Pardon the newbie question -- I checked the FAQ, but it mostly seems
to be about canning for storage. I am interested in making a hot
chili sauce that I can keep in my refrigerator and use a little at a
time over a period of a couple of months. Canning would seem to be
pointless, since I'm going to open it and start using it as soon as
it's ready, and as soon as that top comes off the food inside is
contamintated. I know very little about food preservation, but it
seems to me that if I get the stuff acidic enough, it should last for
quite some time in the refrigerator, even without sterilization.

My current thinking is something like this: roast the peppers and
maybe some other veggies (garlic, onion, carrot, tomatoes) until fully
cooked, combine with vinegar in a food processor, puree, then put in a
jar and store in the refrigerator.

So my question is, if I do this with a 5-6% acidity vinegar and add no
other liquids (other than what is naturally in the veggies, which will
be reduced somewhat by roasting), am I safe? Most recipes for pickles
seem to involve heating the food in the vinegar -- is this really
necessary? It seems like in my situation (non-sterile refrigerator
storage) it is the acidity not the heat which is doing the work,
right? Can I dilute the vinegar (since vinegar is really not what I
want to be tasting) and still be safe this way? Are there any
guidelines for how much vinegar is needed per cup or ounce of cooked
vegetable?

Thanks very much for any information!

--
Randall

Randall Nortman wrote:

... Can I dilute the vinegar (since vinegar is really not what I want
to be tasting) and still be safe this way?

You need to get some litmus strips or something and make sure your
mixture is acidic enough. Salt will also act as a preservative to a degree.

Are there any guidelines for how much vinegar is needed per cup or
ounce of cooked vegetable?

Send your recipe here and ask them:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

B/