Food - Drink
Why It Can Be Dangerous To Make Garlic Confit
By LUCY CLARK
Confiting is a cooking technique in which an ingredient is slowly stewed and preserved in fat, and garlic confit is a versatile and delicious variation. Garlic confit is typically made by submerging garlic cloves in a pot of olive oil, then cooking it low and slow using the oven or stove — and it must be cooked and eaten with caution.
Botulism is a serious bacterial illness that can be caused by consuming spoiled or contaminated garlic, and while confit isn’t the biggest cause of botulism, it’s a possibility. Confiting and preserving can provide ideal conditions for Clostridium botulinum bacteria, and botulism can give you a number of painful and even fatal symptoms.
Mayo Clinic says that botulism can cause intense gastrointestinal upset and blurry vision at best, and it must be treated immediately to prevent trouble breathing, paralysis, and even death. The USDA advises that you keep confit refrigerated below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, not at room temperature, and throw it out if it's older than a week.