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Yet another question for the experts

R

Ryan Bell

Is it safe to open a bottle of sauce and NOT refrigerate it after opening it. I know that with a salsa this is a big "no no", but with Tabasco for instance....you don't have to refrigerate that after opening it. The only reason I ask is that Blair says his sauces have no preservatives, etc....would sudden death sauce (for example) *HAVE* to be refrigerated after it was opened? I'd have a hard time believing anything could grow on something 220,000+ Scoville Units.

(I'm aware that the crazy hot sauces like The Source do NOT need to be refrigerated because nothing can grow on them anyway....that's per Original Juan himself.)
 
Ryan Bell said:
Is it safe to open a bottle of sauce and NOT refrigerate it after opening it. I know that with a salsa this is a big "no no", but with Tabasco for instance....you don't have to refrigerate that after opening it. The only reason I ask is that Blair says his sauces have no preservatives, etc....would sudden death sauce (for example) *HAVE* to be refrigerated after it was opened? I'd have a hard time believing anything could grow on something 220,000+ Scoville Units.

(I'm aware that the crazy hot sauces like The Source do NOT need to be refrigerated because nothing can grow on them anyway....that's per Original Juan himself.)
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This subject comes up often. The pH of most hot sauces are low enough to prevent just about ANY bacteria from growing in it. I routinely keep most of my open sauces in the cupboard, not in the fridge. You have to beware of sauces with a high sugar content or spoilable ingedients like dairy products. Those are ripe for bacterial overgrowth.
 
This is true. However, there are forms of our lovely little friends in the bacterium universe that can grow in nearly everything. pH has a lot to do with the overall 'chance' of an uninvited guest procreating, but it's not the 'steel curtain' some think it is. Granted, the chances of microbial growth in acidic (low pH) solutions is substantially less than a basic medium, but take for instance, our friend Helicobacter Pylori, which lives in our stomachs, and enjoys the various hydrochloric swim meets, whose pH ranks near zero. There are other bacteriums like the genus Thiobacillus that can survive in a .5 pH solution, yeah, also highly acidic. With the adaption mechanisms within the bacterium universe, nearly anything is possible. Hell, look at our little friend clostridium (aka botulism) who thrives in an airless environment. In other words, after opening, keep it in the fridge.
 
DEFCON Creator]This is true. However said:
Helicobacter Pylori[/i], which lives in our stomachs, and enjoys the various hydrochloric swim meets, whose pH ranks near zero. There are other bacteriums like the genus Thiobacillus[/i'] that can survive in a .5 pH solution, yeah, also highly acidic. With the adaption mechanisms within the bacterium universe, nearly anything is possible. Hell, look at our little friend clostridium (aka botulism) who thrives in an airless environment. In other words, after opening, keep it in the fridge.
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So it's really that big of a deal huh? Hmm. Well, it sucks, because I like displaying opened containers (so people can try them). I just didn't think anything that really mattered (i.e. something that could get you sick or worse) would be able to live in something that hot. (Basically, I'm referring to the "if I can't see it, feel it, smell it, or feel the effects from it, then I don't care" mindset).
 
Like I said, the absolute chance of an univited guest transforming your opened bottle into a microbial soup is small, but it exists. I know many people who have them lining a wall. I also know many who buy 2 of everything so they can open one and put the other up on the shelf of doom. To each his own. Personally, I'm kind of a stickler and don't want to take the chance.
 
Ryan, no matter what you decide...your mileage may vary. Some people don't keep all their sauces in the fridge because they don't want their 'regular' food space being overrun with hot sauce bottles. What I can tell you is in the 15 or so years that I have been eating & collecting hot sauces that I've had to throw exactly ONE bottle away because it went bad sitting on a shelf at room temp.

- Joe
 
DEFCON Creator said:
Like I said, the absolute chance of an univited guest transforming your opened bottle into a microbial soup is small, but it exists. I know many people who have them lining a wall. I also know many who buy 2 of everything so they can open one and put the other up on the shelf of doom. To each his own. Personally, I'm kind of a stickler and don't want to take the chance.
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I appreciate your sharing the info bro! 8)
 
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