apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

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.

My word. Everyone in my family should be dead.

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/