Roasted Garlic Oil
One of my favorite things to have around! Very easy to make!
Do the work once and reap the benefits MANY times is the only way to go in Eric’s kitchen!
You will spend less than half an hour actually working on this and will have a wonderful flavor to add to your dishes for months to come!
Put a couple bulbs worth of garlic cloves in a see-through, ovenproof container and cover with oil of your choice. Olive, Canola, peanut, etc. The garlic to oil ratio depends on your love of garlic!
Slow oven, 300-325 for about 30-45 minutes or so, which is why I use a see-through container. You just want the garlic light brown, as that is when it is done! Dark brown will taste bitter.
Hint- Next time you bake something in the oven for a meal, use the fact that the oven is already heated to make this while you enjoy your dinner. When you are done, chances are it will be too!
While it is still hot, strain out the garlic. BE CAREFUL!
In Italy they serve the cloves of roasted garlic for you to spread on the fresh bread. Their texture is like warm butter at this time.
WARNING!!!!!!!! DO NOT leave or store the garlic in the oil; there is a possibility of Botulism! You should also refrigerate the oil to preserve freshness and reduce the possibility of this also.
Use the oil as a seasoning agent, not to deep-fry something! A little bit goes a long way!
Drizzle on veggies, any kind of meat or my favorite- Cook any kind of Pasta, drizzle with garlic oil, toss in a couple of chopped raw tomatoes, some fresh Basil, and finish with Parmesan. Any leftovers are great just like it is, as a salad.
Giving this as a gift works very well also! It is something that you made, can be used for at least twenty different dishes and doesn't cost much either. Toss it in a pretty bottle, ribbon, and a little set of suggested uses. OH… how Sweet! Umm… OK… Whatever! I have made GALLONS for that purpose!
OK, for those that REALLY want a recipe, I will try, by providing the following!
IMHO, You do not really need a recipe for this! Oil and garlic, oven, light brown, DONE!
Just for something different, and to use the heat source that was just sitting there ready, I made some Apple wood smoked roasted garlic oil!
Since it had a smoky flavor it was a great thing to put on grilled bread dough, grilled veggies and chicken for the grill!
Roasted Garlic oil
Oil- 1 Pint (Olive, Canola, anything except 10W-40!)
Garlic- 2 bulbs broken into cloves with the both ends chopped off
Place garlic into a clear ovenproof container and cover with the oil. (Pyrex is ideal!)
Place into 300° F oven for approx. 40 minutes. Set your timer and check for the color. When the garlic is LIGHT brown the oil is done.
Strain the oil into a container that can handle the temperature change, again Pyrex anything is great. Put the garlic cloves back into the roasting container to cool.
Once the oil is cool you can put it back into the pint bottle or into anything you like!
If you did not peel the garlic, and I don’t BTW, squeeze the garlic out of it’s skin into a small bowl and store it!
How?
Well, I put about six cloves per corner into half of a small sandwich bag. Yes I cut a sandwich bag in half and use the two corners! I think it is efficient, some would call me CHEAP! I squeeze out the excess air and put on a twist tie, and put the little packages I just made into another sandwich bag and pitch it into the freezer. I pull out and use as needed.
Why?
I rarely need twenty or more cloves of garlic for anything, however one of my little pouches of roasted garlic is perfect for tossing into a batch of mashed potatoes for garlic mashed potatoes! The same goes for adding it in with any Pasta dish, hot or cold! Do you like sautéed Mushrooms with your grilled steak? Throw in a little pouch! YEEHAA!
The roasted cloves will also act to emulsify a salad dressing, if you make salad dressings! A little oil, a little vinegar, some garlic, a little Grey Poupon, a pinch of salt and pepper, maybe some herbs and whip it! It won’t separate!
If you have made it this far in my ramblings, congratulations!
Here is a little more!
Why don’t I peel the garlic?
