Preserving Peppers in Oil
An individual has asked about the safety of preserving little red thin hot peppers (dried ) made in Italy browned in olive oil kept in a jar at about 75 degrees F. The family has been making this for hundreds of years. Is this something that should be refrigerated? (Does it have the same recommendations as garlic and oil?)
ANSWER - The peppers may be dry enough after cooking to be safely preserved in oil. But we just can't be sure that the moisture content, which is critical to prevent botulism, is low enough. Recommendations are always conservative in these cases so treat as garlic in oil. Better yet, preserve these items in vinegar or lemon juice. See the link below for more on this topic.
See an update to this answer in this Q&A forum. Search for the word oil, and click on "Prepared vegetables and herbs stored in oil"
