Condiments That Do and Do Not Need Refrigeration

[opinionatedchef]

It seems that many people are confused about whatneeds and does not need refrigeration- in the condiments dept. Here's my go at it:

Condiments that DO NOT need refrigeration are those that are primarily made up of:

SUGAR(jams,jellies, honey, maple syrup, caro syrup, molasses etc)
or SALT: soysauce, oyster sauce,fish sauce etc.
or ACID: vinegars, mustard,hot sauce, steak sauce, worc sce.,ketchup
or ALCOHOL, except Wine: madeira,marsala, port, sherry, liquers,etc
all OILs( but those that are nut or seed based can more easily go rancid in hot weather, so best to keep refrigtd)

Condiments/sauces that MUST BE refrigated are those that are NOT primarily made up of the above ingredients AND that contain either:
VEGETABLES( i.e. vinaigrettes with garlic or shallots or onion or fresh herbs)
or FRUIT (Ponzu sauce, salad dressings w/ citrus juice or other fruit, bottled citrus juices etc)
or DAIRY (i.e.mayo or creamy salad dressings, tadziki sauce etc)
NUT OILS (refrig staves off rancidity)

I'm sure i've left out some things, but i hope this can be a helpful basic guide.

[C70]

"mustard, hot sauce, steak sauce, worc sce.,ketchup"

I keep all of the above in the fridge, but I think that ketchup is the only one that requires it. The tomatoes in ketchup can start to ferment and make it taste "off". In warm weather, it can actually explode when you open it.

[pitu]

sugar is not a preservative
sugar is tasty fuel for yeast and mold to eat!

check the many reports of fuzzy maple syrup on the condimentia threads here
if you have any doubts

[YoYoPedro]

There are a lot of crossover items within your lists. E.g. ketchup contains fruit, as do jams and jellies. Both will be happy to ferment and spoil if not refrigerated. There are mold and yeast spores in the air that everything is exposed to once opened.

From the French's Food Service website:

Q: Does FRENCH'S® Mustard need to be refrigerated?
A: The FRENCH'S® Dijon Mustard can lose heat and distinct flavor, if left unrefrigerated, so we encourage refrigeration. For all other mustards, refrigerating will help maintain its flavor; however, if you prefer your mustard to be room temperature, it is not necessary. There are no ingredients in mustard that spoil. "Refrigerate After Opening" is not required for food safety. It is recommended to maintain optimal product flavor.

I would guess that this logic might apply to many of the other items mentioned, i.e. that refrigeration is not REQUIRED to retard spoilage, but it might prolong its useful life. Better safe than sorry, though. Food poisoning is no fun. As my sister-in-law, a Food Science grad from UW always said, "Life begins at 40." She was referring to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a saying from a Microbiology class, I think. She was adamant about immediately wrapping and refrigerating leftovers, etc.

[Candy]

I have had good Grade B maple syrup get moldy. Mine is now refrigerated. I have 5 good mustards in my fridge. Each jar is labled refrigerate after opening. My catsup is also labled refrigerate after opening. My expensive bottle of Saba can go to mold so it stays in my fridge. My 2 bottles of Minus 8 vinegar are refrigerated, they are too expensive to take any chances with.

[WestchesterFoodie]

Vinegar and alcohol stop the fermentation process. Port wine is sweet because alcohol is introduced half way through through the fermentation process. Any item with vinegar is safe to leave outside the fridge. Vinegar is so powerful that it's the primary reason people don't get salmonella with hollandaise sauce. It not only preserves the substance it's in, but destroys harmful byproducts. Minus 8 vinegar? Get that out of the fridge and keep it in the cupboard. I sip that stuff.

[C70]

Ketchup is full of vinegar and it goes very bad in warm weather.

[Andiereid]

No kidding. And if you put a bottle of it in a warm place, it will explode on you. BLAM! (Happened to me at a Chili's once with a bottle that had been sitting in a sunny window all day.)

