Food - Drink

Do You Really Need To Refrigerate Hot Sauce?

By JESSIE MOLLOY

It may feel like second nature to keep your sauces and condiments in the refrigerator, but some things like honey and olive oil can actually be damaged by repeated trips in and out of the fridge, and others simply don't need it. Where does hot sauce fit into this equation?

Unlike dairy-based condiments like mayonnaise and citrus-based dressings like vinaigrettes, products which contain high content of salt or vinegar don't usually need to be refrigerated. Those ingredients, combined with the concentrated pepper, are enough to keep bacteria from forming and won't spoil, giving most hot sauces a fairly stable shelf-life.

There are, however, some exceptions, and if a hot sauce is oil-based instead of vinegar-based or homemade, it must be kept in the refrigerator to avoid the risk of food poisoning. However, if you are sticking to a vinegar-based hot sauce, the hot flavor of the peppers in the sauce is more potent at room temperature.

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