How do I preserve this chili oil sauce (Merged)

[topazbrown]

I want to make a Japanese inspired chili oil sauce and give it to friends and family for the holidays. The sauce has vegetable oil, sesame oil, crushed red peppers, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black vinegar, sake and sugar. I cook everything together and then pour is in a jar or bottle.

How long will this sauce will keep? How do make the sauce last longer?

Steve

 

[Andy M.]

Any oil containing add-ins such as garlic, ginger or fresh herbs, cooked or not, is susceptable to the growth of botulism. You must refrigerate it and it must be used within 10 days to two weeks.

 

[miniman]

I would use a preserving jar method, similar to storing homemde ketchup etc.

Put the sauce in a warm, clean jar or bottle (I usually put in a low temperature oven), loosely seal with a lid - I have used kilner jars and the lidded preserving jars. Sterlise using the water method or by putting in low oven for half hour or so. Remove from sterlier and tighten lid. As it cools it will create a tight seal and should stay good for six months at least.

 

[thymeless]

This recipe is high risk for botulism as already noted. You can not reliably home preserve this sauce with safe results.

The problem is the oil creates a no-oxygen environment. Garlic is a wet ingredient and harbors botulism spores. Botulism can grow anaerobically (without oxygen) but produces botulinin toxin as a byproduct. Botulism spores are not killed by home canning methods.

Give them the recipe and the separate ingredients instead.

thymeless

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I would agree. Botulism isn't anything you want to mess with!

 

[TATTRAT]

Or just call it the seasonal botox sauce. People in Beverly Hills will eat it up!

 

[Gretchen]

It is the conventional wisdom that you cannot home can oils. This one has 'way too many things in it that can be potentially dangerous.

 

[topazbrown]

Bottling Modified Sauce?

I recently asked about bottling an Asian Oil Sauce with Fresh garlic and Ginger.

To refresh your memory, I have vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed red peppers. The recipe also calls for fresh garlic and ginger. I made it over the weekend with garlic powder and ginger powder.

Do you think I can bottle this and distribute for the holidays without poisoning my friends and family? If so, what precautions should I take?

Am I completely nuts for attempting anything like this?

Did I mention that the garlic powder and ginger powder are store bought from the spice section?

Steve

 

[Alix]

That sounds safer Steve, but I really don't know how you could make it truly safe. Hang on a bit and Michael will see this. He is the expert researcher around here.

 

[kitchenelf]

I thought it definitely looked better too - I just don't know how much better. At least there's no fresh garlic in there. I think there needs to be some sort of citric acid in there for a preservative - like potassium nitrate, which can be bought at a drug store.

 

[thymeless]

Didn't the original have some black vinegar in it? As long as he means dried crushed red pepper, I think he ought to be safe. If it was fresh crushed red pepper, there would still be problems.

thymeless

 

[Michael in FtW]

Steve, I have merged your "Bottling Modified Sauce?" with the original "How do I preserve this chili oil sauce" since it is an add-on question (a continuation of a previously asked question) and not a really a new topic.

To answer the overall question simply - it's not recommended for home canning. Of course, if you are a food chemist, have a lab, know what you are doing, got pressure canning equipment ... yeah, you could. But, if you had all that you wouldn't be asking us, would you?

Yes, you can buy flavored oils off the shelf and they can last for several days at room temp on the table with no problems. They have been "commercially" processed - and there are many facets to that processing.

If you're interested in doing a little research on the subject - try the National Center for Home Food Preservation website to get you started.