Storing fresh chillies

biddy6, Jun 6, 6:45am
I have a large pottle of fresh, whole chillies, (the colours are just glorious) what is the best way to store them? Can I just put them into Olive Oil whole? How long would they be likely to keep?

ferita, Jun 6, 6:53am
Oxygen is your enemy.
Oil blocks the oxygen so theoretically they should last a very long time in the oil.

happybaby, Jun 6, 11:01pm
freeze them whole.

jag5, Jun 7, 7:50am
I dry mine in the dehydrator. There is a hazard when keeping things in oil... . . botulism apparently. Uli will tell you that.

If you go to the search bars on the left, and type in botulism and choose anytime... . it should come up. Be careful

kirinesha, Jun 7, 7:59am
Do not just put them in oil! It provides a neutral enviroment which fails to inhibit the growth of toxins which cause botulism. Not a good idea at all.

kirinesha, Jun 7, 7:59am
Freeze or dehydrate them. We freeze ours and that works realy well.

biddy6, Jun 7, 9:08am
Thanks for your replies girls - much appreciated. Will freeze them.

fisher, Jun 7, 10:11am
Drying them intensifies them 5 fold. . 1/2 tsp in a wok dish and mine it tooooo hot... (Hungarian wildfire and Jalapeno blended). . I put quite a few in seal lock bags and freeze, squeezing as much air as I can...

amastrader, Jun 7, 10:13am
Yup Yup, then cut and grab from the freeza.

pickles7, Jul 18, 1:40pm
I bottled a few small jars last year in a spiced vinegar mixture. I split the chili down one side , put them into the boiling vinegar and bottled them as soon as they returned to the boil. . I have two jars left and they are still nice and red. . I have a pile of Habanero chili, I intend to make a tabasco sauce with one of these days, soon...