Homemade Garlic Oil

In future posts, I'll most likely post photography that's actually taken by me of my little home endeavors, but for today, and since I've already experimented without a camera handy, I'll use this image that I found off of google.

Garlic oil is great.  Olive oil lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol) and helps to raise your HDL (good cholesterol).  And guess what?  Garlic is good for lowering your bad cholesterol too!  Both are also good for fighting high blood pressure and both are documented as preventing some cancers.

I just found out that at age 22 I have high cholesterol (seriously?!) and high blood pressure runs in my family.  My mom has been concocting garlic oil for a few years now, and I kept asking her to make me some.  She finally did, and I finally learned to make it myself!

I've found through my research that there are a few ways to make garlic oil, and I've learned a new use for it as well!  Not only is garlic oil great on pastas and salads, but apparently it can help cure ear infections!  How crazy is that?


So, way-to-make-garlic-oil-number-one:

   On her blog, Jill of Jill's Home Remedies says to crush your garlic cloves and cover them with olive oil until you've got it 1 inch over your garlic. Leave it for 3 days, shaking your concoction each day, and then strain the garlic from the oil and store the oil in a bottle or jar.

To use this for ear infections, she suggests warming up the garlic oil, but not so much that it's hot, and place 2-4 drops in the affected ear 2 or 3 times a day.  She suggests laying on your side for 5-10 minutes so the oil doesn't run out of your ear.

According to a coworker of mine, this method of creating garlic oil is the "lazy woman's way" but I find I'd rather put forth the small amount of effort to have the oil in a shorter amount of time. I'm impatient!


And with that, way-to-make-garlic-oil-number-two:

This method goes with the picture I posted at the top of this post.  You literally cook the essence of the garlic into the oil.  You can buy cloves and peel them yourself, or you can buy the already peeled garlic.  The recipe suggests one clove of garlic to 1/2 cup olive oil.  You put the oil and garlic into your pot and bring it to a simmer.  Then, turn your heat down to low and let the garlic brown (10-20 minutes).  You don't want the garlic to burn, though.

With this recipe, you can use drizzle the oil and the cooked garlic over your food, yum!


Last, but certainly not least, way-to-make-garlic-oil-number-three:

This is my mom's method and the method I used.  When trying this recipe, I called my mom and asked her if there was a certain oil-to-garlic ratio I needed to abide by.  Her answer was, "Yea... a lot to a lot."  Thanks, mom.

I bought 0.75L cold-pressed artisan extra virgin olive oil from one of our nicer food markets in town: Fresh Market.  The garlic I got from Publix.  I used half of the bottle of peeled garlic, and all of the oil.

I put the oil and the garlic into my cast iron dutch oven, put that in my oven (no lid), and set it to 200.  My mom said not to let the oven pre-heat before putting the oil in to cook.  I left it for 20 minutes and then started checking it.  My mom said I'd know it was done when the garlic started to float.  Good thing I asked my mom for a time range!  She said to start checking it after 20-30 minutes, and that it should be done at about 45-60 minutes.

I waited for the garlic to float.  I don't think I had enough oil (next time I'll buy 2 bottles!) and the garlic never really went anywhere, but I left my oil in the oven for an hour and a half before finally taking it out and straining it.  It's still really good, so I guess I did something right!




If you try any of these and have any comments, suggestions, updates, or anything, please leave your input!