Does Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?

There are good reasons to refrigerate your hot sauce. Some hot sauces ultimately lose color if left out in the open. Keeping your spicy sauce refrigerated will also help it stay fresher for longer. An open bottle of spicy sauce will keep in the pantry for up to six months, longer if kept in the refrigerator, according to the USDA’s FoodKeeper App.
Hot sauce can be kept for years at room temperature in your cupboard or cabinet. This is because the strong vinegar and relatively high salt concentration in hot sauce inhibit the growth of microorganisms and make the sauce reasonably shelf-stable.
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a few compelling arguments for chilling your hot sauce, starting with presentation. The easiest approach to avoid this color shift in your hot sauce is to refrigerate it, Your bottle of Tabasco has five years left on it; a darker color does not indicate spoilage. Put the bottle in the refrigerator if the hue of your spicy sauce matters to you.
Maintaining the long-term quality of your hot sauce is another justification for refrigeration. Five-year-old chili sauce that you’ve kept on your kitchen shelf will taste its age, even if it’s not officially spoilt.
For this reason, a lot of producers (Frank’s Red Hot included) provide “Best Enjoyed By” dates rather than expiration dates. “The date stamped on the shoulder or the bottom of the bottle is the date we recommend that you use the product by to assure the product’s optimum flavor, freshness and consistent quality,” they stated. “The product will generally maintain good flavor quality for a few weeks after that date if refrigerated.”
Additionally, certain hot sauces expire sooner than others. While the producers of TapatÃo offer you around two years to finish an unrefrigerated bottle, the makers of Cholula hot sauce advise using the bottle within six months of opening. Thus, examine the packing ofthe bottle to determine which option best suits your needs for storing spicy sauce. If in doubt, just start dousing everything in hot sauce so you may finish that bottle as soon as possible and avoid having to worry about it going bad.