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Refrigerate After Opening:
Three Words I Hate

Refrigerate After Opening – three words I hate to see on bottles of sauces. Really? Have you seen my ‘fridge photos?
I just don’t have the room in there with all the pickles, mustards, and BBQ concoctions.

And that photo is AFTER cleaning out the ‘fridge door! Relating to door, be guided by the different types of exterior french doors at aluminiumwindowsanddoors.net.au. It’s beneficial most especially for the architect and designers.
I much prefer the sauces that live happily on counters, tables, and any other flat, open surface areas around our house. Those guys are Troopers. “We don’t need no stinkin’ refrigerators“!

Here are some sauces in my ‘fridge that I wish I could keep out in the open – ready any second for a quick pour alongside our chicken, tacos, steaks and other meals.

  • Any jerk seasonings or sauces
  • Mustard based hot sauces or BBQ sauces – even Mustard needs the cold box! ***
  • Wing sauces – if only
  • Exotic hot sauces – you know who you are

Now for the good guys, the Troopers. They can sit out all day and night, ready to serve.

  • Tabasco – I see some of you rolling your eyes, Scott, but let’s face it… the stuff survives anywhere!
  • Most Pickapeppa sauces, the Original and the Red, Parrot Brand… those Jamaicans know how to keep a sauce on hand
  • Worchestershire, Heinz 57, Soy Sauce… while not hot sauces, you guys still rock!
  • Sriracha – always nice to see sitting on our crowded counters, ready to add your garlic and bright sun-ripened chile flavors
  • Rubs – rubs, rubs, rubs – refrigeration is your death knell – and for that I am grateful!

*** Exceptional Mention: BluesBBQ new Chipotle Mustard Pepper Sauce – All Natural – No Preservatives – “No Refrigeration Necessary”. Awesome!

I think we need a new law that requires every manufacturer to either print Refrigeration Needed or Not Needed on their products. If it’s not there, we doubt. We ask bloggers and Chileheads and friends, “Does this sauce need to be refrigerated?” Without the label instructions, I DON’T KNOW!

I just know I’ve left out dozens of sauces! Where do you weigh in on this trivial matter that I’ve blow way out of proportion?

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12 Comments

  1. Why do mustards need refrigeration? Like hot sauces, they usually contain vinegar, which is an anti-bacterial agent.

  2. A general rule of thumb is, if it contains oil, dairy or animal products, it needs refrigeration. It it doesn’t have those things, it usually doesn’t (if there’s vinegar).

    And, please, NO MORE government regulation! 😉

    1. Actually, food is one area where I think government regulation is good, if it relates to quality and method of production, like in Europe. Only a certain wine can be called Champagne, because of where and how it is produced. Only one cheese is allowed to be called Parmigiano, because of where it is made, and how it is made. Only a certain process can create “Extra Virgin” Olive Oil. In the U.S., there are no such regulations so a lot of stuff is passed off as being “Extra Virgin,” or Parmesan, or Champagne, when in fact they are no such thing, and not the same quality. This protects the traditional farmers and their artisanal approach to these highly perfected food. It all depends on the intention behind the regulation. In Europe, the regulation is in place because of pride in what is produced by traditional, family-oriented producers, so that you will know if something is an industrialized impostor. In the U.S., regulation is not oriented in that way, so lower quality industrialized products are on an equal footing and can crush the traditional family farm models.

  3. That doesn’t explain why jerk sauces and seasonings supposedly need refrigeration.

  4. Great post! Anything in our fridge door is in danger of getting tossed if I don’t keep a close eye on my wife.

  5. Bob, it could be the Worcestershire sauce in the jerk sauce, which contains anchovies. Jerk seasoning, on the other hand, shouldn’t need chilling.

  6. Hey Bob, thanks for the comments. Like you I just don’t get it with the mustards.

    Scott, thanks for chiming in… I knew I could count on you to abhor the Govt Regulations! Hehe.

    Chris, thankfully, my wife just “looks away”… shes an angel and only once every 6 months or so asks me to look thru the sauces to see what “we” need to keep or toss. Thank you Marilyn!

  7. Here’s one that needs no refrigeration – Waddy Spice Traders Devil Dust
    Available at http://www.devil-dust.com
    The label lists the ingredients as follows:
    “Ingredients: Contains a blend of selected hot and mild peppers. NO SALT ADDED”
    That’s it!
    The label also says: “WARNING: This blend of hot peppers can irritate eyes, mouth, and nose. USE WITH CAUTION.”
    Scott Roberts gave Devil Dust “5 out of 5” for taste when he reviewed it on his website – check it out: http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/Review-Devil-Dust-Crushed-Chile-Pepper-Seasoning

  8. Chile Town Hot Sauce‘s line of sauces, such as Don Fuego, don’t need refrigeration but we still put it on the label to cover our rears in the event that someone were to ever try and bring a lawsuit forward. In this day in age where people sue each other for some of the most absurd reasons, it only makes sense for the manufacturers to ALWAYS recommend refrigeration after opening – however, i can guarantee you that you’ll never find any hot sauce in our fridges here in the office!

  9. I usually transfer all of the sauces that need refrigeration in squeeze bottles (Guy Fieri)
    take up less room, then bottles, do the same with my salad dressings.

    1. Oh my. Well Rene, with a quick look I counted over 40 sauces in the main fridge, and haven’t even looked in the dorm fridge!

      While your tip is awesome – squeeze bottles are a great idea – it wouldn’t work for me. But thank you for reading and commenting!

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