Ketchup and Mustard how to store

Jim_S

Resident Curmudgeon
Gold Site Supporter
We've always stored them in the fridge.

I checked, the dijon mustard says refrigerate after opening and the ketchup didn't say anything about storage.

Jim
 

waybomb

Well-known member
Ketchup is fairly stable because of the high acid content.
But almost any food in a jar or can should be refrigerated for storage.
 
When I was a kid, my mother stored mustard in the cabinet. At a meeting of her sewing circle at church, they had a guest speaker (I think from French's) who told them it needed to be refrigerated - this was back in the 50's.

Fred
 

waybomb

Well-known member
Being in the food business and understanding something about micro, I do not understand how anybody would take a chance on getting food poisoning.

If it comes in a glass, plastic, or can container, and you open it, you should refrigerate it. Why take the chance?

I was unfortunate enough to get exposed to Salmonella. I was in the hospital for more than a week. Almost died. And on top of that, had to provide stool samples for almost 5 months before two in a row came up negative. You DO NOT want to be taking any pathogen into your body. It is not fun.

Wash your hands.
Do not use the same plate for the cooked food as you did for the raw food.
Wash your hands
Cook your meat to 146 or more internal.
Did I say wash your hands?
Refrierate cooked leftovers right away.
Do not eat cold leftovers of cooked food.
 

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
Mustard has to be refrigerated once opened but ketchup does not. My mom used to store the ketchup in the fridge, and she probably still does...and I always hated cold ketchup on french fries.
 

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
Being in the food business and understanding something about micro, I do not understand how anybody would take a chance on getting food poisoning.

If it comes in a glass, plastic, or can container, and you open it, you should refrigerate it. Why take the chance?

I was unfortunate enough to get exposed to Salmonella. I was in the hospital for more than a week. Almost died. And on top of that, had to provide stool samples for almost 5 months before two in a row came up negative. You DO NOT want to be taking any pathogen into your body. It is not fun.

Wash your hands.
Do not use the same plate for the cooked food as you did for the raw food.
Wash your hands
Cook your meat to 146 or more internal.
Did I say wash your hands?
Refrierate cooked leftovers right away.
Do not eat cold leftovers of cooked food.


ServSafe Certified and NYC Food Handlers certified... I don't want to sound sarcastic..but if you only cook chicken to 146 you most assuredly run the risk of salmonella poisoning. I realize you said meat and not poultry...but beef that has been handled correctly can be safely served at 130.
Refrigerating cooked leftovers isn't really enough if you want to quickly chill food to 40 degrees. You have to spread it out, permitting more surface to be chilled.
Never have I ever heard of any danger in eating cold leftovers. What are you basing that on? The first thing that came to mind was roast turkey in the deli shoppe....what is that other than cold, previously roasted turkey?
 

Deadly Sushi

Formerly The Giant Mojito
ServSafe Certified and NYC Food Handlers certified... I don't want to sound sarcastic..but if you only cook chicken to 146 you most assuredly run the risk of salmonella poisoning. I realize you said meat and not poultry...but beef that has been handled correctly can be safely served at 130.
Refrigerating cooked leftovers isn't really enough if you want to quickly chill food to 40 degrees. You have to spread it out, permitting more surface to be chilled.
Never have I ever heard of any danger in eating cold leftovers. What are you basing that on? The first thing that came to mind was roast turkey in the deli shoppe....what is that other than cold, previously roasted turkey?

Mr. Bomb, youve just been spanked!!! :yum: Juuuuuust kidding, but Vera that is some damn good info! Infact you remind me I have to get a meat thermometer.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I store anything in a bottle in the refrigerator once opened though ketchup doesn't need to be. Oh and Vera try Malt Vinegar on your fries you will never go back to ketchup. :)
 

Locutus

New member
When in doubt, CHILL dude! :D

I refrigerate both.

BTW, I know some experts say beef isafe if cooked to 135 degrees.

But if you've ever taken a course in parasitology, you'll want it cooked to at least 165.

My guage is "a little 1/8 inch strip of pink in the very center," and no red, and no blood. :thumb:
 

Calicolady

New member
If it's open, it goes in the fridge. And most jar stuff upside down.
Even in the cabinet, before things are open, I store upside down.
Just a thing I learned as a painter years ago.
Maybe that's why although I live alone, have two full-sized fridges. LOL!
 

Deadly Sushi

Formerly The Giant Mojito
I store anything in a bottle in the refrigerator once opened though ketchup doesn't need to be. Oh and Vera try Malt Vinegar on your fries you will never go back to ketchup. :)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Malt Vinegar ROCKS!!!!!! :thumb:
 

waybomb

Well-known member
Mr. Bomb, youve just been spanked!!! :yum: Juuuuuust kidding, but Vera that is some damn good info! Infact you remind me I have to get a meat thermometer.


Crap, well, I don't deal with chicken. Yuk. Chicken sausage is just plane rank. Yuk. It is terrible. Um did I say chicken sausage is yuk?

Ok, my behind is red.

But in my defense, I was talking bout red meat.
 

waybomb

Well-known member
Never have I ever heard of any danger in eating cold leftovers. What are you basing that on? The first thing that came to mind was roast turkey in the deli shoppe....what is that other than cold, previously roasted turkey?

All depends on the micro load. Do you know the micro load in your fridge? What was the micro load before you cooked your meat or whatever? Going for a 4 log kill, 5 log? There's always the chance there's more load than available lethality in the cook cycle.

Disclaimer: I eat cold pizza for breakfast and have never gotten sick from it.

But 40f does not stop microbial growth, just slows it down.
 

waybomb

Well-known member
Ketchup is a low pH item. So, microbes don;t generally grow in it. But again, I'm sure there's room in the fridge - play it safe.
 

PanchoHambre

New member
I refrigerate open ketchup mustard BBQ sauce etc but I dont think your taking your life in your hands if not... eaten at a diner lately:shock:

as far as cold leftovers and the like... im sort of fearless... i figure the alcohol balances out the nasties
 

sattie

Resident Rocker Lady
Well hell... I bought this giant container of mustard from Costco and have been storing it in the pantry. Too big to fit in the fridge. When my little bottle runs out, I just funnel in some more mustard from the big container.

Soooooo... should I just toss the big container? And 'note' this... is says nothing about refrigeration on the big container after opening.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
If your pantry is a cool dry place it might not be a problem at all. I store open bottles of oil (buy it by the gallon) and have never had it go bad.
 

sattie

Resident Rocker Lady
I store it on the floor of the pantry. I considered this when I bought the container, but since it did not mention the need to refrigerate, I figured I was good and could save a few $$$. Might not be worth it when I go missing for a while because the dang hotdog I ate with mustard on it put me in the hospital.
 
I remember years ago, my Mother telling us kids about the guest speaker they had one month at her women's sewing circle at church. He was from one of the major food manufacturers, and was talking abour storing food products that had been opened. He told them then (mid 50s) that mustard needed to be stored in the fridge - of course, before that we never had. So since then I've always stored open bottles in the refrigerator.

Fred
 
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