I just trim the ends off because, (OK, yet another tangent here!) as the garlic heats and cooks it shrinks as the water in the clove of garlic evaporates. Huh? Well, we all remember that water boils at 212° F at sea level, soooo… as the garlic heats to 300 the water evaporates, in the form of steam, and percolates through the oil adding the garlic flavor to the oil!
The skins get a little crispy and the garlic, which is now smaller than it started, will either fall out of the skins or you can just squeeze it out like toothpaste. I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty!
These are my opinions only! The only way to cook something wrong is if you don’t like the way it tastes yourself!
If I lost anyone let me know! I know that this article is disjointed and difficult to follow, sorry, I am not a writer! But I do answer questions!
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Comments: 42
I was wondering about the botulism risk, but you said take the cloves out -- I guess its only a threat if the actual cloves are left in the oil but not with just the infused flavor?
I love to roast whole heads of garlic and then top them with a drizzle of olive oil and spread the soft cloves on a crusty French or Artisian bread..oh man, I'm salivating here.
I am going to make it as soon as I get done here, and I will use it to make my pesto, over angel hair and some italian dipping oil, and my lunch will be complete!!!
Thank you so much for sharing, can't wait to have it now.
"Yes I cut a sandwich bag in half and use the two corners!"
I wash and reuse mine. Now who's cheap? LOL
Way to go Eric. It's made a nice, fun to read article.
Moggy brought up a very important point that I feel the need to further explain.
The following is a quote from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website on the topic of Botulism "Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated."
I take the CDC at their word and included in my guidance that the oil should be refrigerated.
If you do a search for botulism and garlic oil you will indeed find many articles that address garlic-in-oil and almost none that address garlic infused oil, where you separate the garlic and oil after cooking. The main issue is growth of the botulism bacteria. The articles I have read that point out the potential for botulism growth describe how the presence of the garlic, which is stored submerged in oil, is a potential breeding ground for botulism. Since my method does not allow for storage of the garlic IN the oil, I believe the danger is greatly reduced to the point of, for me at least, to be negligible. I would not have posted this article if I thought it were truly dangerous, however since I am not in a position to guarantee absolute safety, if you have concerns about this please do not try this, or do more research before you try it.
Thanks again for the visit!
Hey, if you're interested in joining another group. This would be a good one to check out: *Our Best Recipes*
www.ourbestrecipes.gather.com
I was surprised to hear I should be refrigerating this mixture, so thanks for the info. One thing though, your recipe calls for so little garlic! I usually mince up an entire bulb and add oil just to cover the garlic. There's never enough garlic for me in anything i've ever eaten, I always have to ask for more (and i'm told my breath doesn't small garlicy at all).
btw, while you are joining groups, you might want to check out the Herban Kitchen, and if you join please post this there.
~km
I thought there was oil in garlic... and the bags were beef or turkey, or of some kind...
Linda in Tennessee
I empty a bottle of olice oil in the crockpot and add a few heads worth of peeled garlic cloves. Turn it on low heat.
When the cloves start to turn slightly golden, scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Save them for mashing on bread or making garlic soup.
When the oil is cool, pour it back in the bottle.
It is wonderful!!!
I love the way it tastes through words. lol
J
pj
Tasty stuff!!
I used some of it while still warm to make a wilted watercress and spinach salad.
Recipe is as hard as yours. Watercress, spinach, warm oil.
DONE
Thanks.
My boyfriend, however, came up with a new wrinkle....first "roast" a red bell pepper over an open flame until charred all over, then put it on a plate and scrape the skin off with a blunt table knife. Rinse the plate off and put the pepper back on it, cut it into short strips and carefully remove the seeds (you want to keep as much of the roasted pepper juices as possible). Add to the bowl with the anchovies (just three or four; the fish flavor disappears and leaves a savory, salty tang), garlic cloves (peeled or not, your pick) and cover it with aluminum foil. Put in the oven on 200 degrees for as long as an hour, check it every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure the garlic and pepper aren't burning. The pepper adds a rich, sweet flavor that has to be tasted to be believed.