my ketchup and hot sauce can last forever but salsa gets moldy within a week in the frig.
In: 0
Ketchup and hot sauce contain vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Salsa doesn’t. So salsa spoils before ketchup and hot sauce for the same reason a cucumber spoils before a pickle: fewer preservatives.
Salsa should hold for longer than a week, at least two if you’re using fresh ingredients. There’s a fair amount of acid (vinegar/citrus juice) and salt to keep it from molding that quickly.
With ketchup, there’s a ridiculous amount of sugar which acts as a natural growth inhibitor. It draws moisture from its surroundings through osmosis. No available water means no bacterial growth.
With hot sauce, they use vinegar to preserve the peppers. A high acid environment prevents bacterial growth.
Are you dipping into the jar itself? That will introduce bacteria.
Clarification: I use store brand salsa and a serving spoon to plate it. The salsa typically sure on the table all dinner then returned to the frig.
Also please keep your arguments about semantics to yourself. If vinegar is not one of the top three ingredients then I guess it’s not an effective preservative in my house.
RIP half a jar of salsa: thrown away but not forgotten
my ketchup and hot sauce can last forever but salsa gets moldy within a week in the frig.
In: 0
Ketchup and hot sauce contain vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Salsa doesn’t. So salsa spoils before ketchup and hot sauce for the same reason a cucumber spoils before a pickle: fewer preservatives.
Salsa should hold for longer than a week, at least two if you’re using fresh ingredients. There’s a fair amount of acid (vinegar/citrus juice) and salt to keep it from molding that quickly.
With ketchup, there’s a ridiculous amount of sugar which acts as a natural growth inhibitor. It draws moisture from its surroundings through osmosis. No available water means no bacterial growth.
With hot sauce, they use vinegar to preserve the peppers. A high acid environment prevents bacterial growth.
Are you dipping into the jar itself? That will introduce bacteria.
Clarification: I use store brand salsa and a serving spoon to plate it. The salsa typically sure on the table all dinner then returned to the frig.
Also please keep your arguments about semantics to yourself. If vinegar is not one of the top three ingredients then I guess it’s not an effective preservative in my house.
RIP half a jar of salsa: thrown away but not forgotten
Latest Answers