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Corking Hot Sauces

I have also left a lot of sauces out with no issues......but......I brought home some Secret Aardvark Habanero sauce from the HS Expo in Cali in July.  We left it out on the counter, using it fairly frequently.  After about 2 weeks of this, I noticed the plastic squeeze bottle sitting lopsided on the counter.  Popped the top to a really nice PFFFFZZZT.  That one got pitched.
  :(
 
Not all sauces that say refrigerate after opening are safe to leave out.  Some actually do require refrigeration.
 
Yeah but we have to have the leaving out discussion at least once a year. ;)
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Yeah but we have to have the leaving out discussion at least once a year. ;)
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My stuff sits out on the counter.  I make it, know what's in it, etc but we go through it - usually a bottle or a little more per month.  Other people's sauces that I have go into the fridge after opening.  I take them out and let them come to room temp before I use them, then return them to the fridge once we're finished with them.  
 
The corked bottles you posted earlier - pretty sure that's a synthetic cork.  Commonly used in wine making synthetic cork has also found its way into all manner of bottles, from hot sauces/oils/dressings to homeopathic soaps/oils/cosmetics.  They definitely 'differentiate' a bottle and the sauce bottle in the pic you posted looks very cool.  :)
 
OP is talking about something like this I think:
 
31ZQgslnIdL._SY300_.jpg

 
Which will be fine for hot sauce so long as you refrigerate the sauce.  I don't think hot fill/hold would be good on the rubber seal.  
 
Yeah it looks like synthetic cork with I believe a matching tone plastic top so it looks like one. They were very cool bottles.

Or wood top. Don't remember. I think wood.
 
Gotcha, ohh thats old school with the offsite host and put the URL in lol. Ill just put a link of some bottles i have swing top cork bottles they are like a rubber top.

salsalady said:
I have also left a lot of sauces out with no issues......but......I brought home some Secret Aardvark Habanero sauce from the HS Expo in Cali in July.  We left it out on the counter, using it fairly frequently.  After about 2 weeks of this, I noticed the plastic squeeze bottle sitting lopsided on the counter.  Popped the top to a really nice PFFFFZZZT.  That one got pitched.
  :(
 
Not all sauces that say refrigerate after opening are safe to leave out.  Some actually do require refrigeration.
Click to expand...
I went to that expo! in Long beach?
 
YES!!!  In Long Beach!!!
 
I was there!  Pure Evil booth, not sauces....and did the Pure Evil Ramen Noodle Challenge on Saturday.  Did you have fun at the show?  When were you there?
 
 
 
and yes, Boss, we do have to have the "leave it out" discussion at least once a year.  I was very surprised when the Secret Aardvark sauce tanked.  I figured since they were packaged in plastic bottles, which are temperature sensative for packaging, they more likely have a low pH sauce...
 
that didn't happen when the sauce was left unrefrigerated for 10+ days. 
 
 
 
 
SmokenFire's posted what a lot pf people do.  Bring out of the refer, let the sauce come up to temp.  The Secret Aardvark sauce may have been totaly fine if we'd done that.  Kept it cold the rest of the time.  But we left the sauce out 24/7 for at least 10 days.  And it tanked. 
 
 
Well, this is a bit of a hi-jack for the OP, but I hope it's still relevant.   
 
The leaving out discussion is why I think that if you are making sauce for personal use, then standard canning practices make it safer.  Until you open it of course.  I imagine commercial makers test batches for acidity levels.
 
salsalady said:
YES!!!  In Long Beach!!!
 
I was there!  Pure Evil booth, not sauces....and did the Pure Evil Ramen Noodle Challenge on Saturday.  Did you have fun at the show?  When were you there?
 
 
 
and yes, Boss, we do have to have the "leave it out" discussion at least once a year.  I was very surprised when the Secret Aardvark sauce tanked.  I figured since they were packaged in plastic bottles, which are temperature sensative for packaging, they more likely have a low pH sauce...
 
that didn't happen when the sauce was left unrefrigerated for 10+ days. 
 
 
 
 
SmokenFire's posted what a lot pf people do.  Bring out of the refer, let the sauce come up to temp.  The Secret Aardvark sauce may have been totaly fine if we'd done that.  Kept it cold the rest of the time.  But we left the sauce out 24/7 for at least 10 days.  And it tanked. 
 
 
Well, this is a bit of a hi-jack for the OP, but I hope it's still relevant.   
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I was there Saturday! and i was there for the noodle challenge! I remember the kid who left early! and the asian girl on the end. lol And i think he booth who had the spicy ketchup made the noodles? i might be wrong. I was a bit drunk the whole time.
 
Best way to enjoy the show,  ;)  for the vendors as well!  ;)
 
And that booth was us, Pure Evil ketchup and Pure Evil frosting were for sampling, we did the ramen challenge. 
 
Just one, my son Evan.  Couldn't get any of his friends to come along.  3 days driving down, 2 loong days driving back, 12 hours in a booth, getting Pure Evil on your hands by mistake, rubbing eyes.....can't imagine why they didn't want to come along...... :lol:
 
salsalady said:
Just one, my son Evan.  Couldn't get any of his friends to come along.  3 days driving down, 2 loong days driving back, 12 hours in a booth, getting Pure Evil on your hands by mistake, rubbing eyes.....can't imagine why they didn't want to come along...... :lol:
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LOL! Wish i new you from here before then so i could have talked to you more! I had a 11 month old baby girl with me.
 
OK, so back to the OP...If you can, contact the bottle supplier or mfg and get some specs as to the temp rating of the rubber stoppers.  If they can handle 190-200F, you are golden to use for hot sauce!
 
PS- wish I'd known you also,  I met several people I know online from THP and other places IRL at the Expo, and that was cool!
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Yeah it looks like synthetic cork with I believe a matching tone plastic top so it looks like one. They were very cool bottles.

Or wood top. Don't remember. I think wood.
Click to expand...
A bit late to the party but what the heck...I've tried natural cork just fooling around with some of my own personal stuff - the cork actually deteriorated after a month or so - but the sauce was about 40% vinegar and it was a ghost pepper sauce so there was a lot of capsaicin. Didn't have any issues with synthetic corks.
 
I recently contacted the supplier about using the swing top jars and Hot Fill process.  Their reply from the manufacturer is-
 
[SIZE=medium]"Per the manufacturer, the bottles and gaskets are not safe for filling with 200F sauce.  The maximum recommended temperature is 122F."  I don't see why the bottles wouldn't be safe for 200F sauce???  I suppose I could send back for a clarification. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Local cider houses use the bale bottles for hard cider (which is really yummy, btw~  :lol: )  They seal the bottle with a crimped bottle cap.  Once opened, then the bale top is used.  Someone did point out that there are different kinds of bottle caps, have to get one that works with the heated sauce.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]
IMG_4929.JPG
[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]You  can get hand cappers like this for about $20 at beer making supply places.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]
IMG_4924.JPG
[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Or find a vintage one like this-[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]
vintage capper.jpg
[/SIZE]
 
 
 
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