Honestly, I don't know. I'll be really interested if somewhere you find the answer to this one.

I know the minced garlic is acidified. Depending upon the brand it might be citric acid, acetic acid and/or phosphoric acid with sodium benzoate and other preservatives.

But once you open that jar, who knows? And if you add the garlic to your tomatoes in oil, who knows if that mixture is sufficient acidified, especially with the water content added by the garlic?

Aside from that I wouldn't do it because I think that minced garlic tastes terrible. There's some aftertaste I just can't get around. I think it's a "sin" to take something wonderful and "corrupt" it with bottled garlic.

OK, LOL, I'm sounding like the John Winthrop of food preservation, but that's my take.

Has your friend considered the dehydrated garlic flakes, the big ones sold by stores like Costco? I'd go that direction before I tried the bottled.

Carol

Sorry, no, precooking still doesn't make a difference. In any fresh garlic product you still deal with "water acitivity". It provides moisture for bacteria to grow.
It is still not safe to add.

I'm with Carol and Linda Lou. Yes it was considered safe in the sealed store-bought container, but it isn't necessarily safe once you open it. That would be kind of like opening a jar of salsa and then storing it on the counter.

Melissa

Your wanting to can dried tomatoes in oil.. I would guess that its not safe to do that either. The garlic only turns blue for a few weeks after being pickled in full strength vinegar. Home canning has a lot more safety issues that commercial canning has solved using specialized equipment.

I understand this and will relate all your answers to him. I personally think that adding the garlic just a few hours before is enough. I must confess that I am not a garlic fan (I never cook with it because I can't stand the smell)This guy is a garlic fanatic ( I won't be eating at his restaurant anytime soon!) Thanks for taking the time to asnwer and as I said, I will relay the messages.

I don't "can" dry tomatoes in oil. I put them in oil for 4 weeks before delivery, vacuum seal the lid on and refrigerate them. I print a nice lable that says "REFRIGERATE" and put on every jar. I always tell all my customers that they ARE NOT to be stored un-refrigerated or long term. I guess that is about all I can do. I do have a warning section in my little brochure I send with first orders. I store mine in vacuum bags in a large rubbermaid container in my rootcellar.

Carol had a great suggestion - tell him to use the dried garlic flakes or chips. We use them in many recipes with no problems.

Dave

Ever tasted roasted garlic? Its mild and doesn't have that strong smell or overpowering taste. I even pickle whole cloves of garlic with full strength 5% vinegar. Open a jar and its like eating peanuts..Must assume you have a vacuum pump of some kind?

I guess I should state that I don't eat vegetables of any kind, not just garlic. Don't like them. I only grow tomatoes. Won't let my husband grow any of the stinky oners, cailiflower, cabbage, etc. He gets to grow the basics and I leave when he is canning. I know, it's sounds weird and it is but I definitely have a vegetable phobia. I don't eat meat either. Just Dairy and some fruit. I maker him taste stuff I cook because if it has vegies or meat, I don't want to taste it. I love to cook, just don't like to have to eat any of it. I am really in favor of him building his own canning kitchen outside the house.

Not a healthy thing to do, no eating of vegetables is probably tracable from when you were a young kid and drove your parents crazy hy refusing to eat any vegetables. All vegetables are not stinky, except, the cabbage family, of which my favorites are broccoli and brussels sprouts. Peas are also very good as is corn. We all need fiber in our diet every day and not just from an apple or two. Dairy and some fruit isn't going to give you all the very necessary vitamins and minerals you may be lacking. Excess tomato consumption, has also caused things like high uric acid levels in the blood and also gout which is very painful in the joints. Also, too much of a good thing and you can get hives. If you are a fussy eater, what do you eat that IS healthy (may I ask?)? Dairy in many cases has a lot of cholesterol, even if its fat free. I can't enjoy much dairy as I have lactose intolerence. Its handed down from my ancesters that were not big dairy consumers. How about a big put of 'comfort food', the macaroni and cheese? Now that I can eat as cheese isn't as bad for me. In your neck of the woods, its hard to imagine that you are not a beef eater. Poultry and some pork today are much healthier too.

I know if you boil garlic you inactivate the allicin in the garlic. Allicin is needed as a inflammation agent used in the body for treatment of certain diseases such as pulmonary hypertension and is used in treating cancer and reducing cholesterol.