The current safe storage time for oils with any low acid things is only 2 or 3 days. It used to be said weeks, but we now have changed that.
This is the new guideline, it says herbs, but would include garlic and hot peppers....
From NCHFP.
Herbs and oils are both low-acid and together could support the growth of the disease-causing Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Oils may be flavored with herbs if they are made up for fresh use, stored in the refrigerator and used within 2 to 3 days. There are no canning recommendations. Fresh herbs must be washed well and dried completely before storing in the oil. The very best sanitation and personal hygiene practices must be used. Pesto is an uncooked seasoning mixture of herbs, usually including fresh basil, and some oil. It may be frozen for long term storage; there are no home canning recommendations.

Thanks Linda Lou for the update on safe storage time.

So 2 - 3 days even if you'll be cooking with it?

Bill

Sometimes in speaking of infused oils, it's a matter of apples and oranges.

You have more latitude with dried peppers and herbs. Those could be left at room temperature for a time (though I wouldn't because of the risk of rancidity).

You have more latitude with fresh herbs and peppers if you infuse the oil and then strain out the vegetable matter.

You have more latitude if you follow Ellie Topp's method and gently heat the infused oil so as to drive off the water because the presence of water encourages the growth of botulism.

You have the least latitude (i.e. the short time Linda Lou cited) if you infuse oil with fresh material and leave that material in the oil.

In all cases mentioned above, even the lowest-risk, refrigeration is optimal for the best combination of food safety and quality.

If (and it's definitely an if) there were active botulism toxins present in the oil and it were used for cooking, there'd be no certainty the toxins were destroyed unless the food reached an active boil which was maintained for 10 minutes. As oils are generally used for sauteeing or perhaps basting or drizzled on near the end for flavor, there's no guarantee cooking would assure safety of the final product.

Definitely it wouldn't be the kind of thing you'd want to be dipping your artisan bread into.
Carol

Carol,

Thanks for chiming in, I really do value your experienced input!

OK, so you feel there is a bit of latitude on this topic. Good to know because whatever you tell folks they're going to err under or over the boundaries.

In this case, the OP was using dried peppers and heating the oil to a decent temp. They were however adding dried peppers to the final strained oil for Aesthetic reasons.

Great info, thank you both for your excellent advice.

Would either you or Linda Lou mind if I posted your input in a follow-up post on the topic on the other Forum?

Bill

I don't see dried peppers (akin to pepper flakes) in oil as much of an issue.

The only qualifier is that we are assuming peppers or other additions are crisp-dried. With home-dried product, there's always the question of "how dried is dried?" if you know what I mean. Any residual moisture can be an issue.

The method for improving safety of infused oils by heating was developed and supported by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard in their original book, Put a Lid on It.

This excerpt from the Food Safety Network summarizes the history.

In April 1997, Macmillan Canada published Put a Lid on It! by authors Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. The book features currently accepted techniques and recipes for small-batch preserving. One chapter is devoted to flavoured oils and vinegars. The method for making the oils, developed in consultation with the Bureau of Microbial Hazards of Health Canada, is simple but must be followed carefully so that the result is a safe product.

In January 1996 an article appeared in Gourmet magazine with a procedure for making these oils that was attributed to FDA. When contacted, FDA could find no record of having given approval to such a method. Ellie Topp then approached Health Canada who agreed to consult on the development of a method that would be safe and pose no risk of botulism developing in the oil. This method is used in Put a Lid on It!

Oil infused with a garlic clove or fresh herb provides a potential medium for growth of the bacteria responsible for botulism food poisoning. The fresh herb supplies a source of moisture that can support the growth of C. botulinum if it is present in the anaerobic environment of the oil. The method developed by Topp and Howard involves first heating the oil and flavouring agent in a 300F (150C)oven for 1 hour. This process drives off the moisture thereby eliminating the potential for growth as well as promoting the infusion of the flavour into the oil. The oil is then cooled, strained and placed in a clean bottle.

It must be stored in a refrigerator at all times and used within a month. If proper care is taken, there is no health risk to making homemade flavoured oils. . . .

Speaking for myself, of course you can refer to these posts. Easier yet, just post a link to this discussion. GardenWeb members freely cross-post links to other forums.

The link below is to one document by Ellie Topp which provides procedures and recipes for infused oils. Scroll down the page and you'll see two PDF's which can be saved to your computer.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Flavoured Oils

Could you safely store these for a longer time in the freezer?

The average home freezer doesn't get cold enough to actually freeze cooking oils since their freeze point is well down into the -20 range. They just get thicker.

But it would surely extend their storage time a bit I'd think. Separation when thawed might pose a problem.

Dave

Thanks Carol,

I updated the post over in the other forum and provided a link back to this post for anyone wanting further information.

Thank you both for keeping me honest ;o))

Bill