[hotoynoodle]

once gave a customer a bottle of ketchup for his burger. he opened it up, and smoke came out! he said, "is it supposed to do that?" i was mortified.

[C70]

I worked on a patio in Toronto and our ketchups mid-summer were downright scary!

[OCAnn]

My soy sauce says "refrigerate after opening."

[pescatarian]

I think that's the rule for any condiment - if it needs to be refrigerated, the label will say it does - and yes, as others have mentioned above, sugar is not a preservative and jam, etc. should be refrigerated.

[pitu]

as some have mentioned, there are some products labelled for the fridge (soy sauce being one of them, lots of salt) but a product that doesn't really *need* the fridge...my mom *never* but that LaChoy bottle in the fridge and here I live to tell the tale.

anybody know what they do in Japan with shoyu?

[opinionatedchef]

as with many of the condiments i have mentioned that do not need refrig, the local populace does not refrig it. that is certainly true in japan w/ soysauce. as a matter of fact, for a lot of the products i have mentioned, the whole purpose of USING a lot of them in a given country's cuisine, was that they act as preservatives and/ or preservative helpers.

[chowser]

How about all natural peanut butter? Some say to refrigerate after opening, some don't but they're all the same ingredients--peanut, and maybe salt. I've kept the jars upside down to try to make spreading easier but some are hard to spread cold.

[DanaB]

Nut butters can go rancid if left too long unrefrigerated. If you use your peanut butter quickly, I wouldn't worry about refrigerating it, but if you are like me, and take around 6 months to go through a jar, by all means refrigerate it. I stir in the oil before refrigerating and separation is not a problem.

As for some of the other items on the original poster's list, I would definitely NOT leave jams, jellies and natural maple syrup unrefrigerated, as they can and will grow mold if left out after opening.

The only things I don't refrigerate are oils, vinegars, and some sauces -- hot sauce, steak sauce, worschestershire.

Salt, sugar and honey do not need to be refrigerated.

I refrigerate my mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and open salad dressings, although you do not need to refrigerate commercial mayo (it does NOT contain dairy) and mustard.

[opinionatedchef]

danab, i don't know what you mean by commercial mayo; in my bus i use large commercial jars of hellman's and it CERTAINLY contains eggs.
maybe you meant to say something else?...

it's so weird that so many think jams and jellies get moldy; i've never seen that in my life. i wonder if those times that jam has turned moldy- if the jar had been contaminated by something that DOES need refrigeration....like butter or something....

[DanaB]

(1) Eggs are not dairy. (Dairy products are from cows.)

(2) Commercial mayonnaise has preservatives and chemicals in it that keep it from spoiling (unlike, say, homemade mayonnaise, which contains raw eggs, which could spoil if not refrigerated). Although commercial mayonnaise does have "egg" in it, it is not raw egg and it has been treated so that it will not spoil.

[jen kalb]

In general, jams and jellies can stay out, but its possible that they will be contaminated and mold. maple syrup sometimes molds, even in the refrig, but you can remove the mold, boil and repackage successfully.
Nut oils (Hazel, walnut) need to be refrigerated, they are very delicate. small bottles help too in reducing oxidation by limiting surface area.
soy - doesnt need refrig, tho sometimes I wonder whether it would last longer if put in there - its worth buying the small bottles IMO
hot pepper sauces - sit on my cabinet shelves and deteriorate. Probably would last better in the fridge.
Pomegranate molasses, vinegars - work fine at room temp.
Tahina/sesame paste - seems to last fine a room temp.
Sesame oil ditto - lasts at least 6 mo in my kitchen without refrigeration - I recently learned this after refrigerating it religiously for many years.
Mustard will sit on the shelf but gradually deteriorate - the refrig slows this process materially.
Honey - never any problems on the shelf - if it dries up or crystalizes, just take the metal lid off and microwave for a bit.

[BeaN]

Your mileage may vary depending on the climate that you live in.

Here in the sub-tropics, many things mold that you would never see mold up north.

The Two Fat Ladies didn't refrigerate their eggs, but they lived in the UK, not south Florida.