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If bottled correctly store in fridge or shelf?
- Thread starter Torch
- Start date
Sealed? I have them in 10 oz Woozies that I inverted for 5 minutes after bottling. I don't have any plastic seals or wrappers if that's what you mean. Only the bottles and the black caps that come with it. Is that ok to keep at room temperature or would you suggest fridge?
Thanks
there just fine so long as the lids are screwed down all the way
you did scald them or did you cook the sauce and pour it in hot? either way it seems fine to me
thanks your friend Joe
It depends on your environment & whether sealed or open.
My sauces have a shelf life (as recommended by state of CA) of "2-3 years" (whatever that means - seems like a wide range to me) so pantry is fine if sealed.
At home I rarely refrigertate my sauces except in summer/hot season. They keep just fine for the ~1 week it takes me to kill a bottle.
That said, I put "refrigerate after opening" on the bottles because I don't know what environment people live in. If someone in AZ buys it & leaves it in the sun for a week, like any food product it'll turn.
So your environment is probably going to be the biggest determining factor. When in doubt, refrigerate after opening. If you live somewhere hot, refrigerate after opening. If sealed you're probably fine with the pantry or shelf.
Hope this helps!
My sauces have a shelf life (as recommended by state of CA) of "2-3 years" (whatever that means - seems like a wide range to me) so pantry is fine if sealed.
At home I rarely refrigertate my sauces except in summer/hot season. They keep just fine for the ~1 week it takes me to kill a bottle.
That said, I put "refrigerate after opening" on the bottles because I don't know what environment people live in. If someone in AZ buys it & leaves it in the sun for a week, like any food product it'll turn.
So your environment is probably going to be the biggest determining factor. When in doubt, refrigerate after opening. If you live somewhere hot, refrigerate after opening. If sealed you're probably fine with the pantry or shelf.
Hope this helps!
yeah... if the PH is fine, and the bottles were sterilized then hot filled with the sauce, inverted, (with a seal in the lid) and the lids are tightened down all the way, then yeah definitely fine to keep on the shelf.
One question Torch, are your bottles new or used and if used do the caps have the white paper seal in them?
If they're new your gold. If they're used your good on the bottles but if the caps have the paper seal on them you need to replace the caps. Caps with the paper seals can't be sterilized as the process ruins the seal. If the caps don't have the seal then add the reducer and cap them as usual and your good to go.
If they're new your gold. If they're used your good on the bottles but if the caps have the paper seal on them you need to replace the caps. Caps with the paper seals can't be sterilized as the process ruins the seal. If the caps don't have the seal then add the reducer and cap them as usual and your good to go.
Thats what my caps look like. They are all brand new. I bottled properly and inverted for the proper amount of time. Is the white in the cap the seal? If it is, is it supposed to drop from the cap and seal the mouth of the bottle ( what I mean is if I twisted off the cap for the first time would the white seal be sealing the bottle itself or would it still be inside the cap?)
Rocket Man,
I also have some other questions based on you're suggestions. So these are the caps I have. Just throw them out after the bottle of sauce is empty but keep the bottles? Also if I was to start buying different bottles with different caps that didn't have the white paper, what would be an example of a reducer for the cap?
Thanks Im new to all this.
If the cap is new & the white bit is shiny you should be good to go.
Reuse bottle = good
Reuse cap = bad
Oh, and no - the white insert doesn't stick to the bottle when you take the cap off - at least it's not supposed to. I've had the occasional flukey cap do this, but it's like 1 in 1000 and I chalk it up to getting a bad cap.
Reuse bottle = good
Reuse cap = bad
Oh, and no - the white insert doesn't stick to the bottle when you take the cap off - at least it's not supposed to. I've had the occasional flukey cap do this, but it's like 1 in 1000 and I chalk it up to getting a bad cap.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Torch,
It does matter. if the sauce doesn't have the proper pH and isn't packaged properly, it could harbor all kinds of nasties that would make you feel reaaaally bad. If you are using new bottles and caps, have a good pH, hot pack/invert...you are good to go for a shelf stable product. If you want to reefer it, you dont need to be as concerned with pH or proper packaging.
I do not suggest re-using caps. There are just too many variables and they are cheap enough to not be worth the risk. Re-using properly cleaned and sterilized bottles is OK. The reducer is tha little plastic thingy with the little hole in the middle and should not be reused.
