My garlic infused oil turned into a botulism bomb after 2 weeks

I tried that trendy trick of putting fresh garlic cloves in olive oil for easy cooking. Left it on the counter for 14 days then read about botulism risks. Tossed the whole thing and went back to mincing garlic fresh. Has anyone else fallen for this shortcut without knowing the danger?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage2861mo ago

I read somewhere that botulism bacteria love low oxygen environments, so oil is basically perfect for them. It's scary how fast it can grow too, like within a few days if the garlic wasn't dried out well. I always see those viral videos of people making garlic confit and I just cringe now.

michael6931mo ago

Totally agree with you @sage286, that botulism thing is no joke. People think they're being fancy making garlic oil but they don't realize the risk. I've seen those confit videos too and it makes me nervous just watching them. A few days in oil at room temp is plenty of time for trouble. Better safe than sorry with that stuff.