TammyM wrote:

>Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "Bigbazza" > wrote:
>>
>>> How long can a bottle of ketchup stay in your fridge before it goes bad?
>>> I'm thinking 5 or 10 years, but if you want an expert opinion, go to
>>
>> <grin> I keep both ketchup and mustard in the cupboard and have never
>> had a problem with either. Because I mark my stuff when I buy it, I
>> know hold old pretty much everything is.
>
>And you trained me well. Yes, it's true, I never did it before (apart
>from baking powder which I always date-marked).

There's no point in marking those products with the date opened,
they're already marked with use-by dates. I mark non-perishables with
the date opened but only for my own information about how long it
lasts, like a a big package of salt, a giant roll of aluminum foil,
and things like a 40 pound box of laundry powder (not that there's any
value in that other than curiosity). I mean like what's the point in
marking the date on perishables, do you mark the date on a carton of
milk when you open it? And if a bottle of soy sauce says best used by
2012 and Refrigerate After Opening then one must satisfy both those
directions or neither makes sense. I refrigerate all condiments, even
before opening, refrigeration extends their use-by date and maintains
product quality longer... condiment quality does deteriorate much more
rapidly after opening when not refrigerated, that's why the
manufacturers suggest refrigeration, not so much due to spoilage. I
also keep many canned products refrigerated even though they don't
need to be, like canned tuna, I like to have cold canned tuna on hand
for when I want to eat it, room temperature canned tuna means I can't
eat it for hours after I get the urge, until it's been chilled in the
fridge. I keep a lot of canned/jarred foods in the fridge until
needed just because I want it cold when I want it, like canned fruit,
all kinds of canned fish, and all unopened condiments. All my food
fetishes are resolved by my having a second fridge in the basement.