Thanks for the list. Any idea why jarred olives would spoil before fresh? That seems counterintuitive.

Uhhh, maybe it is time to go through my condiments. Some of them moved from my husband's apartment two years ago.

Of course, some of our spices moved from Iowa to Minnesota with my husband, 6 years ago. I don't use those ones, but he does.

what do you all think about sauerkraut? .. .about the same shelf life as pickles?

ok so i know it's not a condiment, but i have a 2 or 3 year old unopened large bottle of olive oil. does anyone think it's still edible?

wow, that's a lot shorter time than i thought... but i've never gotten sick from eating the ketchup from the bottle sitting in my fridge, being used slowly, for up to a year. salsas and olives and pickles, that's different. total shock on the mayo. my jar of mayo lasts me a long ass time.

jam lasts awhile, but i get suspicious...because if you're like me, your jam jar also has tons of butter in it heheh

Lourdes, I imagine that your olive oil is fine as long as it wasn't exposed to heat damage.

kdkaboom, I am also surprised about that mayo expiration date. This thread is making me want to purchase smaller jars of condiments in general.

Is there always a way to tell if a condiment has gone bad? I think i have some really old stuff in my fridge that, for the most part, smells and tastes fine. Maybe it's time for a purge.

does anyone know how long chipotle peppers last in the fridge? whenever i buy a can of them i put the remaining amount in a tupperware container. i think they're packed in some sort of vinegar and adobe sauce. they don't ever get moldy or really change at all, but after a while it just seems like i should get rid of them. maybe because of the vinegar i should be following the pickle timeline.

Chipotle peppers--I'm not sure, but someone told me awhile ago that they freeze well so that's what I do with them. It actually works great because you can just scoop out what you need.

Does anyone know about pastes, like Thai chili paste? I never know how long to keep those around. They always seem okay but I'm not sure...

cassiopia, I like to use dried chipotle peppers for seasoning soups, etc. Their flavor seems just as strong and vibrant as that of canned chipotles. And I can use exactly as much as I need.

How about anchovy paste?

all the more reason to opt for the small container of mayo.

@Fontessa, your comment made me crack up laughing. Well done! We keep condiments around for a lot longer than these figures; I guess my husband and I will be joining you and your family in the "should be dead" department.

Wow. I just halved the condiments living in my fridge door...

A great site for info on how long we can keep food or beverage (including opened condiments): http://www.stilltasty.com/

I think pastes, including ketchup, are problematic when the edges go black and hard.
Washing the lid and wiping the top edge with a hot-water cloth will remove those nasty bits.

We've discovered a great way to save condiments which we don't use that often - there is a canned green enchilada sauce we are fond of, but never get back to before it is spoiled - so, I portioned it into ice cube trays (one tablespoon to a cube), froze it, and put the cubes into little freezer containers. They are right there when we need them, and easily thawed, because they are small. We do the same for yogurt and buttermilk starts. We use up our salsa and catsup too quickly for this, but it may be good for some of those other condiments and for hummus - I never finish a whole batch quickly enough, but maybe I should just make a smaller batch - (I've always wondered about fish sauce - how long do you suppose that would last? I'd guess it should be refrigerated, but the bottle is so large.) Don't forget to label your freezer boxes, or you may have a freezer full of mystery cubes!

I keep a container of the chipotle chilis in adobo sauce too... and it lasts a month or two before I run out. I've never seen it go bad, but if you don't use it for awhile, it forms kind of a yucky dry skin on top. Don't keep it in the can tho - it will develop rust. We had to toss some because of a rusty edge.

I am sending this to my mother. I am constantly going through her refrigerator to get rid of expired products. I only go by the date. She be surprised when she sees guidelines that are stricter than mine!

I just opened my "fresh" salsa that I just bought in the refrigerated section in the supermarket and it already has a vinegary taste, anyone know what I could add to it to make the sour taste go away?