Is it true that HP sauce doesn't go bad after opening it and keeping it out of a fridge for two months?
Posted by marcofusco@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 56 comments
The sauce has been stored in a cupboard away from sunlight.
I am just having this debate with my roommate, who isn't British, therefore I am looking for a definite answer to this question.
Any answer will be greatly appreciated.
AtlasSlouched@reddit
I've got a bottle in the larder that allegedly went off in June of 2023. Just used some in a bacon sarnie. Tastes fine.
kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit
It's full of sugar, salt and vinegar. They are all preservatives. Should be fine!
AllKnowingEK@reddit
Took the words right out of my mouth, don’t forget the full tub of seed oil.
The trick is that it’s already bad when you open it so you don’t ever have to worry!
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
This lol, there's more 'preservatives' in it than anything else... Same with ketchup and other similar sauces.
AllKnowingEK@reddit
Yeah I don’t use sauce at all. The people downvoting me proves these corporations have already won.
People care too little about their health these days and then wonder why everyone’s dying so young or getting chronic diseases at the age of 40.
Shame on the government for allowing it. We will be no better than the yanks soon, all obese as fuck.
zZCycoZz@reddit
The people downvoting you know that there isnt much evidence that seed oils are actually harmful.
AllKnowingEK@reddit
Didn’t come to argue lol, continue poisoning yourself it’s no harm done to me.
caniuserealname@reddit
So you just came to spread misinformation?
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
I'm confused as to what seed oil has to do with HP sauce?
But anyway.. As oils go, seed oils are some of the most healthy types of oil.
They have a low smoke point though, which makes them unsuitable for frying or cooking at high temperatures etc.
panic_attack_999@reddit
It's standard diet-bro propaganda. He probably eats a carnivore diet because Joe Rogan says it's healthy.
Yes, Joe Rogan, the human boiled ham. They want to be healthy like him.
zZCycoZz@reddit
This was their comment further up the chain
AllKnowingEK@reddit
What misinformation did I spread, enlighten me?
caniuserealname@reddit
Weird way to admit you don't read your own comments.
zZCycoZz@reddit
Its not really debated, except by dodgy health influencers. Believe misinformation all you want but please dont spread it.
TheHeroYouNeed247@reddit
Tbh, I just downvoted because they sound annoying, and I bet they announce this at every table they sit at. Probably thin as a rake too.
NoFewSatan@reddit
No, they just prove that you're a negative bore.
AllKnowingEK@reddit
Negative because I care about my health. Sure.
NoFewSatan@reddit
It's possible to care about your health and also not be an obnoxious twat
O_C_Demon@reddit
Pretty sure Brown sauce isn't to blame for the obesity crisis mate...
AllKnowingEK@reddit
There isn’t one singular thing to blame for it, what is your point here?
O_C_Demon@reddit
Well you're commenting about obesity on a thread about sauce and saying you don't eat sauce...
Careless-Giraffe-623@reddit
A good chilli sauce is my go-to. Not a super hot one just a regular tasty one. Probably just vinigar for taste and also acts as a preservative. Decent quality ones won't have the salt and sugar content of ketchup etc.
tommygunner91@reddit
All my sauces are in the cupboard and Im still alive. Im not about the cold sauce on hot chips life and dont give me "oh but it says on the bottle to refrigerate" as that was added about 25 years ago overnight and we all stuck it in the cupboard beforehand. Sauces sit out in cafes all day long...
britinnit@reddit
Yeah. Loads of cafes keep them out too never noticed?
martin_81@reddit
I've had Brown sauce and Ketchup in my drawer at work for a few months, my colleague can't get his head around it.
Present_Air_7694@reddit
It's mostly preservatives. It's stupid to put it in a fridge.
Fred776@reddit
HP Sauce is one of the few things like this that don't specify that you need to keep it in the fridge. I am pretty sure that back in the 70s many other things like tomato ketchup, pickle, jam etc., also never used to specify that refrigeration was needed. Either that, or I just didn't notice but in any case everything in our house was just kept in cupboards back then. It was probably in the 80s that I started noticing refrigeration instructions on a greater range of items.
kirkum2020@reddit
My nan gave me some brown sauce for a butty and it was the most delicious one I've ever tried. I asked for the bottle back to see where it was from and it was only Aldi's. I suspect the fact it was 9 years out of date that changed the flavour so much. Stored in the cupboard the whole time too.
Paddy_odoors@reddit
Ours is always kept CORRECTLY in the cupboard properly takes 4/5 months to finish the bottle.
GreekVicar@reddit
I've never kept brown sauce or ketchup in the fridge If there's a decent turnover of them then they'll be fine in a cupboard
iloovehugecock@reddit
The only sauces I refrigerate are ones liken mayo, salad cream, anything ‘creamy’ or with eggs/dairy in it.
