How long do basic condiments stay fresh in the fridge?
Condiments like ketchup and mustard are made with vinegar, which is an excellent preservative, same with most hot sauces (like Tabasco). Food products are supposed to have a”use by” date, which is a good guide to use. That use-by date also protects the manufacturer from a lawsuit: if you used the product AFTER that date and got sick, they could say that it had expired and it was your own fault for ignoring the date. Personally, I try to use food products before they expire, but I often ‘push’ it by using them after their expiration, especially if they are the ones with lots of vinegar in them. Unfortunately, most of those don’t freeze well, so that’s not a practical way to extend their shelf life. So if you don’t use things quickly, there’s no savings in buying a huge size of something that you consume slowly…right? And of course, the colder the temperature setting of the refrigerator, the longer that things will last…just don’t set the temp so low that you freeze your lettuce, etc