I'm assuming tamper-evident caps are those that have the ring or wings that break away when opened. Most people don't use those types of lids, but they are very good lids. Most sauce makers use shrink bands for product safety tamper evidence.
It does matter. if the sauce doesn't have the proper pH and isn't packaged properly, it could harbor all kinds of nasties that would make you feel reaaaally bad. If you are using new bottles and caps, have a good pH, hot pack/invert...you are good to go for a shelf stable product. If you want to reefer it, you dont need to be as concerned with pH or proper packaging.
I do not suggest re-using caps. There are just too many variables and they are cheap enough to not be worth the risk. Re-using properly cleaned and sterilized bottles is OK. The reducer is tha little plastic thingy with the little hole in the middle and should not be reused.
I'm assuming tamper-evident caps are those that have the ring or wings that break away when opened. Most people don't use those types of lids, but they are very good lids. Most sauce makers use shrink bands for
Salsalady,
Ok I understand everything now. Quick question. Those shrink bands you talked about. Do they do anything for preservation, or are they only used to show customers that their bottled was never opened? Just wondering if I would benefit from buying shrink bands for personal use and for giving to friends and family.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
The shrink bands do nothing for preservation, they are strictly for tamper-evidence. I changed my post to clarify the difference. Thanks.
This is posted in Making Hot Sauce 101, but it bears repeating.
Why not to re-use the caps-
The white plastic liner can get food underneath the edge, and cannot be cleaned. The lids are plastic and can't be boiled for sanitization. Bleach water won't get under the edge of the liner. The liners are usually held in place with a tiny drop of glue. If you remove the liner, fill the bottle with heated sauce and invert, the heated sauce will melt the glue right into your sauce. (UGH!). Even the ones that come without a liner have ridges and notches that are very difficult to get properly cleaned. If it's an extreme emergency, it would theoretically be possible to properly clean the un-lined cap and re-use it. However, for 13cents each for new lined caps, it's really not worth the risk (or time and effort) to try and re-use the caps.
Hope this helps-
SL
side note- I believe one of the catsup companies was having trouble with people sorting through the bottles on the store shelves and picking out the fullest bottles. There are always minor variation in the fill level of sauces, no matter how good the equipment. So they started putting a label band around the neck of the bottle to hide the fill line. No more customers sorting through looking for the fullest bottles! Shrink bands for sauce bottles unintentionally accomplish the same thing,
Interesting you say that because when I looked at my bottles that were filled all of them had different fill levels as well and it DROVE me nuts! Is there a standard fill level for Woozies? For example when pickling most recipes will have 1/4" or 1/2" head space. Is there a recommended head space for hot sauce in Woozies?
Even when I do hobby batches I wax-seal them.
It does nothing for preservation but it does assure the recipient that
1. If you too the time/care to heat seal/wax seal you probably took the time/care to use safe practices for everything else
2. It hasn't been opened since you made it
It also looks nice and adds a touch of professionalism to your hobby batches.
Not a must have, but certainly a nice to have.
It does nothing for preservation but it does assure the recipient that
1. If you too the time/care to heat seal/wax seal you probably took the time/care to use safe practices for everything else
2. It hasn't been opened since you made it
It also looks nice and adds a touch of professionalism to your hobby batches.
Not a must have, but certainly a nice to have.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
No, there's no standard fill level. Keep in mind that the heated sauce is expanded and when it cools it will shrink.
Here's an experiment to consider-
take 5 ounces room temp water (liquid measure) and pour it into a 5 oz woozy
mark the fill line
empty the water and fill the bottle with your heated sauce up to the marked fill line
cap and invert
When it cools, the fill line will be below the marked 5 oz line.
I usually fill with heated sauce up to the ridge right below the threads.
Wax-seals do look cool, for those with the time and inclination. That's definiely not me...
.....but I do like getting waxed bottles. 
Here's an experiment to consider-
take 5 ounces room temp water (liquid measure) and pour it into a 5 oz woozy
mark the fill line
empty the water and fill the bottle with your heated sauce up to the marked fill line
cap and invert
When it cools, the fill line will be below the marked 5 oz line.
I usually fill with heated sauce up to the ridge right below the threads.
Wax-seals do look cool, for those with the time and inclination. That's definiely not me...
.....but I do like getting waxed bottles. 