Ketchup, brown sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet chilli, everything else is kept in the cupboard. I’ve had sauces open for months/years without issue.
TheCarrot007@reddit
You are fine with any commercial (mass produced) mayo as well. The other I have never looked into.
But warm mayo? ick. I keep em all in the fridge as well as eggs though (on potatoes) as limited space. Often then leave them out overnight and forget at times. But on a worktop gets annoying when you next use it.
O_C_Demon@reddit
This is the way
achilleusmaximusii@reddit
Brown sauce will last for a very long time in the cupboard for sure
phoxalot@reddit
2 months, rookie numbers 😆
yasminsdad1971@reddit
Depends.
Is bottle glass or plastic?
Plastic is gas porous, glass is not. Learnt that fist year of my materials engineering degree.
If plastic then possibly ok. If glass then certainly ok.
Next time you are in a shop, check out Heinz ketchup, in glass bottle and in plastic bottle.
BBE dates wildly different.
Lewis19962010@reddit
They only put the once opened must be refrigerated on the bottle to cover themselves from any legal action if someone leaves it out and something does go off with it due to being stored on a worktop and getting blasted with sunlight through the window
0oITo0@reddit
I didn't realize till a while ago that I was eating hp sauce that was over a year out of date. It still tasted fine. (I ate before checking the date)
FedBySheep@reddit
Definite answer (for ketchup, which is comparable):
Heinz says put it in the fridge for optimal results:
https://www.allrecipes.com/heinz-settles-ketchup-storage-debate-7556212
"There was only ever one correct answer, and we're happy to share with Heinz Tomato Ketchup lovers that our ketchup has to be in the fridge," Olivia Lennon, at Heinz Tomato, told Daily Mail.
"Although we're aware many Heinz Tomato Ketchup fans have been storing their ketchup in the cupboard, we do recommend refrigeration after opening," she clarified. "This is the best way to maintain the delicious tangy taste of our Heinz Tomato Ketchup that you know and love."
Heinz bottle labels in the U.S. clearly state, "For Best Results, Refrigerate After Opening."
The company addressed the issue in a similar poll on Twitter in 2017 about ketchup storage.
"Because of its natural acidity, Heinz Ketchup is shelf-stable," the brand said. This explains why the product is not found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. However, the brand maintained that consumers should "refrigerate after opening to maintain product quality."
Perhaps less cautious non-corporate answer, depends on how fast you're using it:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/article/does-ketchup-need-to-be-refrigerated
"If you use it often and it’s shelf stable, keep it in the pantry or on the counter,"
Another answer:
https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/how-to/should-ketchup-be-refrigerated/
"Opened Bottles: Once a bottle of ketchup is opened, the dynamics change. Exposure to air, moisture, and potential contaminants can increase the risk of spoilage. For this reason, many ketchup bottles include a recommendation to refrigerate after opening."
So in short:
Fridge recommended for quality, but if you're using it regularly, it'll probably be fine out of the fridge.
National-Somewhere26@reddit
I never put any sauces in the fridge never had anything go bad
Undark_@reddit
I found a bottle, opened, in the cupboard, that was two years old. Absolutely fine.
Standard-Pea3586@reddit
If you’ve never ver had HP sauce with your stovies you’ve never lived.
FancyAd3942@reddit
If it seems fine eat it if not don’t. I feel like there isn’t really a straight up answer
kubelpomyj@reddit
After two years. At least
NortonBurns@reddit
I've never refrigerated HP sauce in all my 65 years. It lasts months & months. I have never known it go off.
My mum never put tomato ketchup in the fridge either, or any kind of 'preserve', pickles, jam. They were all designed to last a long time.
swhite99@reddit
HP Sauce: 100% tastes British, 0% actually made in Britain. This is a betrayal of the highest order.
kifflington@reddit
It's basically immortal. I keep it in my kitchen cupboard and don't use it often so I've many times used it when it was literally years beyond its best before date. It's always indistinguishable to the day it was first opened. The stuff is mostly made of preservatives like sugar and vinegar and salt, it'll probably outlive me.
EverybodyLovesChaka@reddit
Well it won't taste any worse
bsnimunf@reddit
I've had mine for years. Too much sugar to go bad
Pale_Slide_3463@reddit
I’ve had some for like 4 months and still use it lol. I never put it in the fridge
Saltyuniform@reddit
HP sauce stays good in the cupboard until it’s all used
Doesn’t matter how long that takes, it’s still good!
Kaylee_Phoenix@reddit
Yes, can be stored in a dark cupboard. Not need to put it in the fridge. Same with ketchup.
Obvious-Water569@reddit
My unrefrigerated bottle has been open for well over six months and it's still fine.
I'd be interested in doing a brethalyzer after my breakfast, but it definitely tastes fine.
Affectionate-Use8700@reddit
It’s fine. I’d say it keeps for years
Lonely-Job484@reddit
Do ketchup next.
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