Food storage would youveat this question

[lynn]

How long does open jar of spaghetti sauce last in fridge?

[zoobie]

A week, max

[Ailaena]

I may be in the minority, but I've used it after a couple of weeks (maybe more). I've seen them eventually go moldy, so my general rule is, "free from mold."

 

I figure since I'm going to heat it to boily, that I'll kill whatever bad is in there!

[regentrude]

Until it shows visible mold. A few weeks.

Like with so many foods, you'll see when it's bad.

Edited May 12, 2017 by regentrude

[SparklyUnicorn]

Mine never seems to last more than a week.  It gets moldy so you'll know. 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Probably depends on the sauce.  I'm not talking about a jarred sauce, but rather a homemade one.  So maybe that's why mine doesn't last as long. 

[Arctic Bunny]

I agree with "until it's moldy"!

[Catwoman]

A week, max

:iagree:

 

Sometimes the label on the jar says how long you can keep it refrigerated, and I have never seen anything longer than a week.

[Ali in OR]

We follow the "until moldy" rule here too.

[heartlikealion]

you guys are bold LOL. I think I'm more of a 3 day rule person...

[Catwoman]

you guys are bold LOL. I think I'm more of a 3 day rule person...

I am, too, but I posted a week because I know I have seen labels that specified that once the jar was opened, the sauce should be consumed within a week.

 

I'm always super-cautious about food safety. I have had food poisoning and it was awful, so I figure it's worth occasionally throwing away some food that might still be safe if it helps prevent my family from possibly getting sick.

[regentrude]

I am, too, but I posted a week because I know I have seen labels that specified that once the jar was opened, the sauce should be consumed within a week.

 

which means it is safe at least for two weeks because the company will be extremely conservative and err on the safe side of caution to cover their behind.

[Catwoman]

which means it is safe at least for two weeks because the company will be extremely conservative and err on the safe side of caution to cover their behind.

We will have to agree to disagree on that, because clearly you're willing to take chances I'm not willing to take. The sauce might very well be perfectly safe, but I'd rather throw away a jar of sauce than take the risk that my family will get sick.

 

If I had never had food poisoning, I would probably be far less paranoid. :)

Edited May 12, 2017 by Catwoman

[Ausmumof3]

I tend to be a two day chucker. That's because I seem to only need a sniff of something slightly dodgy to end up ill. My DH can eat anything with impunity though....

[zoobie]

We will have to agree to disagree on that, because clearly you're willing to take chances I'm not willing to take. The sauce might very well be perfectly safe, but I'd rather throw away a jar of sauce than take the risk that my family will get sick.

 

If I had never had food poisoning, I would probably be far less paranoid. :)

I'm with you. DH gets really ill with food poisoning or any stomach or intestinal bug. It takes weeks and just isn't worth it. I'll trust the side of the jar!

 

I freeze it in ziplocs in 1/2 cup portions if I don't plan on using it for another meal in the next few days.

[Farrar]

I am pretty susceptible to food poisoning, but all that acid? It seems to be fine for at least a couple of weeks.

[rose]

For me it would depend on whether it had meat in it or not. For meat free sauce, until it was moldy. For meat sauce, one week max.

[Ausmumof3]

But pasta is notorious for food poisoning

[Selkie]

Three days max. I'd be worried there was mold forming even if it wasn't visible yet. Dh once got incredibly ill from food poisoning, and I never want to repeat that experience.  :ack2:

[Storygirl]

Over a week, and I wouldn't want to eat it.

 

I got tired of finding half used jars of sauce in my fridge and not remembering how old they were, so I have started writing the date I open them in marker on the lid. I do the same for jars of applesauce.

 

If I don't think I will use it within a week, I stick the jar in the freezer and defrost it when I want to use the rest of it.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Specifically for spaghetti sauce, the rule here is to use it within two weeks. Which we faithfully do, because we make our own pizza. (Jar lids get dated with a Sharpie as the partially used jar is capped and placed in the fridge.) We've been through a million jars on this schedule and nothing bad's happened. It's always added to food that is being thoroughly cooked.

 

I would never keep the pasta, the spaghetti, or any prepared dish for that long, of course. We never allow leftovers past 3 days. But the ingredient of spaghetti sauce - acidic tomatoes, sugar, salt, spices, oil - is not going to go bad (refrigerated) that quickly.

 

And I agree with regentrude that if it did, you'd know it, by the mold and/or the smell.

[HTRMom]

A week. Frozen, though, indefinitely. We always have little quantities of sauce in the freezer, I throw them out when DH isn't looking.

 

 

I don't trust my senses anymore. A couple years ago I got sick from a hot dog. It looked and tasted fine, but when I got its buddy out the next day, it had tons of mold inside. It can sicken you before you can see or smell it.

Edited May 13, 2017 by HTRMom

[heartlikealion]

I am, too, but I posted a week because I know I have seen labels that specified that once the jar was opened, the sauce should be consumed within a week.

 

I'm always super-cautious about food safety. I have had food poisoning and it was awful, so I figure it's worth occasionally throwing away some food that might still be safe if it helps prevent my family from possibly getting sick.

 

Ah, I see.

 

Yep, dh and I have had our share of things like this. We both ordered the same meal at a restaurant once and got very ill. Don't know if it was from the food handling or something else but I went to the dr and they said I had E. coli and gave me antibiotics or something. My sister and I are way more sensitive to food than some of the others in our family so we are quicker to toss food. Dh and I will go out to eat and I start the countdown on the to-go box. He'll say, "it hasn't been out that long" and I'll start doing the math lol. "But they brought it to the table at X time so you have to count from then, not what time we bagged it up." I try to keep it in the 2 hour range. He doesn't care.

 

[Catwoman]

Ah, I see.

 

Yep, dh and I have had our share of things like this. We both ordered the same meal at a restaurant once and got very ill. Don't know if it was from the food handling or something else but I went to the dr and they said I had E. coli and gave me antibiotics or something. My sister and I are way more sensitive to food than some of the others in our family so we are quicker to toss food. Dh and I will go out to eat and I start the countdown on the to-go box. He'll say, "it hasn't been out that long" and I'll start doing the math lol. "But they brought it to the table at X time so you have to count from then, not what time we bagged it up." I try to keep it in the 2 hour range. He doesn't care.

 

I do the same thing with to-go boxes, too! :) (I also factor in the temperature in the car if we have to stop anywhere on the way home. My dh thinks I'm a complete lunatic. He's probably right! :) )

[Forget-Me-Not]

I've routinely kept tomato-based pasta sauces well past a week, even 2-3 weeks. Its so acidic I let it go longer than other things.

 

However, please don't assume that boiling something will kill anything harmful. There are bacteria that give off toxins that are not destroyed with high heat. If you think something's been contaminated, toss it.