are added to the oil to prevent botulism growth.
Here's more info. Sorry, but it's just not safe :-(
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22403... http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/food-alim...
they just shake it.
i heard the same thing christnp heard. so don't use it! my motto is: when in doubt- toss it out!
olive oil always goes cloudy if refridgerated or chilled. It is to be kept at room temp. Usually if you add items that can mold or rot, like fresh garlic or fresh chili's, not dried, they will only be good in the oil for a limited amount of time without refridgeration. Be sure to check on that botulism stuff.
Refrigeration will cause olive to be cloudy.
Microbial growth can cause oil to become cloudy. Only DRIED items can be added to oil for flavor. Garlic, peppers, rosemary, and everything you want to add should be dry, dry, dry.
C. botulinum can be introduced and loves an anaerobic condition (lack of air). From this it grows and produces a toxin which is the cause of botulism poisoning. Add all you want if it is DRY.
Did I mention crispy dry?
It could be unfiltered olive oil. That is a high quality olive oil then, meant more for dipping or topping, not cooking. I like unfiltered olive oil.