I have spent a while perfecting a homemade vinaigrette, and I am pretty happy with my current recipe. But I usually make it fresh every time, and it takes some effort. Can I make it ahead of time? Where do I store it? Olive oil solidifies in the fridge. And I read something once about not storing oils with herbs in them for any length of time, because of the threat for botulism? (I think.) IIRC, they were referring to fresh herbs, and I usually use dried for the dressing. Does this mean its safe to store? I like to avoid botulism when possible…
hmmm … this is herb and oil botulism day on the board.
Here’s the deal: Putting fresh organic matter in an anaerobic environment can, indeed, prompt the growth of botulism. The botulism spores live on plants, etc. and will proliferate in an environment like, say, a bottle of oil. Using dried organic matter reduces the risk greatly because of the reduced moisture; however, it’s still possible. One common way to reduce risk is to acidify the mixture. That’s great! Vinaigrette has vinegar in it, thus making it acid! Hooray. Just be aware that the recommended pH level to prevent botulism is 4.6.
If it were me, I’d store in the fridge just to be safe – it comes up to room temp pretty quickly. Refrigeration doesn’t eliminate the risk, either, but reduces it greatly.
Olive oil does solidify in the fridge, but as an ex-BF of mine did, if you take it out when you start cooking, it’ll melt before you are ready to eat dinner.
I pull mine out of the fridge and put it in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes to loosen it