Thread: storing chopped onions in olive oil

"Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]...
> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
> them in olive oil...
> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
> aftertaste.
>
> Dave

Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.

"Giusi" <[email protected]> wrote in news:656tarF2epmrnU4
@mid.individual.net:

> "Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:ae09e97c-80ff-4d03-9f05-
[email protected]...
>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>> them in olive oil...
>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>> aftertaste.
>>
>> Dave
>
> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.
>
>
>

nevermind botulism it invites death...to you, friends and family. Can you
live with that?

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

A man in line at the bank kept falling over...when he got to a teller he
asked for his balance.

"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
> them in olive oil...
> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
> aftertaste.
>

This sounds like a great idea! Although, certainly the flavor is not
the same as browned onions.



--
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cybercat wrote:
> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>> them in olive oil...
>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>> aftertaste.
>>
>
> This sounds like a great idea! Although, certainly the flavor is not
> the same as browned onions.

Eeeeeeeek noooooooooooooo! You can get botulism like that!!!!!!!!

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:55:55 -0000, "Ophelia" <[email protected]> wrote:

>cybercat wrote:
>> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>>> them in olive oil...
>>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>>> aftertaste.
>>>
>>
>> This sounds like a great idea! Although, certainly the flavor is not
>> the same as browned onions.
>
>Eeeeeeeek noooooooooooooo! You can get botulism like that!!!!!!!!
>
Cite????

After a less than exhaustive trawl, I find that you *might* get
Botulism poisononing but then again, you *might* not.

It depends on a lot of different factors. (Time, storage temperature,
preconditioning, preparation etc. of the ingredients.) I found one
paper that appeared to suggest that one could get away with a lot
lower level of precautions than recommended by the UberCareful. Those
recommendations were largely not being followed.

And, as far as I've found so far - NOT an exhaustive search, I'll
continue that later - there ain't a lot of recorded cases of
Clostridium B that seem to be attributable to such a mechanism.

After all, one can get bottles of garlic infused oil, oil with sprigs
of various herbs in them over the counter, so it would seem to me to
be reasonable to assume that given the right care and attention, the
products of the OP might be quite safe?

Let's keep the food hysteria under control until there is some
evidence on the table to examine. Or, If you are correct - which I
question - elsewhere in the establishment.

Jenks

<[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]..
> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:55:55 -0000, "Ophelia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>cybercat wrote:
>>> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>>>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>>>> them in olive oil...
>>>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>>>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>>>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>>>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>>>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice

>>
>>Eeeeeeeek noooooooooooooo! You can get botulism like that!!!!!!!!
>>
> Cite????
>
> After a less than exhaustive trawl, I find that you *might* get
> Botulism poisononing but then again, you *might* not.
> Jenks

He runs a cafe. In a commercial kitchen it depends on nothing you mention.
It is illegal. You can come off as stuffy as you like about it and it is
still illegal. You figure out why.
>

Giusi wrote:
> "Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:[email protected]...
>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>> them in olive oil...
>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>> aftertaste.
>>
>> Dave
>
> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.
>
>

Even if it's just overnight, in the fridge? I wouldn't think so.

Serene

"Serene Sprat" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email protected]..
> Giusi wrote:
>> "Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>>> them in olive oil...
>>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>>> aftertaste.
>>>
>>> Dave
>>
>> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
>> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.
>
> Even if it's just overnight, in the fridge? I wouldn't think so.
>
> Serene

It just is not allowed. Inspectors can't know if it has been always in ther
fridge or how long it has been made up. Oils generally have to be
commercially produced, labeled, and the solids have always been treated
before going in the oil.

Dave wrote:
>
> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
> them in olive oil...
> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
> aftertaste.

Did anybody mention botulism? :-)

I doubt that botulism would be a problem if the onions
are kept under refrigeration the whole time, and the
whole time was only a day.

As an alternative, vinegar might be a good choice.
There's no botulism risk (which occurs with oil
because it cuts off access to the air), and the
vinegar should be more aggressive in breaking
down the onions. You also might consider blanching
the onions before marinating.

Also, the vinegar will pick up flavor from the
onions, and may find uses of it's own.

[email protected] wrote:
>
> After all, one can get bottles of garlic infused oil, oil with sprigs
> of various herbs in them over the counter, so it would seem to me to
> be reasonable to assume that given the right care and attention, the
> products of the OP might be quite safe?

Infused oil, yes, but not oil with pieces of
fresh garlic sitting in it. Dried herbs, yes,
but it's never done with fresh herbs.

