I received a bunch of complaints about this post. I was told that electric pressure cookers (and stovetop pressure cookers that aren't dedicated pressure canners) are untested for pressure canning, and are therefore unsafe. Garlic carries botulism spores, and botulism can be deadly, so you have to be careful when dealing with canned garlic.
If you want to see the recipe it was based on, get a copy of the Modernist Cuisine at Home cookbook, or go to the Pressure Cooker Garlic Confit recipe on Modernist Cuisine's website.
The coolest thing in Modernist Cuisine at Home
? Cooking in canning jars in the pressure cooker. They use the technique where the food would have to be stirred if it was in contact with the bottom of the pot - which can't happen in a locked pressure cooker.
*I've heard of pot-in-pot cooking and pressure canning, but I never thought to do them both at the same time...
Pressure cooker garlic confit called out to me. I love the idea of a jar full of roasted garlic cloves in the refrigerator. And the garlic-infused oil is as useful as the cloves. I made braised kale using a few tablespoons of the oil and a few cloves of garlic from this recipe, and Diane was raving about it.
*See the Notes section for the kale recipe
After I got over how cool it was to see canning jars in the pressure cooker, my next thought was: Garlic infused olive oil? That can be a bad idea. Botulism multiplies in low-oxygen, low acid environments - like being covered with oil. Garlic, like most vegetables, can carry botulism spores. Fresh garlic in olive oil should be thrown away after a day or two in the refrigerator, and homemade garlic infused oil is dangerous. What about pressure cooking it? Does that make it safe?
It took a lot of searching, but I finally found out that the recipe is safe. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, botulism spores are killed if you can hold the temperature between 240°F to 250°F for 20 to 100 minutes, depending on the size of the jar. Conveniently, those are the temperatures you get with 10PSI to 15PSI pressure cookers. This recipe pressure cooks the jars for 2 hours, so there's no way botulism can survive. After the jar is opened, the garlic keeps for a month in the refrigerator.
*From what I could find, 3 minutes at 250°F kills the botulism spores. But it takes 20 to 100 minutes to be sure that temperature reaches the center of the jar, depending on the size.
Enough scary, but neccesary, food safety tips. This recipe couldn't be simpler if you own a pressure cooker and canning jars; the only hard part is peeling all that garlic. I'm already addicted to having a jar of roasted garlic in the refrigerator, ready whenever I want it.
*I used the technique shown here - [Youtube via Saveur.com]. It took multiple rounds of shaking to get all the cloves peeled. Don't be gentle - shake as hard as you can. Or, If there is a good Asian market nearby, keep an eye out for pre-peeled garlic, which makes this recipe much easier.
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Garlic Confit
Adapted From: Modernist Cuisine at Home
Cooking time: 120 minutes
Equipment:
- Pressure Cooker (I used my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- 16oz canning jar
Ingredients:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 50 cloves garlic, peeled (4 large heads)
- ½ teaspoon herbes de provence
- 1 bay leaf
Directions
1. Fill the jars
Put everything in the canning jar, wipe the rim of the jar clean with a wet paper towel, then tighten down the lid finger tight.
2. Pressure cook the garlic
Put a rack in the pressure cooker pot and add 1 inch of water. (For my nine inch diameter cooker, this is about a quart of water.) Put the jar on the rack, lock the lid, and bring the cooker up to high pressure. Pressure cook on high for 2 hours. Let the pressure come down naturally. Carefully remove the jar from the PC, using tongs (or, even better a canning jar lifter). The jar will still be dangerously hot, with bubbling oil inside - let it cool to room temperature before handling. The sealed jar will last for a year at room temperature; refrigerate after opening, and the garlic will last for a month.
Notes
- I used my electric pressure cooker, which made it very easy - turn the timer to two hours, and walk away. But any pressure cooker will do, as long as it can get to 10 PSI.
- The recipe doubles easily...as long as you can live with peeling all that garlic.
- Bonus recipe: Braised Kale with Garlic Confit and Oil. Strip the leaves from the stems of a large bunch of kale, and rough chop the leaves. Put four cloves of garlic confit plus two tablespoons of the garlic oil into a large pot. Add the kale, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, then toss to coat with the oil. Add a half cup of water, put the pot over medium-high heat, and cover. When steam starts escaping from under the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low and steam the kale for 20 minutes.
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Adapted from:
Modernist Cuisine at Home
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Doug says
Awesome, thanks!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Yes, concave lids means they're good. Until the vacuum forms and seals the lid, some of the oil leaks out - it's a by-product of the process.
Doug says
I just finished making my second batch of three mason jars. Some of the oil leaked out through the tops and into the water below. However, the safety button on all three mason jars did end up getting sucked in (concave), whereas I had started my cooking with them pushed outward (convex). Does this mean I've got a good seal and can keep them in the pantry until opening?
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
No, I haven't used the instant pot for canning anything but this garlic. I use the instant pot to make chicken broth all the time, but then I freeze it in 2 cup and 1 quart containers.
Doug says
Thanks! One more question -- have you ever used your Instant Pot for canning chicken broth? InstantPot's website says it can be used for canning, but I haven't found any instructions for that yet (your garlic confit recipe is the closest I've come!).
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
If it's not the same one that came with the Instant Pot, it probably came from my Cuisinart electric pressure cooker. But I'm guessing, based on the size (the pot for both units are roughly the same diameter). I have accumulated a small collection of racks over the years, and I just grab whichever one looks like it will fit.
Doug says
What kind of rack is that in your Instant Pot? It looks different from (and superior to) the one mine came with.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
No - both the garlic and oil are good for about a month.
Cory says
Out of curiosity, does the oil have a longer shelf life than the garlic after the jar is open?
Food nerd says
Really the refrigerator part is not needed until you open the jar. With 120min @250f you have killed all of the Botulinum spores several times over. Food nerd part: (ok you can never have a 100% kill, but you have >12-log reduction you are well over the level required in a FDA or USDA plant and > than the 12d requirement in the EU <1 spore in 10,000 cans.). Thanks for the great idea and while not needed for food safety it will reduce oxidation to keep the jars in the fridge.
Laura - Hip Pressure Cooking says
Brian, laboratory and hospital autoclaves generally operate at over 30psi (tough this is selectable). The lower the psi, the longer the time needed to zap everything. As Mike noted, if you get below a certain psi no amount of time will kill the baddies because the minimum temperature threshold for inactivation is never met.
Since the book recommends storing the garlic in the refrigerator, and consuming within a month - 100% sterilization is not expected or required.
Ciao,
L
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Good safety tip - careful, everyone!
Laura - Hip Pressure Cooking says
Fantastic, Mike! I would add a warning that the contents of the jars are pressurized until the contents have completely cooled - nothing like spraying super heated oil around the kitchen and yourself because to sneak a taste!
Ciao,
L
Laura - Hip Pressure Cooking says
Chris, your Fagor pressure cooker only reaches 9psi at high pressure.
Ciao,
L
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
If you're worried, run a test. Put 4 cups of water in your cooker, bring it up to pressure, and keep it at high pressure for an hour.
Let the pressure come down naturally, then pour the water into a measuring cup, to see how much is left.