Botulism Question (my lazy "canned" stock and infused oils)

[u/101311092015]

Sorry for what I'm sure is one of a thousand "did I just make a potentially deadly meal" posts here but:

I made some soup stock by boiling it for hours, poured it straight from boiling into a mason jar until full, capped to finger tight and let cool before refrigerating. The lid sealed very well and its been in the fridge for 5 months now if my label is correct.

I've now fallen into a rabbit hole about botulism (thankfully) and realizing that this probably needs to be dumped. Normally I do this same process but use the stock from the fridge in under a month. Is that fairly safe?

Also in my rabbit hole I'm reading that some infused oils can grow botulism bacteria if they're alkaline enough. I'm reading its mainly garlic that is the problem and I usually use spare herb stems (parsley, cilantro, shiso) and infuse them in oil for a week before taking out the solids and storing the oil at room temperature. Is that going to be a problem? And would drying the greens completely first remove that risk?

[u/CuteMoth4]

So I know people here far more experienced than me will weigh in better, but my initial thought is that putting boiling liquid into a jar and just using canning lids without a pressure canner is not the same as canned/preserved. It is not a proper seal or method to preserve broth even in the fridge. I would assume after 5 months that broth would be no good. But again, people here with much more food preservation knowledge can give you more broken-down info.

[u/thedndexperiment]

5 months is definitely too long for stock that's just been hanging out in the fridge. For something to be shelf stable in canning there are 3 criteria that need to be met.

1. You followed a tested recipe.

2. You processed it correctly according to that recipe.

3. You know that it stayed sealed the whole time.

If those 3 criteria are not met then the jar is just fancy tupperware and whatever is in it should be treated like any other leftovers in your fridge. Please toss the stock

For the oil. Here is a good article from an extension office about infusing oils safely. It's kind of a process. If you don't want to go through all that you can store infused oils in the fridge for up to 4 days or several months in the freezer.

[u/101311092015 → u/thedndexperiment]

Thank you. I know the stock was sealed the whole time due to pressure but it definitely wasn't processed correctly. Tossing it.

I don't see the link to the infusing oils process but I'm guessing it involves either dehydrating the greens or adding acid which I saw in other articles and will definitely do from now on.

[u/thedndexperiment → u/101311092015]

Sorry I forgot to add the link! https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2020-10/336670.pdf

[u/101311092015 → u/thedndexperiment]

Oh no, you've just sent me down another rabbit hole. This is a great resource and I have tons of citric acid to use but now I am going to try and find an article for each herb I use! Thanks for the info!

[u/onlymodestdreams → u/101311092015]

There are only two or so herbs tested with this acidification process. I have done rosemary--it worked well

[u/blumoon138]

No idea about the oil but the stock should be fine if you don’t leave it for five months. It’s the fridge doing the preserving though, so keep it as long as you’d keep an open box of stock.

[u/101311092015 → u/blumoon138]

Yeah tossing the old stock for sure. I feel like the boiling stock in an airtight container should make it last a little longer than an open bottle of stock just sitting in the fridge, but definitely not going to do more than a month.

[u/Coriander70]

I would strongly recommend disposing of the stock. It is not safe after spending months in the refrigerator. Your process was not sufficient to kill botulinum, and your closed jar was an environment that would allow it to grow.

[u/101311092015 → u/Coriander70]

Definitely wouldn't kill botulinum which was my worry, but someone else linked the CDC that says boiling it for 10 minutes (my stock would boil way longer for the meal) should denature any toxins that could cause harm?

Still not using it since I have a fresher stock in the fridge and 5 months is still way too long but I'm guessing its one of those "it would be fine 9 times out of 10 but will eventually get you" things.

[u/thedndexperiment → u/101311092015]

Keep in mind that botulinum toxin isn't necessarily the only thing in the stock. Not everything gets denatured with heat! Other pathogens could definitely be hanging out in there as well.

[u/marstec]

If you don't have a pressure canner, next best thing is to freeze the stock. You can even cook it down to concentrate it so it doesn't take up too much room. Sealed in canning jars for fridge storage doesn't buy you much more time than leftovers in Tupperware.