infusing oils

Don't need to refrigerate. I think a good ratio for flavored but not overpowering oil is a tablespoon of herb to two cups of oil, obviously depending on the strength of the herb and the strength of the oil. And obviously the longer the herbs sit the stronger they become, up to a point.

To the best of my knowledge, the botulism comes from moisture in the food then being trapped in a (mostly) air-tight space for weeks on end.

thank god for this thread. I was hoping for something creative to construct for distant family members before Holiday 2011. /snark. Continue...

I didn't know you spent money on anything other than Danny Meyer food...

We ask the questions here.

I spend, on average, no money on Danny Meyer food

I like danny meyer.

The only infused oil I ever make is garlic oil, which is just saving the oil left over from making garlic confit.

Matt, what are you planning to do with the infusions? I've never tasted angelica root by itself but vaguely connect it with gin. Elderflower is a more familiar taste.

it's my understanding (without looking it up to refresh my memory), that the botulism thread is just with garlic ... that it's a soil-born anaerobic bacteria that is also heat-resistant. ie: cooking garlic doesn't kill it and neither does submerging it in oil. just seems to make it madder.

Botulism, being an anaerobic bacteria, grows in the soil and thus can colonize the garlic. If you put garlic in water, you do not have to worry about botulism because there is oxygen in water, but in oil the fresh garlic is sequestered from any air - so the bacteria can grow. If you cook the garlic and then place it in the oil, then you do not have to worry about the botulism bacteria growing.

But there's the whole issue with the toxin which can possibly be present before cooking and whether or not it is heat-labile . . .

man I must be lucky because I eat tons of garlic and have never gotten the botch

It has to be an ideal situation - where air is cut off and aerobic bacteria do not compete with the anaerobic bacteria so the botulism can then divide. Some bacteria are "obligate anaerobes", which means they must have an oxygen-free environment to survive, but I'm not sure if botulism is one of those.

The botulism bacteria and/or spores (all you need are spores to start the colonization) are on and within the garlic, but the bacteria themselves are not in any sufficient quantity to be dangerous. Furthermore, your highly acidic stomach will kill any bacteria but not denature the toxin if it is already produced.