If the OP were using dried onions, there would
be no cause for concern. But that's not the
case here.

[email protected] wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:55:55 -0000, "Ophelia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> cybercat wrote:
>>> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>>>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>>>> them in olive oil...
>>>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying
>>>> the onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in
>>>> seasoned olive oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>>>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>>>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>>>> aftertaste.
>>>>
>>>
>>> This sounds like a great idea! Although, certainly the flavor is not
>>> the same as browned onions.
>>
>> Eeeeeeeek noooooooooooooo! You can get botulism like that!!!!!!!!
>>
> Cite????
>
> After a less than exhaustive trawl, I find that you *might* get
> Botulism poisononing but then again, you *might* not.
>
> It depends on a lot of different factors. (Time, storage temperature,
> preconditioning, preparation etc. of the ingredients.) I found one
> paper that appeared to suggest that one could get away with a lot
> lower level of precautions than recommended by the UberCareful. Those
> recommendations were largely not being followed.
>
> And, as far as I've found so far - NOT an exhaustive search, I'll
> continue that later - there ain't a lot of recorded cases of
> Clostridium B that seem to be attributable to such a mechanism.
>
> After all, one can get bottles of garlic infused oil, oil with sprigs
> of various herbs in them over the counter, so it would seem to me to
> be reasonable to assume that given the right care and attention, the
> products of the OP might be quite safe?

commercial producers know now to do it safely. I think that homemakers do
not have the equipment to faciliate this.


> Let's keep the food hysteria under control until there is some
> evidence on the table to examine. Or, If you are correct - which I
> question - elsewhere in the establishment.

Hi Jenks. Are you willing to take that risk?

"Serene Sprat" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Giusi wrote:
>> "Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>>> them in olive oil...
>>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>>> aftertaste.
>>>
>>> Dave
>>
>> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
>> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.
>
> Even if it's just overnight, in the fridge? I wouldn't think so.
>

Yeah, I assumed he kept the oil in the refrigerator.



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"Giusi" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.

I never would have guessed this was not safe.



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"hahabogus" <[email protected]> wrote :
>
> nevermind botulism it invites death...to you, friends and family. Can you
> live with that?


DEATH??



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<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:55:55 -0000, "Ophelia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Eeeeeeeek noooooooooooooo! You can get botulism like that!!!!!!!!
>>
> Cite????

Had a local restaurant that just poisoned a handful of people doing
just this.

-sw

Giusi wrote:
> "Dave" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:[email protected]...
>> Hi ! First time posting... got a question:
>> Just curious if I'm the only person who chops up onions and stores
>> them in olive oil...
>> I have a small cafe and I wanted to find an alternative to frying the
>> onions to speed up service, so I tried leaving them in seasoned olive
>> oil in a tupperware container overnight...
>> the result is that it softens the onions, then when I toast the
>> sandwich the olive oil adds seasoning to the bread and a nice
>> aftertaste.
>>
>> Dave
>
> Don't let the health inspectors catch you. That is an invitation to
> botulism and is illegal in the US and in Italy.
>
>


Should be OK if you store it in the *freezer*. Otherwise I wouldn't
trust it even refrigerated.

Bob

"zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote
> Should be OK if you store it in the *freezer*. Otherwise I wouldn't trust
> it even refrigerated.
>

What makes it dangerous? We're talking chopped onion in olive oil,
right? I'm honesty trying to understand this.

Is it the same thing as, say, if I decided to take fresh rosemary, wash it,
dry it, chop it, then add it to olive oil and keep it in the fridge? Would
that
be a botulism risk?



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cybercat wrote:
> "zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote
>> Should be OK if you store it in the *freezer*. Otherwise I wouldn't trust
>> it even refrigerated.
>>
>
> What makes it dangerous? We're talking chopped onion in olive oil,
> right? I'm honesty trying to understand this.
>
> Is it the same thing as, say, if I decided to take fresh rosemary, wash it,
> dry it, chop it, then add it to olive oil and keep it in the fridge? Would
> that
> be a botulism risk?


Yes, it would. (How long has it been the fridge? Are you *sure* you
only put it in there 2 days ago? What temperature does your fridge
maintain?)

Bob

cybercat wrote:
> "hahabogus" <[email protected]> wrote :
>>
>> nevermind botulism it invites death...to you, friends and family.
>> Can you live with that?
>
>
> DEATH??

yes If I want garlic oil, I usually buy it in.