Raw garlic cloves can be safely stored in oil for up to 4 days when refrigerated. Cooked garlic cloves can be safely stored in oil for up to 2 weeks when refrigerated. Raw or cooked garlic cloves can be safely stored in oil for up to 4 months when frozen. Never store garlic in oil (raw or cooked) at room temperature.

Typically, a prepared jar of chopped or minced garlic can last up to three months in the fridge. However, commercial jarred garlic usually have preservatives such as citric acid to give it a longer shelf life.

Garlic cloves are best kept either in a cool, dry and dark place or preserved in oil or frozen. If they are stored in the refrigerator, they will deteriorate quickly and grow mold. Only “new season” garlic should be refrigerated. Mature garlic cloves and bulbs need to be kept in a cool, dry and dark place.

Garlic in oil is very popular, but homemade garlic in oil can cause botulism if not handled correctly. Without prompt and correct treatment, one-third of those diagnosed with botulism may die. To reduce this risk of botulism, the garlic in oil mixture should be refrigerated and used within two to three days.

Garlic has a Botulism is destroyed by 10 minutes of boiling so when you make your soup, you will destroy any botulism spores. Garlic has a tendency to have botulism spores on the surface of the bulbs. When the bulbs are put in a “Low oxygen” environment like olive oil, the spores can multiply.

Eating raw garlic on its own doesn’t pose a threat of botulism, since it’s exposed to air. Nor does heating garlic in oil, or mixing raw garlic and oil and using it right away. To preserve garlic, you can put it in vinegar, which has a high acid content that will inhibit the growth of botulism.